CUSTOMERFUNDING ARTICLES YOU CAN USE

• Growing Your Dealership Revenue With CustomerFunding.com Inc.
  By James Hawks, COO CustomerFunding.com Inc.
  In today's market with diminishing sales, declining profits, and falling consumer credit how can dealers increase revenue. One simple answer is internet leads, even more specific sub-prime internet leads.

INDUSTRY NEW & ARTICLES

• Auto Dealer Monthly: Figures Never Lie
• Auto Dealer Monthly: Avoiding Analysis By Paralysis In Special Finance
• Auto Dealer Monthly: Ingredients For Success
• Auto Dealer Monthly: When Opportunity Knocks, Answer
• Auto Dealer Monthly: Making a Great Internet Department
• Auto Dealer Monthly: Challenges Turn To Gold in Special Finance
• Auto Dealer Monthly: The 11th Commandment For Your Internet Department
• Auto Dealer Monthly: Turning Inventory Every 30 Days
• "Your Dealer" Top Ranking

• Mileage claims fall apart in real world - Real-world driving can savage manufacturer fuel-efficiency claims, says Bankrate car columnist Terry Jackson.
• Local rental best for short-term car - Local rental agencies are best if you need a car for a few months, says Bankrate car columnist Terry Jackson.
• Dealer incentive could make loan costly - Dealers may be financially motivated to give you a costly loan, says Bankrate car columnist Terry Jackson.
• Few creative ways to ditch gas hog - In some cases, dumping a gas hog is not financially viable, says Bankrate car columnist Terry Jackson.
• Interest Rate Roundup - Here's a look at the state of interest rates on five common consumer banking products and the latest rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts.

• Former car dealer sentenced (Billings Gazette) - A former Billings car dealer will spend 18 months in federal prison for defrauding a bank and an auto financing company in a loan scheme.
• Extra Innings (The Sun Post) - Norman Braman had his day in court. Actually, the auto magnate had eight days in court, complete with highly charged testimony, to challenge the constitutionality of a deal among Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and the Florida Marlins to build the team a baseball stadium using taxpayers’ money.
• Auto industry in candidates' headlights (The Indianapolis Star) - WASHINGTON -- After years of complaints that Washington cared little about its woes, Detroit's auto industry has become a frequent backdrop for the presidential candidates to pitch their economic plans.
• Repossessions flower as the economy withers (The News & Observer) - As many as 1.6 million cars and trucks may be repossessed nationally this year, according to the Manheim wholesale vehicle auction service, which touts itself as the country's largest.
• Repossessions flower as the economy withers (The News & Observer) - Strapped owners are seeing lots more cars and trucks go on the hook.
• First Cash Reports Second Quarter Earnings Per Share of $0.23; Pawn and Short-Term Loan Profits Increase by 39% as ... (PrimeNewswire via Yahoo! Finance) - ARLINGTON, Texas, July 22, 2008 -- First Cash Financial Services, Inc. today announced revenue, net income and earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2008. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $0.23 for the second quarter of 2008 and $0.43 year-to-date.
• Continental Needs a White Knight (Forbes) - Suitor's initial bid is too low, but German auto-parts maker has to do something to assuage investors.
• The housing crisis: How we got here (The Arizona Republic) - In the beginning, there was a home-buying frenzy that defied economic gravity, and, in retrospect, common sense.
• United PanAm Financial Corp. Announces Second Quarter 2008 Results (Centre Daily Times) - United PanAm Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: UPFC) today announced results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2008.
• Chrysler CEO disputes report of loss of low-interest loans (Detroit News) - Chrysler's financing arm is not in danger of losing the ability to offer consumers low-interest loans, Chrysler LLC Chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli told the automaker's employees Monday.

• The Doom & Gloom Report: July 14, 2008 - A rundown of today's dour, credit-crisis news from the financial services sector.
• The Doom & Gloom Report: July 11, 2008 - A rundown of today's dour, credit-crisis news from the financial services sector.
• Fed Gets More Proactive, Finally - The Fed-SEC MOU is a good step -- long overdue, but good.
• JPM's Jamie Dimon Talks About the Mortgage Crisis - In this frank talk, JPM's CEO gives his lay of banking land.
• Fed Should Change Bank Investment Rules - Banks need capital, and the Bank Holding Company Act is standing in their way.
• Why Banking and Insurance Don't Mix - More evidence has surfaced this week that banks are botching the effort to make inroads into the insurance business. A post mortem.
• Washington Mutual Makes Customers Say Whoo hoo! - Why Washington Mutual (WaMu) scored highest in corporate reputation among the largest U.S. banks.
• Construction Loans Causing Problems at Small Banks - At the end of the first quarter, approximately 7% of all construction loans were delinquent – that's approximately $45 billion worth. That number is expected to be much higher as banks prep their second quarter earnings reports.
• Let's Hope The Grocery Store Takes Debit Cards - Hyper-inflation in Zimbabwe is wreaking havoc on the banking industry
• Lone Star Buys CIT Mortgage Unit for $1.5B - Lone Star Funds announced today that it will spend $1.5 billion to purchase the home lending unit of CIT Group Inc. Last year, Lone Star purchased Accredited Home Lenders, another nonprime mortgage lender.
• Banks Suffer More Losses...In Customer Satisfaction - Bank customer service representatives are less effective than they were a year ago, and less interested in helping consumers, according to the results of a survey released today by the CFI Group.
• Economy Continues Downward Spiral - Where is the silver lining in the economic cloud?
• Indymac Outed - While on some level I can appreciate the candor expressed by Senator Charles Schumer regarding a specific institution, how the FDIC could ever allow such a letter to become public, especially considering the longtime stance they have taken against us.
• Risk Recalibrated for a Changed Market - At the Auto Finance Risk Summit, the question on everybody's mind was how financiers are refining their risk tolerance
• GUEST COLUMN: FACTA Life: Rule Proposals May Tighten Disclosure Regs - As you may recall, Congress got busy several years ago and made a number of substantive amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act when it passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) in December of 2003.
• No Help from Pump Rebates - The new tool for moving the metal, gas rebates, do not appear to be succeeding so far.
• At the Turn, Poor Results for Auto Finance - With the year almost half over, a bit of reflection is in order. To paraphrase the great New York mayor Ed Koch, how’re we doing?
• Fraud Risk Has Lenders Preaching Discipline - The CFO of Volkswagen Credit, Bruce Harris, had his work cut out for him that May 15 at the Auto Finance Risk Summit, in front of a sea of stone cold faces.
• Financing Activity Thrives in Latin America - The introduction and proliferation of credit-decisioning technology in Latin America has sparked a boom in auto sales and financing activity.
• Perdue Joins Portfolio Buyer Southside - The length of Gary Perdue’s commute now depends on the color of the stoplights between his house and office and no longer on getting approval from air traffic control.
• Startup Sixth Gear Launches Amid Roiling Market - After months of preparation, startup Sixth Gear Solutions Corp. launched – just as lending stalwart Trial Financial Corp. began winding down its lending operations.
• Triad Makes an Exit from Indirect Originations - Automotive finance is losing a nonprime player after the subprime crisis continues to bear down on the industry. After 18 years, Triad Financial Corp. is winding down its indirect originations.
• Advice You Can Bank On - With creditors clamoring for shares of consumers’ wallets, customer optimization is critical. But devising techniques to reach new customers — then retain them — is an ever-growing challenge.
• AmeriCredit Ends Kia Lease Deal - In today’s topsy-turvy world of financial services, alliances can turn on a dime. Such was the case with AmeriCredit Corp.’s third-party lease-origination partnership with Kia Motors America Inc.
• Volvo Holds Loan Criteria Steady Despite Faltering Economy - Volvo Car Finance’s appetite for risk has remained untouched lately, even as financiers nationwide revisit credit guidelines to address turmoil in the market.
• Small lenders step up to fill void in motorcycle market - Motorcycle dealers have been forced to pay their own version of three-card monte lately, wondering under which card they will find a dollar sign.
• Trade-in Activity Climbs With Gas Prices - If you can’t afford the gas, you can’t afford the ride. Turns out the adage has become literal for many – and that spells trouble for sport-utility vehicles.
• Car Finance Still Lagging in Peer-to-Peer Lending Boom - With thousands of loans being made every day, social financing sites like Prosper.com and LendingClub.com are emerging as new players in the world of lending.
• Break Up The Band - GE faces significant headwinds in trying to sell its private-label credit card unit.
• Visa's Social Networking Experiment - The launch of Visa's business network on Facebook is a great branding opportunity, but the actual usage could be problematic.
• Rating Agency Blues - The rating agencies are once again on trial for their role in the global credit crisis. The best long-term solution to avoid future trials may be to open the doors to more competition.
• Citi Brings Open Source to Mobile Banking - Citi's mobile banking platform will be open-source, allowing anyone to modify the code.
• The Land of Inopportunity - Citi's layoff announcement is another sign that pegging the bottom of the credit cycle is like trying to pick the worst Lindsay Lohan movie -- an exercise in futility.
• The Return of LendingClub - After a few month's hiatus, LendingClub.com is once again accepting new loan listings. And with its recent S-1 filing, we get some interesting insight into the behavior of its borrowers.
• Mobile Banking Should Seize on Convenience to Spur Adoption - A deal between S1 and Clickatell offers a hint a important IT shifts facing the banking world today.
• Banking News Roundup - June 20, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Citigroup to Take More Write Downs; Bond Insurers Drop Ratings; BofA Sets Closing Date on Countrywide; Fannie, Freddie May Have More Losses to Come; and more.
• Banks to Opt for Outsourcing, Less Tech Spending: Study - New research indicates that more banks will defer money from technology to outsourcing. Good for the banks, and good for the future of globalization.
• The "Friend" Economy Online Booms, And Bankers Should Take Notice - The numbers for online social networking are staggering, and it will likely cause banks to change their marketing techniques.
• Dissing Milton Friedman - The University of Chicago is considering naming a new institute after the great economist. Some UofC professors are qvetching about it.
• Banking News Roundup - June 19, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Ex-Bear Stearns Fund Managers Taken Into Custody; Goldman Aids in Wachovia CEO Search; UBS, Credit Suisse Ordered to Raise More Capital; Citi Offers 1,350 Employees Early Retirement; and more.
• Banks Opt for Looking Good - When the going gets tough, the tough try to look like they're going. More banks are seeking ways to improve perceptions about them, without actually affecting change within.
• The Unbanked to Drive Mobile Finance, Study Says - A study indicates that the unbanked will lead the way to higher volumes of remittance through mobile devices. But, remittance levels are already dropping due to political and economic factors that are impacting the lifestyles of immigrants in the U.S.
• Banking News Roundup - June 18, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Morgan Stanley's Earnings Plunge; Another One Bites the Dust on Mortgages; UBS Clients Probably Withdrew $40 Billion in Assets; How Goldman Beat the Street; and more.
• Does EZCorp Have a Texas Problem? - The pawn shop operator was forced to shut 11 of its Florida branches. Are its Texas shops next?
• Mobile Payments Done Right - The Mobey Forum's white paper discusses best practices for creating mobile financial services.
• Banking News Roundup - June 17, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Goldman Close to $7 Billion SIV Bailout; Goldman Beats Wall Street Predictions; SocGen, Rockefeller Form Alliance; Lenders Face New Guidelines; and more.
• Banking News Roundup - June 16, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - AIG's Latest Loss; Lehman Predictions Hold True; Ex-Bear Stearns Execs May Face Charges; Looking at Goldman and JP Morgan After Lehman; and more.
• Lehman's Losses Mount in Second Quarter - The frouth-largest U.S. investment bank reported a loss for its fiscal second quarter of $2.8 billion.
• ING, HSBC Square Off on NYTimes.com - The two aggressive online savings product providers took their advertising battle to The New York Times's web site -- with ads appearing at the same time.
• Tightening Standards, or Is It a Noose? - The 2008 OCC Survey of Credit Underwriting Practices was released yesterday, and it looks like banks are tighinging up credit across the board. But playing it safe could be just as dangerous.
• Banking News Roundup - June 13, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - KeyCorp Could Signal More to Come; AIG Probe Centers Around CDOs; UBS Announces 99.4% Take Up Rate in Rights Issue; Fed Could Raise Rates Come Fall, Barclays; and more.
• Drunk Dividends - The analyst and BofA CEO apparently had drinks together Tuesday night. And the result was, well, cloudy.
• Banking News Roundup - June 12, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Ousting at Lehman; Pandit's Hedge Fund Closed; AIG Demands Board Change; SEC Plans Tighter Rules for Credit Ratings Agencies; and more.
• Lehman CFO, COO Ousted - Posting its first quarterly loss since it went public 14 years ago cost Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Chief Financial Officer Erin Callan and Chief Operating Officer Joseph Gregory their jobs this morning.
• Banking News Roundup - June 11, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - Banks Face $10 Billion in Monolines Charges; BNP Paribas Gains BofA's Prime Brokerage; Investors Pull $5.9 Out of Hedge Funds; Regulators Place National City on Probation; and more.
• Banking News Roundup - June 10, 2008 - Banking News In Focus - UBS Could Still Face More Blows; Lehman Loss Heightens Concerns; Interest Rates Could Increase to Avoid Inflation; Discover Battles Rivals in Over $6 Billion Suit; and more.
• Motorcycle Sales Sputter - Fewer people are strapping on their motorcycle helmets, as sales of the two-wheelers travel downhill with the rest of the economy.
• Financiers Predict Grim Year Ahead - Auto financiers have shifted their 12-month outlooks into reverse, as they predict lower loan and lease origination volume, deteriorating performance, and declining net interest margins.
• In Wake of Declines, Portfolio Performance Poised for Recovery - Soft used-car prices and a sputtering economy contributed to weakened credit performance among auto financiers last quarter. But efforts to curtail origination and mitigate risk may position lenders for a rebound by midyear.
• Real Rides, Virtual Worlds - As virtual worlds gain popularity, auto financiers are looking for ways to tap real-world customers through them.
• Collateral Damage - Extended loan terms have been soaring since 2002, particularly among nonprime auto-loan borrowers.
• Stiff Card Fees - Higher fees have some gas stations halting acceptance of credit cards at the pump altogether.
• Soros Opines on Credit Default Swaps and the Need for More Regulations - The legendary investor tells TheStreet.com that the Fed acted appropriately in the Bear Stearns situation, but that hedge funds need more regulation.
• Prosper to the People! - Prosper.com launched a new advertising blitz yesterday with TV and radio ads.
• The Taste of Mint: a Podcast with the Founder of the Online Personal Finance Site - This look at Mint.com sheds light on the internet personal finance space.
• A Look at Online Invoicing with Freshbooks - What's new with SaaS and online invoicing.
• Preview of Bernanke's Testimony Before Congress Today - The Fed chairman is expected to get grilled over the takeover of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase, as well as other matters related to the credit crisis.
• Investment Strategist at Credit Suisse Asset Management on the Credit Crisis - Phillip Vorndran sees signs of a returning an appetite for risk.
• CREDIT CRISIS: Investor Jim Rodgers Blasts Bernanke - The investors says the Fed chairman is acting irresponsibly.
• CREDIT CRISIS: Bernanke and Geithner Talk About the Fed's Actions Today - A short audio of the Fed chairman and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on their actions this morning.
• CREDIT CRISIS: FT's Capital Markets Editor on the View From Europe - Gillian Tett explains why faith in the global financial markets has been shredded.
• Using Rubber Bands to Explain the Subprime Crisis - A Stanford contest yields an unlikely detailing of the subprime mortgage debacle.
• Wells's Kovacevich Discusses the Bank's Situation and Strategy - The CEO talks banking with Bloomberg TV.
• Dinallo Explains Plans for Bond Insurers - New York Insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo discusses on CNBC his plans to rescure the struggling bond insurer industry and the split of FGIC.
• Wall Streeters Offer Cures to Credit Woes - Changes to monetary policy and efforts to keep people in their homes are the first steps to fixing the credit crisis. But more drastic measures are required to cure the industry’s ills.
• When Ben Bernanke Speaks, Everyone Listens - A link to live video coverage of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox testifying before the Senate Banking Committee.
• Buffett Explains His Offer to the Bond Insurers - The legendary investor is proposing to reinsure a vast pool of assets.
• Here Comes [More] Trouble - Financial firms have been pummeled with $100 billion in losses so far, and there is more to come, says Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain in this CNBC.com video clip.
• A Look Ahead: What the Fed's Action Means - In this CNBC video, a trio of experts provide analysis of today's Fed action, with expectations for its ramifications until next week's scheduled FOMC meeting.
• Fed Rate Cut in Perspective - Today's Fed rate cut, put in perspective, courtesy of Reuters.

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