DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -

J.D. Power and JM&A Group are leveraging their collective finance-industry knowledge, forming a strategic alliance to develop jointly branded F&I products and services for auto dealers and buyers nationwide.

Focused initially on a suite of warranties and service contracts designed to support the growth of vehicle sales, the two companies said in a news release on Thursday that they also will offer F&I training and certification programs and collaborate on data and analytics projects leveraging their collective industry insights. 

“It was important to J.D. Power to work with a group of experts that not only know the F&I space, but also have a reputation for service and integrity that would be aligned with J.D. Power’s reputation as a voice for the customer,” JM&A Group president Dan Chait said in the news release.

“We are honored to be the only F&I company to be aligned with J.D. Power to produce unique products and services with a consumer-centric approach,” Chait continued.

Together, the brands indicated they will create and release protection products, including a certified pre-owned program, limited warranties, and maintenance and service contracts, that inspire confidence for buyers and dealers alike.

Designed to plug seamlessly into existing dealer F&I workflows for both online and in-person transactions, the companies said these warranty and protection products will be offered through dealers nationwide.

“As the industry continues to evolve and dealers focus on a customer-first approach, quickly creating trust becomes paramount to success,” Chait said. “This alliance perfectly positions our dealers to enhance their performance in-store as well as online by building trust in the F&I products and process they present to customers."

To help dealers who want to take their F&I operations to the “next level,” the two companies also will offer select F&I training and certification opportunities through the JM&A Performance Development Center.

Additionally, J.D. Power and JM&A Group added that they will be pooling their collective vehicle and customer intelligence data, assembled over a combined 100 years of auto industry experience, to design new products and services for the industry.

“At J.D. Power, our goal is to help shoppers make better purchase decisions,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “The F&I process can be daunting for many consumers. We believe that our collaborative product design on co-branded products with JM&A Group will add value by showing consumers that the dealer’s F&I programs meet J.D. Power’s high standards.”

To learn more about the alliance, visit https://info.jmagroup.com/jd-power-alliance.