Assurant Solutions Acquires Recreational Finance, LLC, Developer of F&I Technology for RV Market
ATLANTA and NIXA, Mo., Jan. 3, 2006 -- Assurant Solutions, a leading provider of third-party administration services, specialty insurance and extended service contracts, has acquired Recreational Finance, LLC of Nixa, Mo., a leading developer of Web-based finance and insurance (F&I) operating systems for the recreational vehicle market in North America.
Recreational Finance, also known as recfin, becomes part of Assurant Solutions affiliate United Services Protection Corp., a provider of vehicle service contracts and related services to the Assurant Solutions Automotive and Recreational Vehicle Services (ARVS) business. The acquisition includes rights to recfin.net dealership F&I operating system, recfin F&I training services, the recfin.com full-service operating system and a dealer management system. Terms were not disclosed.
"Uniting recfin's delivery platforms with our vehicle service and insurance programs enables us to offer a virtual F&I office to dealers," said Mike Anderson, senior vice president and head of the Assurant Solutions ARVS business. "This joining of forces brings the recreational market the latest in online communication, training, products, menu selling, forms generation, automatic product rating and best practices, all in a consolidated Web-based package."
Privately-held recfin will continue to maintain offices in Nixa, Mo., near Springfield, where it has 25 employees. President and Founder Dennis Hamilton will continue to head the new Assurant Solutions division and join Assurant Solutions as a vice president of United Services Protection.
"In recent years, Assurant Solutions has established itself as a knowledgeable, reliable and innovative partner who can provide dealers a complete suite of standard and customized F&I products and services," Hamilton said. "Our technology solutions can help dealerships improve their current F&I offices or, if they have neither the resources nor interest in running their own shops, provide a viable outsourcing alternative," he said.
About recfin
Founded in 2002, Recreational Finance, LLC (recfin) is a leading finance and insurance (F&I) technology, product and service provider located in Nixa, Mo. Products and services include the recfin.net dealership F&I operating system, ValueGuard product offerings, recfin F&I training services and recfin.com full service F&I operating system. Recfin currently is expanding into 48 states and has approximately $2 million in annual gross revenue.
Recfin uses national and regional lenders, originating multimillion-dollar portfolios of loans annually. Through recfin.com, the company provides an off-site full-service F&I department to dealers who are not interested in staffing an in-house department themselves. Through recfin.net, dealer finance departments have access to industry-leading software, self- calculating, properly structured finance products and industry-specific training. www.recfin.com
About Assurant Solutions
Assurant Solutions companies develop, underwrite, market and administer specialty insurance, extended service contracts and other risk management solutions through collaborative relationships with leading financial institutions, retailers, automobile dealers, utilities and other entities. With operations in 16 locations, including executive offices in Atlanta, Ga., Assurant Solutions serves clients and their customers throughout North America, the Caribbean and selected countries in South America and Europe. www.assurantsolutions.com
Assurant Solutions is part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and selected other markets. Its four key businesses - Assurant Employee Benefits, Assurant Health, Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property - partner with clients who are leaders in their industries and who have built leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments in the United States and selected international markets.
Assurant , which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ, has over $20 billion in assets and $7 billion in annual revenue. www.assurant.com
Media Contacts: James A. Sykes, Assurant Solutions, 770.763.1015, james.sykes@assurant.com. Dennis Hamilton. Recreational Finance, LLC. 866.873.2346. dennis@recfin.com