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Space Coast Credit Union Honors Auto Dealers with Watchdog Dealer of the Year Award
MELBOURNE, FL (July 18, 2013) — Space Coast Credit Union recently honored four auto dealers with its 2012 Watchdog Dealer of the Year Award, in recognition of superior service to SCCU members. Rosner Chevrolet won for Brevard and Indian River Counties; Braman Honda won for Miami-Dade County; AutoNation Chevrolet of Pembroke Pines won for Palm Beach and Broward Counties; and Deland Kia won for Volusia and Flagler Counties. These auto dealers were chosen because of survey ratings received from credit union members, in addition to the total auto loan production they generated for SCCU.
During 2012, SCCU members rated Rosner Chevrolet 4.78 stars out of a possible 5 stars, and they facilitated more than $12 million in auto loan production with SCCU. Braman Honda earned a perfect 5 star rating, and they facilitated more than $5 million in auto loan production with SCCU. SCCU members rated AutoNation Chevrolet of Pembroke Pines 4.60 stars out of a possible 5 stars, and they facilitated more than $2 million in auto loan production with SCCU. Deland Kia earned 4.60 stars out of a possible 5 stars, and they facilitated more than $12 million in auto loan production with SCCU. Rosner Chevrolet, AutoNation Chevrolet of Pembroke Pines (formerly Maroone Chevrolet of Pembroke Pines), and Deland Kia are all receiving this prestigious award for the second consecutive year.
“Watchdog Dealers of the Year represent the best of the best, and Space Coast Credit Union appreciates the consistent treatment our members receive from these exceptional dealers,” said Jodie Kinley-Smith, Indirect Lending Manager for Space Coast Credit Union.
In 2012 SCCU members shared 584 auto dealer reviews. To date there are nearly 3,000 dealer reviews displayed on SCCU.com and they have been viewed over 755,000 times. An auto dealer who consistently earns 4.5 stars or better is assigned special Watchdog status, and SCCU pays Watchdog rated dealers a higher commission for completed auto loan referrals. As of June 2013, SCCU had 225 Watchdog rated auto dealers.
Beyond ratings and reviews, SCCU’s Members’ Watchdog program is a philosophy to always watch out for members’ best interests. Space Coast Credit Union fulfills its promise by establishing procedures, policies, and products to protect its members. Space Coast Credit Union is one of the few indirect auto lenders that has never participated in rate markups. A rate markup (sometimes referred to as buy-up) occurs when a car buyer arranges for financing at the dealership through a bank or other financial institution, and the rate he or she qualifies for based on creditworthiness is marked up several percentage points by the lender. It is an industry-wide practice encouraged by the indirect lending policies of auto finance companies and banks, costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Space Coast Credit Union’s indirect lending policy does not allow buy-ups, and yet dealers continue to refer business to SCCU because they value the relationships SCCU can bring. It’s proof that doing the right thing, and watching out for the best interest of the member is good business.
For more information about Space Coast Credit Union and its Watchdog Dealers of the Year, visit sccu.com.
Space Coast Credit Union was chartered in 1951 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. The Credit Union serves over 239,393 members with assets of over $3 billion through a network of 57 branches and over 100 ATMs located throughout Florida and through its web site, SCCU.com. Space Coast Credit Union is open for membership to anyone who lives or works in the fourteen Florida counties it serves. Locations can be found at SCCU.com/locations.