ONTARIO, Calif. — To help credit unions build their auto-lending portfolios in an increasingly competitive marketplace, CU Direct has formed the North American Automotive Marketing Council.
The volunteer council will consist of marketing executives and leaders from 12 CU Direct partner credit unions from across the U.S. and Canada.
The company said that the group will focus on identifying strategies and opportunities for credit unions to expand market presence.
Marci Francisco, senior director, automotive marketing and business development at CU Direct, said the council's mission is to create "solutions that meet the evolving needs of consumers, credit unions and the automotive industry, as well as to enhance support of CU Direct's credit union partner base and generate increased loan growth for member credit unions."
LJ Tarman, vice president of marketing and public relations at the $1.3 billion NuVision FCU in Huntington Beach, Calif., noted that collaboration is an advantage CUs enjoy over other lenders and that the council's combined expertise will lead to new auto lending opportunities for CUs.
The council's first meeting is scheduled for May.
