Compliance
The U.S. Senate approved a measure that revokes an EPA waiver that would have allowed a group of states, led by California, to ban the sale of light duty gas vehicles and gas/electric hybrids. +
Reynolds and Reynolds has promoted Chris Walsh to acting CEO following the departure of former CEO Tommy Barras, who is seeking $300 million in damages for wrongful termination. +
The California New Car Dealers Association has officially demanded that Honda and its Sony Honda Mobility division stop collecting deposits for the Afeela 1 EV from California residents. +
The REAL ID Act sets a new standard for identity verification and represents a step forward in the fight against synthetic ID fraud. So why are so many dealers verifying IDs the old-fashioned way? +
A $60 million settlement agreed to by Toyota Financial Services following charges of noncompliant F&I product sales has been canceled by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. +
U.S. and Chinese officials announced a 90-day pause on steep tariffs imposed upon each other’s exports, including vehicles and parts, in a sudden de-escalation that could lead to a long-term agreement. +
The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to a new trade deal that will lower U.S. import taxes on up to 100,000 U.K.-built vehicles per year from 25% to 10%. +
More than 1,700 New Yorkers who bought out leases arranged at eight Nissan dealerships will get a share of a $3.2 million settlement the dealers reached with Attorney General Letitia James. +
A consumer has filed a lawsuit claiming General Motors was aware of a propulsion issue years before a recent recall of hundreds of thousands of vehicles equipped with the L87 V8 engine. +
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed sued against the operators of six dealerships, all accused of failing to provide titles to customers in violation of the state’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and Certificate of Motor Vehicles Act. +
Attorney Tom Oscherwitz warns the auto finance industry not to take its foot off the compliance pedal despite the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of federal regulatory bodies. +
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order offering some tariff relief for automakers, preserving a 25% levy on imported vehicles but offering offsets for the cost of imported parts. +
Multiple dealers tell Automotive News that Porsche has halted U.S. shipments of new units rather than pay a 25% tariff on imported vehicles that went into effect April 3. +
The California New Car Dealers Association filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen and its Scout Motors division, which produces EVs the company wants to sell directly to consumers. +
An ongoing dispute between Honda and Criswell Acura has escalated with the filing of a lawsuit against the factory, seeking to recoup losses from a 2024 Acura ZDX that failed at 400 miles. +
Herb Chambers will pay $11.8 million to settle allegations that eight of his companies improperly obtained federal COVID-19 relief funds. Executives and attorneys blamed confusion over shifting guidelines. +
Several customers of Oxford County Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Paris, Maine, tell the U.S. Sun their vehicles are locked up in the dealership, which was forced to close last week. +
The owner of two Los Angeles-area Nissan dealerships says the factory orchestrated a “deliberate and nefarious scheme” to “suffocate” his rooftops by purposely depriving them of needed inventory. +
Nikola founder and former CEO Trevor Milton says he has been pardoned by President Donald Trump, escaping a four-year federal prison sentence and $1 million fine. +
VicOne’s latest annual report finds cyberattacks cost the global automotive industry $22.5 billion last year — including $20 billion in data leakage — up from about $1 billion in 2022. +
Point Predictive’s latest Auto Lending Fraud Trends Report finds auto finance sources face an estimated $9.2 billion in loss exposure, fueled primarily by “first-party” credit application fraud. +
Attorney Tom Oscherwitz says generative AI-powered “deepfakes” are giving criminals new ways to defraud dealers and finance sources and spurring the development of new detection tools.+
Auto Dealership Partners has won an $18 million judgment against Ford Motor Co. after accusing the factory of engaging in “deceit and fraud” by blocking the purchase of a Benton, Ark., franchise. +
Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials are warning car buyers to be on the lookout for fraudsters posing as dealers by cloning websites and social media profiles and accepting payments via wire transfer. +
Former Honor Finance CEO James Collins has been sentenced to four years in federal prison and restitution totaling $67 million after pleading guilty in two bank fraud cases. +
Hyundai Motor America has been ordered to pay a multimillion-dollar award to Universal Hyundai of Orlando, Fla., for breaching Universal’s franchise agreement as well as Florida’s Dealer Act. +
The FTC announced checks totaling more than $934,000 have been sent to 20,361 Vroom customers harmed by violations of rules and regulations intended to protect used car buyers.+
DealNow.com’s Brad Parker says platforms that connect dealers with sellers of privately owned vehicles need built-in identity verification and fraud prevention tools to avoid costly mistakes. +
700Credit’s Ken Hill warns dealers who utilize digital deal jackets that, without modernization of certain processes and safeguards, customer data may be at risk. +
Agent Summit will host the first ACE Trainer certification, a private event open to ACE-partnered agents and trainers who have earned ACE Compliance Officer certification. +
Citing plateauing sales and the imminent loss of federal tax credits, dealers tell the New York Post that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s goal of a zero-emissions new vehicle market by 2035 is “an unrealistic bust.” +
Former dealer and newly elected U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno’s Transportation Freedom Act would revise and standardize fuel economy standards and offer tax savings to domestic manufacturers. +
Agent Summit will host the first ACE Trainer certification, a private event open to ACE-partnered agents and trainers who have earned ACE Compliance Officer certification. +
The South Carolina Consumer Freedom Act has stalled following a subcommittee hearing, a setback for Scout Motors’ campaign to sell directly to consumers in the state where its EVs will be built. +
SubPrime’s Nick Zulovich reports on the latest developments as federal regulators that govern auto retail and finance are reshaped and reformed under a second Trump administration. +
The State reports that, barring the passage of a proposed bill, residents of the state where Scout Motors EVs are built will have to travel to Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia or Florida to buy one. +
The Oklahoma Insurance Department accused Select Auto Protect of selling vehicle service contracts without a license following an investigation spurred by consumer complaints. +
Automotive News reports a group of Florida dealers has formally challenged Scout Motors’ plans to sell EVs directly to consumers, citing state law establishing the EV maker as a “common entity” with Volkswagen. +
ACE will offer Automotive Compliance Specialist certification to Agent Summit attendees at the upcoming 2025 event, continuing a tradition that began in 2017. +
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed CARS Rule on procedural grounds, finding the agency violated its own policies by finalizing a new trade regulation rule without advance notice. +
Experts say identity fraud is on the rise and costing the American auto industry billions while inconveniencing legitimate customers. The Detroit Free Press investigates. +
The compliance training provider announced the launch of a new enterprise designed to forge partnerships through current, actionable content developed in partnership with industry experts. +
President Trump ordered an end to the federal “EV mandate,” targeting sales goals, funds for charging infrastructure and state-level emissions standards. EV tax credits could be next. +
The U.S. Commerce Department will finalize a ban on the sale of Chinese cars and trucks before President Joe Biden leaves office, leaving the incoming administration to decide which factories and vehicles to exempt. +
In a new lawsuit, the FTC and the attorney general of Maryland say the three-store Lindsay Automotive Group made millions by systematically overcharging customers. Executives denied the charges. +
Attorney Jim Ganther predicts a number of benefits to dealers and consumer will flow from economic, trade and environmental policies promoted, enacted and enforced by a second Trump administration. +
The California New Car Dealers Association sent a cease-and-desist letter to Volkswagen’s Scout Motors division, claiming plans to sell its EVs directly to consumers would violate state law. +
ACE’s Gil Van Over warns dealers that econtracting and an increasingly digitized F&I process will not deter the same bad behaviors practiced by “kinks” in the four-square days. F&I and Showroom has the exclusive. +
The Federal Trade Commission announced a recordbreaking settlement with AutoCanada over a slew of fraud charges the agency leveled against the dealer group’s 10 U.S. rooftops. +
The latest report from CARFAX finds incidents of odometer rollbacks continue to multiply, affecting more than 2 million units so far this year, up 18% since 2021. +
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to weigh in on an appeal brought by conservative states, teeing up a likely reversal to EPA policy in the early days of the second Trump administration. +
Agents get the VIP treatment at Agent Entrepreneur eXchange, with free hotel, airfare and limo for those who are selected to participate, plus access to Reinsurance Symposium. +
Reuters reports members of the Trump transition team will recommend a reversal of Biden administration policies designed to encourage EV production and sales. +
Attorney Terry O’Loughlin offers a history and summary for F&I and Showroom readers as the new rule winds its way through the courts and NADA opposition. +
Members of the Trump administration’s transition team have recommended that NHTSA no longer require automakers to report fatal crashes involving self-driving technology. +
Andrew Ferguson has been tapped to promote from commissioner to chair of the Federal Trade Commission by President-elect Donald Trump. +
Dealer technology provider Tekion has filed a federal lawsuit against its rival, CDK Global, as part of an escalating dispute over data rights and vendor transition. +
The Michigan Department of State reinstated a suburban Detroit Hyundai dealership’s license after suspending it for “imminent harm to the public” two days ago, Fox 2 Detroit reported. +
The office of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody delivered a nearly nine-month heads-up before a Sept. 1 enforcement deadline pertaining to pricing accuracy in dealership advertising. +
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Sean Duffy to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, succeeding Biden administration appointee Pete Buttigieg. +
Senator-elect Bernie Moreno, a former dealer and factory executive, says he wants to scrap policies that produce “cars people don’t want." +
British financial institutions may flee the auto lending sector after a bombshell appeals court ruling put them on the hook for massive consumer payouts. +
The former owner of Mitch Simpson Motors was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after being convicted of stealing $3 million from three floorplan lenders. +
Attorney and consultant Steve Levine tries to predict how a second Trump administration will change the way auto finance is regulated. +
Despite trade groups’ best efforts, new regulations taking effect in 2025 will effectively prevent RV dealers from selling diesel coaches — and not just in California. +
Best Ford of Nashua (N.H.)’s Facebook followers quickly tracked down a customer suspected of using a fake check to steal a $50,000 truck. +
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says the owners of a service contract provider misrepresented its products and services as well as its charitable endeavors. +
Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau attorney Tom Oscherwitz says a review of the agency's own data proves its stated priorities fail to reflect the issues car buyers are actually complaining about. +
Volkswagen’s decision to bypass its U.S. dealer network and sell Scout Motors EVs directly to consumers drew a swift rebuke from national and state dealer associations. +
ACE’s Gil Van Over assures Agent Entrepreneur readers F&I professionals are within their rights to end a transaction with customers who don’t intend to make their payments. +
A NHTSA investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with optional Full Self-Driving software follows the latest of four reported collisions. +
Terry O’Loughlin of Reynolds and Reynolds warns Agent Entrepreneur readers that agents may not be spared from personal liability when regulators target dealerships. +
In an Agent Entrepreneur exclusive, Gil Van Over of ACE catches up with a police sergeant who is working with Houston-area dealers to catch identity thieves. +
A federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging a Chicago dealership wrongly claimed bonus payments after misreporting sales to known resellers. +
A New York City Hyundai dealership accused a former employee of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty for allegedly accepting kickbacks from a product provider. +
Arguing on procedural grounds, dealer association attorneys asked the 5th Circuit to overturn the Federal Trade Commission’s new vehicle shopping rule or remand it to the agency for revision. +
Dive into the surprising history and latest developments pertaining to OFAC checks with ACE’s Penny Bell in an F&I and Showroom exclusive. +
Every registered attendee of the upcoming Industry Summit is invited to complete their choice of Automotive Compliance Education (ACE) certification for no charge. +
Asbury Automotive outlined internal processes as part of a formal denial of wrongdoing following accusations from the Federal Trade Commission of systematic payment packing. +
ACE Executive Director Gil Van Over III will get dealers and agents up to speed on the Federal Trade Commission’s new CARS Rule in a keynote address at Industry Summit. +
Automotive Compliance Education (ACE) has updated its logo and launched a new website with unique experiences for agents, dealers and individual users. +
ACE’s Penny Bell believes dealers who want to stamp out and prevent payment packing can start by reviewing and updating their desking solution and processes. +
A lawsuit claims the transfer of dual Long Island, N.Y., Alfa Romeo and Maserati dealerships was unfairly blocked by their factories. +
