Finance & Insurance

Automotive sales will pick up in 2021, credit bureau TransUnion predicts, though primarily for customers with prime and above credit. As the U.S. economy continues to muscle through the deadly coronavirus pandemic, nonprime customers will steadily vanish from the market. This slowdown in nonprime originations isn’t likely to stem from …

The rapid shift to digital retail — accelerated in part by the coronavirus pandemic — is supposed to displace the F&I office system that requires customers to spend extensive time in the store. In fact, a survey of 88 dealership F&I managers showed that slightly less than half reported customers …

One of digital retailing’s greatest challenges is translating a subprime buying experience online. Customers who use the platforms without assistance are less likely to receive auto lender approval. But retail technology experts say that changes leading up to and during the coronavirus pandemic have simplified the process for subprime buyers. …

Before the pandemic, Qvale Automotive Group had a digital retailing tool and the ability to allow customers to electronically sign documents from inside the showroom. When the coronavirus began to surge across the U.S. this spring, Qvale discovered that its showroom could be anywhere. With the help of videoconferencing software …

TO THE EDITOR: As a much acclaimed chair of the Federal Reserve Board and chief economic adviser, Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to become the next secretary of the Treasury, has received many accolades and press attention. Nevertheless, her critical role in protecting consumer vehicle leasing from a required …

Key strategies implemented in dealerships’ finance-and-insurance offices can help prevent negative equity for customers. For Justin Gasman, financial services director at McCaddon Cadillac-Buick-GMC in Boulder, Colo., his plan of action to help customers maintain the value of their vehicles and keep them above water on loans involves education, short-term loans …

Assessing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on a customer’s credit standing is similar to a dean of admissions judging prospective college students: the more information they have, the faster a decision can be made. Likewise, auto lenders’ decisioning processes ascribe values to certain components of a consumer’s credit history, …

The coronavirus shuttered in-person retail sales in some states this year, and where in-store sales were allowed, some customers still were wary of face-to-face transactions. To adapt, dealers switched to digital transactions and, in some cases, eliminated the store’s F&I office. Brian McCafferty, owner of Avondale Toyota in Arizona, said …

Asbury Automotive Group Inc. considers its first attempt to grow used-only sales with standalone locations a failed experiment. In 2017, when the last Q auto location closed, executives said the retailer planned to focus its investments on “alternative routes to market” that will deliver higher profits. Clicklane, Asbury’s omnichannel solution …