Press
CU Direct Corporation, Leading Provider of Lending Services to the US Credit Union Industry, Enters Canadian Marketplace, Teams with Canada’s Largest Credit Union, Desjardins Group
CU Direct Launches Auto Premier to Deliver Automotive Web Strategies to Marketplace, Partners with Desjardins Group to Develop State-of-the-Art Member Vehicle Shopping Website.
ONTARIO, CA (April 22, 2013) – CU Direct Corporation’s CUDL brand (www.cudl.com), administrators of the largest auto lending service network for credit unions in the United States, consisting of over 1,060 credit unions and 9,400 auto dealers, has announced that it has expanded its operations into Canada.
CUDL has launched Auto Premier, based in Montreal, Quebec, which will be leveraging its industry leading products and technology to provide best in class automotive web strategies and solutions to the Canadian credit union marketplace.
The company has partnered with Canada’s largest credit union/CO-OP, Desjardins Group, in developing the credit union’s new, state-of-the-art member auto research and buying website, eSpaceAuto.com. Desjardins Group, based in Levis, Quebec, serves 5.2 million members throughout Canada, and has C$200 billion in assets.
The credit union’s new website, which incorporates the technology and e-tools used in CUDL’s highly successful lending services solution, CUDL AutoSMART website program, will help connect its members to its more than 2,200 auto dealer and merchant partners throughout Quebec to shop for and buy their next vehicle.
The new site and program will also provide Desjardins Group with a key resource designed to enhance both member brand awareness and overall member satisfaction, and help drive member financing at the dealership.
For André Chatelain, Vice-President and General Manager of Desjardins Card Services, “the partnership between Desjardins and Auto Premier will allow automobile and durable goods dealers in Quebec and Ontario to market their inventory at large and benefit from Desjardins’ five million-member network. What’s more, the portal will allow consumers to locate the right vehicle for them and benefit from a complete, competitive financing solution to meet their needs, all in one place. We support them while they are weighing their options and simplify their purchase experience by making it enjoyable and stress-free.”
For the credit union’s members, the new eSpaceAuto.com website offers an advanced vehicle shopping experience, providing robust research capabilities and lending services, as well as an expanded library of online shopping resources designed to help them get a good deal on their next vehicle purchase.
“We are very excited to be bringing our web strategies and automotive solutions to the Canadian marketplace, and specifically to Desjardins Group,” stated Jerry Neemann, President of Auto Premier and Executive Vice President of CUDL Automotive in the United States. “Our goal is to provide leading products and services to credit unions that add value to their relationships with both their members and their dealer partners, and also help them grow their loan portfolios.”
Introduced in 2005, CUDL’s AutoSMART program and vehicle shopping website has grown to include over 1,000 credit unions, their 34 million members and over 7,000 participating AutoSMART dealers across the U.S. In 2012, the website reached the 1+ million vehicle milestone in dealer inventory.
About CU Direct Corporation
Established in 1994, CU Direct Corporation has helped the credit union industry fund over $120 billion loans by being the nation’s leading lending solution provider for credit unions. Representing more than 1,000 credit unions, CU Direct specializes in solutions that help credit unions generate loans, manage risk and provide value to members. CU Direct Corp. offers a diverse, extensive library of products and services designed to help credit unions advance their lending programs and achieve overall portfolio success. Solutions include CUDL, Lending Insights, Lending 360, OnSpot Financing, Vero, and its suite of auto buying products. For more information about CU Direct Corporation visit www.cudirect.com.