P&A Online

September 15, 2011

Welcome to P&A Online, a monthly eMagazine dedicated to the interests and concerns of providers and administrators of automotive finance and insurance products.

P&A Online is your source for industry news and updates as well as original feature articles to keep you well-informed of best practices and trends.

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Technology, Compliance & Business Strategy – The Focus of VSCAC

Just a couple more weeks and the Industry's largest F&I conference will be underway. The Vehicle Service Contract Administrator Conference (VSCAC), one of three conferences composing the Industry Summit being held September 26 through 28, has come a long way from its debut back in 2004. Review of 2010 The 2010 conference covered many workshops ... Read More »

Invitation for Review – GAP

Gary Fagg, a consulting actuary with CreditRe and one of P&A Magazine's Actuarial channel contributors recently approached P&A to review some online GAP protection material that he will be providing AFIP for their certification program for F&I professionals. His experience in the actuary, accounting, risk management, and risk transfer solutions related to vehicle protection products, ... Read More »

Interview with Brent Allen, President of StoneEagle

P&A Magazine had the chance to speak with Brent Allen, president of StoneEagle, to discuss the company's role in the F&I industry and how they contribute to making the lives of providers and administrators easier. The following interview examines StoneEagle and all of the technology programs they have to offer clients. The StoneEagle Group is ... Read More »

Teenage Girls and the Telemarketing Sales Rule

What do teenage girls have to do with the Telemarketing Sales Rule? More than you might think. I'm a lawyer with five daughters 18 years old and under, so I know of what I speak. As you may recall, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) went into effect in 2003 to both implement the Telemarketing and ... Read More »

RoadVantage Taps F&I Administration Solutions for F&I Software Administration

AUSTIN – RoadVantage announced a partnership with F&I Administration Solutions, LLC that was signed in August 2011. They recently went live with F&I Admin's SCS Auto software solution with various RoadVantage F&I products including: GAP, tire and wheel, appearance protection, key replacement & anti-theft. "Our solution presents many opportunities and efficiencies for a company like ... Read More »

MaximTrak Certified for Integration with Reynolds

WAYNE – MaximTrak Technologies announced that it has been certified for integration with the Reynolds and Reynolds ERA® Dealer Management System (DMS) through the Reynolds Certified Interface (RCI) Program. The certification allows MaximTrak to retrieve data from a dealer's Reynolds ERA DMS using standard data interfaces developed as part of the RCI Program. These interfaces ... Read More »

ADP Connects 10,000th Vendor to DMS

HOFFMAN ESTATES — ADP Dealer Services announced that its Third Party Access Program has certified 10,000th vendor, providing users of its dealership management system (DMS) with access to more than 10,000 technology solutions. “ADP’s continuing goal is to offer an open system, and we’re excited to see our Third Party Access Program expand beyond this ... Read More »

F&I Administration Solutions Signs Auto Knight Motor Club Onto SCS Auto

CHICAGO – F&I Administration Solutions, LLC announced the signing of an agreement with Auto Knight Motor Club to F&I Admin's SCS Auto platform. Auto Knight Motor Club is a member of Fortegra Financial and will use SCS Auto to administer Key Replacement, Tire and Wheel, Total Protection, and Total Protection Plus. "Signing onto F&I Admin's ... Read More »

U.S. Economic Growth Will Continue to Lag, Says TD Economics

CHERRY HILL — A new report released by TD Economics indicated that the U.S. economy will continue to grow, but the affiliate of TD Bank says the economy may not be able to sustain additional shocks to the system. According to the report, temporary shocks to the economy, such as rising gas prices, supply shock ... Read More »

GE Capital Fleet Services, Carfax Expand Relationship

EDEN PRAIRIE — GE Capital Fleet Services announced it has expanded its relationship with Carfax to provide the wholesale market with greater access to vehicle data. Buyers at auction will now have access to vehicle sales records and service histories, as well as auction-announced and accident management program damage records, reported F&I and Showroom magazine. ... Read More »

Ford to Pay Off $1.8B of Debt

Ford Motor Co. will pay down $1.8 billion of its long-term debt today and continues to negotiate a new agreement with the United Auto Workers as precursors to restoring the investment grade status it lost in 2006. “We’ve fixed the business fundamentals,” Lewis Booth, Ford chief financial officer, said Wednesday at the UBS Frankfurt Auto ... Read More »

MIT Joins Toyota’s Safety Research Program

ANN ARBOR—Drivers are urged to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel — and off their smart phones. But they can be looking straight ahead and still be distracted if they’re engaged in conversation on a hands-free phone or with the car’s voice-activated controls, according to studies at the Massachusetts ... Read More »

Toyota Relied on Old Robots, New Tooling to Reduce Price of New Camry

Toyota Motor Corp. was able to trim the U.S. price of its new Camry sedan about 2 percent from the previous version in part by re-using old assembly robots from its former joint-venture plant in California. "A lot of the tooling is new, however the equipment isn't," Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president for North ... Read More »

VW Chairman Signals End to Spending Spree After Porsche, Suzuki Setbacks

Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech signaled the carmaker's ambitions to make further acquisitions may have come to an end following setbacks to a planned merger with Porsche SE and a partnership with Suzuki Motor Corp. in the past week. "We're big enough," Piech said at a VW event in Frankfurt on the eve of the ... Read More »

Toyota Resumes Full North America Output as Engine Production Set to Rise

Toyota Motor Corp. resumed full production at all North American plants this week and said it will expand U.S. output of small engines as Japan's largest automaker works to boost sales slowed by a March earthquake, according to Bloomberg. As of this week, "all plants and suppliers in North America are at full speed, and ... Read More »

Webb to Kick Off Agent Summit 2012

LAS VEGAS — Organizers of the second annual Agent Summit, scheduled for March 12–14, 2012, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, have announced that leading trainer Paul Webb will deliver the event’s opening keynote address. A 20-year industry veteran, Webb is principal of Paul Webb Training, a nationally recognized firm that counts many of the ... Read More »