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Compliance Featured

EFG Companies Fortifies Dealer and Lender Data Security Through SSAE 16 SOC 1 Certification

soc-service-org_b_marks_2c_webEFG’s Continued Leadership in Both Compliance and Technology Sets Industry
Bar for Customer Service Excellence

EFG Companies, the innovator behind the award-winning Hyundai Assurance program, announced today it has been awarded the Service Organization Control 1 (SOC 1) Certification under the Statement of Standards for Attestation Engagements 16 (SSAE 16) guidelines from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). This certification represents another significant achievement in EFG’s ongoing commitment to ensure industry-leading compliance for its clients and customers.

SSAE 16 is the most widely-recognized standard providing companies with a method for reporting information about the design and operation of internal systems and controls relating to privacy and security regulations.  SOC 1 reports are designed to certify whether a company utilizes uniform and reliable safeguards as a processor of data belonging to their clients and customers.

For EFG to obtain the SSAE 16 SOC 1 certification, more than 70 processes that could affect data security and business flow were evaluated. Examples of the processes evaluated include:

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Economy

Times – They Are A Changin’

Gabe Aldrete Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Gabe Aldrete
Vice President
EFG Companies

Bob Dylan said it best – “If your time is worth saving, then you better start swimming, or you’ll sink like a stone.”

We’re over 10 days into the 4th quarter and the news is out. According to Business Insider, analysts expect the year to close out at 17.5 million vehicle sales. Automotive News recently stated that in comparison to last year’s growth, 2016 represents a flat market in terms of vehicles sold, revenue and profitability. Overall, the industry is still healthy. We are still at the peak of auto sales. And, dealers are still very profitable.

However, while dealers have benefited from six years of growth, the positive trends that kept vehicle sales momentum going are puttering out. The pent-up demand that everyone was talking about in 2010 and 2011 is virtually gone. After extensively broadening credit standards, lenders are starting to pull back from subprime. In addition, lenders are concerned about extending credit terms much more without affecting loss ratios.

Dealers who’ve been around for a decade or two are used to the cyclical nature of the industry. Any dealer worth their salt knows that when you get into challenging times, it’s time to look at other streams of revenue. Through the last recession, dealers became very good at pre-owned sales, service, and finance. Now is the time to take those skills and hone them even further. For example, used-vehicle prices are falling once again as a surge of off-lease vehicles enter the market, creating a greater demand for used than for new. It could be time to once again evaluate your floorplan to better determine your ratios of new to used vehicle inventory.

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Categories
Economy

Making Hay With Used-Car Fever!

Contributing Author: John Stephens Executive Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
John Stephens
Executive Vice President
EFG Companies

Experian’s latest State of Auto Finance Market Report made headlines recently, painting a rosy picture for the used-vehicle market. Overall, pre-owned vehicles accounted for 55.61 percent of all financing in Q2 of 2016. Consumers across all credit tiers are flocking to pre-owned vehicles, with super-prime and prime consumers accounting for 44.95 percent of all pre-owned loans – a 2.6 percent year-over-year increase.

Dealers have ample opportunity to capitalize on this market dynamic with CPO programs and F&I products tailored to the pre-owned market.

Remember, the one hurdle pre-owned vehicles have always had to overcome is vehicle reliability. Even in this current market, you can bet vehicle reliability is still a hot button. In addition, those prime and super-prime consumers are used to another level of sophistication when it comes to customer service and they will expect no less when shopping for pre-owned vehicles. This combination makes strong CPO programs market differentiators.

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