Aimbridge Indirect Lending Introduces Dealer Connect
DENVER--Oct. 8, 2002--Aimbridge Indirect Lending (formerly Credit Union Member Lending), a division of The Aimbridge Group, introduced Dealer Connect.
Aimbridge Indirect Lending is a financing channel that connects credit unions with an automotive dealer network to provide members and potential members with auto loans and leases. Dealer Connect enables dealers to immediately track and verify automobile loan applications from entry through funding on-line.
Prior to using Dealer Connect, dealers would have to call Aimbridge Indirect Lending to inquire about the status of a loan application. Now they can visit the company's Web site, select the "Dealers" option, enter their assigned password and view all of the current contracts they have with Aimbridge Indirect Lending. Dealers can find their contracts on one of four queue pages; Submitted for Decisioning, Approved Declined, In for Funding or Completed. Contracts will automatically move to different queues as their status changes. Dealers can also search for specific loan applications by selecting the "Search" option, entering their search criteria and selecting "Go."
"With Dealer Connect, dealers get instant answers 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week," said Steve Bentley, CEO and chairman of the board of The Aimbridge Group. "They no longer have to call us to find out the status of an application."
The system also prints callback sheets and funding vouchers. Callback sheets detail the decision made on a particular loan application, and funding vouchers indicate how many loan contracts were funded by date range for the dealership's accounting office. "Before our online system was created, dealers had to call to let us know they did not receive that information, and we would then email or fax it to them again." Bentley said. "With Dealer Connect dealers waiting on a loan application decision can easily print out a callback sheet. Funding information can also be printed."
"From a technology standpoint, one of our primary focuses is to eliminate any duplication of effort," The Aimbridge Group Vice President of Technology David Lindsey added. "This means everything from looking at the status of the deal to getting a deal entered into a host system need only be done once."
Additionally, Dealer Connect allows the dealer to reply to missing application information. "Many times we'll receive an incomplete application and cannot decision it," Bentley continued. "Dealer Connect will let the dealer know what information is missing from the application so they can get it to us, and the application can be considered for funding. The bottom line is that Dealer Connect truly gives the dealer the ability to more efficiently communicate with us."
Dealer Connect is used in conjunction with Aimbridge Indirect Lending's Internet Dealer Application (IDA), a system that decisions loan applications in 10 seconds, and CUML Connect, a credit union loan tracking application. Dealers submit an application through IDA, and they are automatically decisioned while those applications that are not automatically decisioned are forwarded to the credit union for review through CUML Connect. Dealers start tracking applications using Dealer Connect, and decisions are sent to the dealer.
"The introduction of Dealer Connect is the next fundamental step toward establishing full connectivity between The Aimbridge Group and its dealership and credit union partners," David Lindsey concluded.
About The Aimbridge Group
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Denver, The Aimbridge Group markets financial products, such as auto loans and leases, mortgages and insurance products through partnerships with credit unions. The company, formerly Bentley Networks, Inc., helps their partners attract members and deepen their relationships by providing members with more reasons to do business with their credit unions.
The Aimbridge Group is comprised of five divisions, including Aimbridge Indirect Lending, Aimbridge Leasing, Aimbridge Mortgage, Aimbridge Financial Services and Aimbridge Automotive Group. While the company is headquartered in Denver, it has remote offices in Tampa, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; Austin, Texas; St. Louis, Mo.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Chicago, Ill. and Charleston, S.C.
For additional information, write Aimbridge Indirect Lending at 7995 East Hampden Ave., Suite 200, Denver, CO, 80231 or contact Kathy Strawmat at 303.306.3240. Visit its Web site at www.aimbridge.com.