AFIP Forms Alliance with ADI

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--Feb. 2, 20064, 2006--The Automotive Dealership Institute has signed an agreement with the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals to encompass a broad range of joint F&I training projects. The agreement is expected to set a new standard for F&I training. The announcement was made jointly by AFIP Executive Director David Robertson and ADI CEO/Executive Director Alan Algan during Robertson's visit to ADI's Scottsdale training facility.

AFIP will review ADI's training curriculum with an eye toward granting it status as AFIP Accredited F&I Training. In addition, Robertson will personally mentor ADI Dean of Education Arzu Algan, preparing her to conduct review sessions and AFIP Certification tests, and enabling her to become an AFIP Certified faculty member. The AFIP Certification Program consists of college-level courses focusing on the federal and state regulations unique to the F&I trade, and features an ethics module jointly developed with the Walsh Institute for Ethical Behavior. The courses are designed to give F&I practitioners and the lenders and vendors that support the F&I trade the legal and ethical guidelines they need to make more money doing their job within the confines of the law. AFIP Certification is the MBA of the F&I trade -- recommended by the National Automobile Dealers Association and supported by select Automobile Trade Association Executives.

"We are extremely excited to be working with AFIP," said Alan Algan. "As a result of our new relationship, it is anticipated that ADI's comprehensive four-week Finance and Insurance Management program will be accredited and approved by AFIP. AFIP's legal compliance material will replace ADI's legal compliance material and all students will be required to pass an examination on the AFIP program in order to graduate from ADI. We will be working closely with Mr. Robertson and AFIP to monitor all changes in related laws and ethics to continuously comply with AFIP's high standards."

Said Robertson: "After reviewing the Automotive Dealership Institute's curriculum, and meeting the faculty, I am convinced that the AFIP Certification Courses will be delivered in one of the best settings possible. The candidates have made a personal and financial commitment to master their craft -- and have put themselves in a position to achieve this objective.

"For an individual seeking a career in F&I," he continued, "occupation-specific schools such as the Automotive Dealership Institute likely represent the optimum venue for acquiring the maximum amount of practical and technical knowledge in the shortest period of time -- the best bang for the buck."

AFIP Certification means that ADI graduates will reap a number of positive benefits, both in their search for employment and on the job.

"I wish ADI had this program when I was attending school," said Juanita Stanley, finance manager for Honda Cars of Mesa. "I definitely plan to return to the school for AFIP Certification once that program is established."

Said Arzu Algan: "AFIP Certification will give our graduates a distinct advantage when seeking employment. They leave our school with the technical tools, regulatory knowledge, and ethical footing they need to hit the ground running."

The Automotive Dealership Institute is a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based automotive management training facility that specializes in educating the next generation of finance and insurance managers and service advisors. ADI is approved by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education. For more information call 877-998-7200 or visit www.autodealerinstitute.com.

The Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals, founded in 1989, is a nonprofit educational foundation that serves the needs of in-dealership finance and insurance personnel for the automobile, RV, commercial truck and equipment, motorcycle, and motorized sports industries, and assists the lenders, vendors, and independent general agents who support the F&I function. Texas-based AFIP is active in the United States, Canada, and Europe. For more information, call 817-428-2434 or visit www.afip.com.