Though regulators have relaxed discriminatory lending rules, auto lenders are stepping up diversity education. Ally Financial, for one, is bolstering training efforts to reduce unintentional snap judgments based on race, gender, or appearance – a concept referred to as “unconscious bias.” In this episode of The Roadmap, Auto Finance Excellence talks with Reggie Willis, Ally’s director of diversity and inclusion, to discover what lending executives can do to become more open-minded and avoid having unintentional bias trickle into interactions between dealers and their car-buying customers.

If there is one lesson Westlake Financial Services has learned since it started purchasing portfolios back in 2011, it’s to be prepared for hiccups along the way. Proactive communication and procedural refinement are two of the elements that enable companies to scale their business. In this episode of The Roadmap, Auto Finance Excellence talks with Paul Kerwin, Westlake’s chief financial officer, about what lenders can do to improve acquisition practices and leverage existing infrastructure for growth.

Whether you’re lending in Los Angeles or Shanghai, some auto finance fundamentals stay the same. Chas Roscow is an industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience in the space and he joins Auto Finance News for a special discussion on the automotive lending space in China and gives lenders some best practices for how to succeed in the growing market. Roscow will be speaking on this topic and beyond at the summit held at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on September 5-6. For more details and to register, visit www.AutoFinanceAsia.com.

Collaborative corporate strategy, healthy relationships with other businesses, and opportunities that enable colleagues to fully express themselves are just a few of the benefits that come with a well-designed diversity and inclusion program for any financial services business. In this episode of The Roadmap, Auto Finance Excellence talks with two executives from Huntington Bank to discuss the steps required to develop and implement diverse and inclusive programs in the auto finance space. Tune in to find out how to ensure that the topics of race, age, and gender diversity never slip under the radar.

Featuring Rich Porrello, president of Huntington Bank’s auto finance business, and Marlon Moore, the bank’s chief diversity and inclusion officer.

Strategic partnerships are at risk of being marred by culture clash, when the turn-on-a-dime mentality of a startup challenges the red-tape decision-making of larger finance companies. In this episode of The Roadmap, Sonia Steinway, president of Outside Financial, shares insights to help startups and their corporate partners develop – and maintain – healthy relationships. Steinway also outlines the needs for thorough compliance and privacy protocol, as well as an ability to cater to consumers’ various learning styles.

Featuring Sonia Steinway, President, Outside Financial

As auto lenders struggle to integrate artificial intelligence into origination models, powersports lessor MotoLease has fully embraced the technology. In this episode of The Roadmap, MotoLease Chief Executive Maurice Salter and Chief Operating Officer Emre Ucer discuss the steps involved in using AI to make independent credit decisions based on each person’s individual behavior, as well as the rationale for doing the project in-house. The pair also offer details of a soon-to-be launched website to consolidate dealer inventories and offer consumers a centralized resource with prequalification functionality.

Featuring Maurice Salter, Chief Executive, and Emre Ucer, Chief Operating Officer, MotoLease

As credit unions continue to seize auto financing marketshare, knowing how they position themselves for success is key to understanding their growth. In this episode of The Roadmap, Sonya McDonald, Executive Vice President & Chief Lending Officer at Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union talks about the lenders’ strategy for growing direct lending by working with dealerships and how credit unions provide a unique customer service experience that bodes well for growth. She also discusses RBFCU’s long-term goal to increase automated underwriting, and even how women’s representation has grown in the credit union space.

Featuring Sonya McDonald, Executive Vice President & Chief Lending Officer at Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union

With lingering uncertainty over what will become of the CFPB and unconfirmed appointees to the Federal Trade Commission, lenders’ compliance obligations are in flux. In this episode of The Roadmap, Dama Brown, Southwest regional director of the FTC, clears up confusion about collection practices and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as valuable insights into a recent case again Blue Global LLC, which fraudulently sold consumer data that was promised to dealers. Brown also offers a sneak peek of a report that presents consumer sentiments about their auto purchases and financing.

Featuring Dama Brown, Regional Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Southwest Region.

As multiple subprime auto securitizers come to the market with lower average Fico scores, longer terms, and higher loan-to-value ratios than their previous issuances, many of these deals are being rewarded with higher ratings. In this episode of The Roadmap, Joseph Cioffi, a partner at Davis & Gilbert LLP, discusses the latest trends in auto ABS, including the industry's reliance on over-collateralization that may be masking greater subprime risk. Additionally, Cioffi also delves into trends such as the rising subprime delinquencies and losses experienced across the industry.

Featuring Joseph Cioffi, Partner, Davis & Gilbert LLP

From new security features to 3-D images and biometrics, AutoGravity has several technology development projects on its roadmap this year, according to the online auto finance company’s new Chief Technology Officer Sheng Wang. In this episode of The Roadmap, Sheng details her new CTO role at AutoGravity, why it’s important to have a mobile-first strategy, and the company’s tech goals for 2018. Additionally, Sheng talks about the future of the F&I office, where consumers might be “getting stuck” in the online finance process, and how AutoGravity is jumping over those hurdles.

Featuring Sheng Wang, Chief Technology Officer, AutoGravity.