Categories
Compliance

Catch-22 F&I Performance Objectives

Contributing Author: David Robertson, Executive Director, Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals
Contributing Author:
David Robertson, Executive Director, Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals

The number of F&I professionals laboring under impossible F&I performance bogies appears to be on the decline. However, enough still struggle to warrant addressing the inequity of this scenario – with a few tips on personally avoiding the catch-22 trick bag.

The story is always the same. You must meet two requirements to keep your job. First, you can’t cheat the customers – commit an illegal or unethical act – or you’ll get fired. Second, you must consistently hit your performance quotas – IPRU, product penetration thresholds or a combination of both – or it’s adiós as well.

On their face, both requisites appear to be reasonable demands by any employer, regardless of the industry. However, in our business, they can carry a sinister and unspoken twist. By design, it’s virtually impossible to achieve the production thresholds set by management without “cutting corners” at some point in the F&I process. 

Categories
Compliance

The Buck Stops With You

Contributing Author: Steve Roennau Vice President Compliance EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Steve Roennau
Vice President
Compliance
EFG Companies

When it comes to compliance, the ultimate responsibility lands squarely in the laps of the dealer principal and general manager. While everyone on the team plays a role – insuring they are owning compliance in their department – the culture of compliance is created at the top. But how do you set the tone?

The first step is to clearly communicate that compliance matters. Every dealer principal and general manager should have some level of compliance training. Even if you have a compliance manager, you need to have a general knowledge of the rules and regulations. Otherwise, how will you know if your team is performing correctly? And, when the auditor knocks on the door, it will be the GM’s door – not the compliance manager’s desk. There are several training courses available for upper-level managers that cover the details you need.

Frequently, dealer principals believe they can simply send their people to compliance training, giving them sufficient protection from personal liability. “If someone screws up – it’s on them” is an often repeated phrase. In fact, this simply is not true. Dealer priorities are team priorities. If the dealer principal or general manager has no focus on compliance, then neither will the team. Dealers who make compliance a priority will run a compliant dealership.

Categories
Compliance

CFPB Upheaval

Contributing Author: Steve Roennau Vice President Compliance EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Steve Roennau
Vice President
Compliance
EFG Companies

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had a busy first quarter of 2017 defending itself. In Q4 of 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled the CFPB “unconstitutionally structured”. In Q1 of this year, the CFPB began the appeal process and it’s not looking too good for them.

Among those supporting the unconstitutional ruling are:

  • The Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • 15 state Attorneys General
  • American Financial Services Association (AFSA)

The DOJ stated that the ruling should be upheld in its entirety, including the remedy to give President Trump full authority to remove the CFPB’s director at will. In addition, the AFSA submitted a list of other suggested regulatory reforms for the CFPB to the Trump administration.

While the CFPB has been granted a rehearing of the initial case that determined the unconstitutional ruling, the regulatory agency has still had its powers significantly curbed, specifically in the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc.