BEAVERTON, Ore.-What really cements the credit union/auto dealer relationship, stressed Gayle Rust Gustafson, VP-financial services at the $500-million Rivermark Community CU in Beaverton, Ore., is having the right people working with the dealers.
"We have an excellent dealer relations officer. You have to be able to speak the dealer's language. Our person was formerly in F&I at a dealership," shared Gustafson, a member of the CUNA Lending Council.
"She knows how to get dealers to give us their good paper. Some of that comes from knowing how they work, how they make their decisions, knowing who they like to send their business to, and how to tell them what you want. If you have not worked in the F&I world, it's hard to know all these things."
