Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC (“Flagship” or “the Company”), a leading auto-finance provider, announced today the appointment of Rob Crowl, a seasoned senior-level executive with more than 34 years of financial experience spanning the banking and specialty finance industries, as Chief Financial Officer.

Crowl joins Flagship from PHH Corporation, one of the largest sub-servicers of residential mortgages in the United States and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ocwen Financial Corporation. Most recently, Crowl held the title of president and chief executive officer, following more than five years of serving as the chief financial officer. As part of Flagship’s senior leadership team, Crowl will report directly to Bob Hurzeler, Chief Executive Officer at Flagship.

“We are excited to welcome Rob to our senior leadership team,” stated Hurzeler. “Rob’s extensive leadership and management experience will be instrumental in our future growth and will complement our performance-oriented culture.”

Prior to joining PHH, Crowl served as CFO of Sun National Bank, where he helped lead a successful recapitalization of the bank during the housing and banking crisis. Additionally, Crowl spent 12 years at National City Bank in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in a variety of leadership roles during his tenure, including COO of National City Mortgage, Corporate Comptroller, and Asset/Liability and Securitization Manager. He began his career with Crestar Bank in Richmond, Virginia, where he spent 12 years in several senior positions in the organization. Crowl holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.B.A. from the University of Richmond.

Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC (“Flagship” or “the Company”), a leading auto-finance provider, today announced that Bob Hurzeler is joining the Company as its Chief Executive Officer and as a member of its Board of Directors.

Hurzeler is in his third decade in automotive finance, having come directly from OneMain Financial where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, managing the company’s sales and operations, and oversaw approximately 8,500 team members. Prior to that, Hurzeler served in a variety of roles at Wells Fargo Auto Finance, including Vice President and Regional Manager, Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations, and President. During his tenure at Wells Fargo, Hurzeler helped significantly expand its origination volume.

“It is truly an honor to join Flagship’s team,” said Hurzeler. “Flagship has grown with a strong trajectory creating a sustainable $2.9 billion serviced portfolio. This is a testament to the expertise and skill of everyone at the Company. I’m optimistic that conditions are right for Flagship to add to its history of growth and development. I look forward to helping lead us there.”

“Attracting top-tier talent like Bob is a testament to the quality of the company Michael Ritter and his team have built,” said Flagship Director Andrew Dym. “I am proud to welcome him and wish him the best in this pivotal role.”

“Everyone on Flagship’s Executive Team is delighted to welcome Bob to the Company,” said Jeffrey Haymore, Flagship President and Chief Operating Officer. “Apart from his experience, Bob’s motivation and energy is going to be an excellent fit for this period of growth at Flagship.”

Hurzeler began in his official capacity as Chief Executive Officer on June 3, 2019. Michael Ritter, who has served in that capacity since the Company’s founding in 1998, is staying with the Company as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The 2019 Flagship National Sales Meeting was held in beautiful Washington D.C. this past January. This year’s achievements were extraordinary, and we cannot wait to see what our Sales Team will accomplish in 2019!

We kicked off the event with the team coming together to provide care packages to families that are utilizing the Ronald McDonald Houses (RMHC) in the D.C. area. This is a cause near and dear to many at Flagship, and one we are honored to support.

About RMHC

The mission of RMHC is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Visit rmhc.org for more information.

Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC (“Flagship”), a leading auto-finance provider worked with students from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU Cox) in Dallas to further the education of students pursuing Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degrees.

Flagship risk assessment team members, Senior Business Strategy Manager Tsungi Kajese and Business Strategy Analyst Taylor Shekels, worked with SMU Cox students to construct models using real-world, anonymized and non-identifiable loan application data. “To truly understand and model how the loan application process works in the real world, you need to work with real data — model data is too unrealistic,” said Hettie Tabor, director of the SMU Cox MSBA degree program. “We were delighted that Flagship was willing to work with us.”

Students in Tabor’s practicum course were provided non-identifiable descriptive vehicle loan application data that was manually-entered and full of errors. The project required students to call upon their data mining skills to clean, standardize, categorize and analyze the data to provide meaningful insights. “SMU Cox students provided real benefits to Flagship. We obtained some new techniques and tools to generate inferences around risk and new product improvements that will benefit Flagship’s customers,” said Shekels.

The course culminated with a final presentation at the Flagship offices where the students, accompanied by Tabor, were able to meet more members of the Risk team and present their findings. This year marked the second time the SMU Cox MSBA program and Flagship have partnered.

“I am very proud of both our internal risk team for showing the initiative and creating a relationship with the SMU Cox community, as well as for the hard work and passion that was shown by the students within the program,” said David Bertoncini, Flagship Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. “Partnerships between educators and local businesses strengthen each, not to mention the communities they work in. We are extremely gratified by the outcomes this engagement produced again this year. We can’t wait to see what the students do next year.”

About SMU Cox

The SMU Cox School of Business, established in Dallas, Texas, in 1920, is committed to influencing the way the world conducts business via prolific research that provokes innovation, change and global thought leadership. Cox faculty members strive to connect ground-breaking research to the classroom as well as the marketplace. Consistently ranked among the world’s leading business schools, SMU Cox maintains an active global alumni network. SMU Cox is accredited by AACSB.

Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC (“Flagship” or “the Company”), a leading auto-finance provider, today announced the launch of its next generation online portal that will drive digital communications and allow customers to fully service their accounts on a new, mobile-ready format. In a continued push toward digital transformation, the Company partnered with DataOceans to offer the most comprehensive and intuitive experience in our industry. The portal will allow customers to quickly make payments, update contact details and choose from a variety of communication preferences including text, e-mail, and an option for Spanish communications. In addition, customers will be able to access statements, receive payoff quotes and view an easy-to-understand payment history.

“Customers expect to fully manage their accounts online and from their mobile devices,” said Michael C. Ritter, CEO of Flagship Credit Acceptance. “We are happy to have provided such robust information and capabilities within an extremely intuitive portal. Giving customers the choice of how to manage their accounts positively impacts both our customers’ control over their finances and our capacity to communicate effectively with our customers.”

Flagship leveraged DataOceans who used their highly configurable digital platform, as well as customer communication expertise, to quickly design and develop the customer website. “Each client’s customer base is unique, but there are strategies and design concepts that have proven to be highly effective across all industries. We listened to Flagship’s objectives and challenges and together we developed a comprehensive solution that gives them almost unlimited flexibility to communicate with their customers,” said Randy Beals, Chief Revenue Officer of DataOceans.

The Customer Account portal can be accessed at my.flagshipcredit.com

By Digital First Media

On May 20, supporters of The Garage Community and Youth Center gathered at Hartefeld National for a Spring Fling and $10,000 Raffle sponsored by Flagship Credit Acceptance.

The event and raffle combined generated over $20,500 for The Garage. The Garage plans to use the funds for after school programming, which serves over 500 students and includes homework help and tutoring, a daily academic STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activity, mentor program, boys and girls programs, community service opportunities, Nutrition Kitchen, career exploration, post- secondary counseling, and internships.

“We could not do the essential work that we do with at-risk teens without the support of volunteers and financial partners like Flagship, who give selflessly of their time and money to invest in our youth,” said Kristin Proto, Executive Director of The Garage.

The Spring Fling included games for kids, a bouncy house and vendors, like Cristina Tlaseca from Alliance Realty & Associates, who is an alum of The Garage’s program.

The Garage opened up opportunities for me,” said Tlaseca. “As a minority, I was faced with restricted opportunities, but The Garage gave me these great opportunities I never thought were possible. It was a safe haven. I wanted to come out and support this event because The Garage was so beneficial to me. I want to make sure other kids have that same opportunity.”

A Garage student, Evany Herrera, 17, was selected to pull the raffle’s winning tickets. “Thank you, Flagship, for helping The Garage. I love coming here because it is a safe space and I feel welcomed,” Herrera said.

Janet Syphan, HR Communications Specialist at Flagship won the first prize of $10,000. When asked how she would spend the prize, Syphan said “I’m not sure yet, but I know I’m donating the first thousand to The Garage. They do such incredible work.” The second prize of $1,500 went to Jeffrey Perez, Loan Servicing Representative at Flagship. Mary Teresa Maule Alft, from Lincoln University, PA, won the $500 third place prize.

“Events like this exemplify Flagship’s emphasis on serving the communities our customers live and work in,” said Chris Keiser, Flagship Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “We are so happy to be able to contribute to The Garage’s mission and we’re looking forward to our continued partnership and making this an annual event.”

For the past 17 years, The Garage Community and Youth Center has been a key part of the community, providing resources and sense of belonging to area youth who are in need. Through tutoring, mentoring, computer lab access, recreation and special programs, some of our community’s most “at-risk” middle and high school students are finding the necessary support to reach their full potential.

When you walk into The Garage Community and Youth Center on most afternoons you will run into Jordan*. Jordan is in 7th grade but, due to a severe reading disability, reads only at a 1st grade level.

At The Garage, Jordan meets daily with a volunteer tutor who helps him step-by-step with his homework. He’s bonded with his Garage mentor. Stories like Jordan’s caught the eye of Flagship Executive Vice President and General Counsel Chris Keiser, who sought a long-term volunteer partnership for Flagship Credit Acceptance (Flagship). Flagship began offering volunteer time off (VTO) for its associates to work at The Garage’s functions in January 2016, which enabled its employees to get involved with The Garage’s annual holiday auction.

Flagship’s volunteers wanted to get more involved in this worthwhile cause, so to expand the partnership, Flagship will host a Spring Fling and Raffle including a $10,000 Grand Prize. Ticket holders also have a chance to win a second and third prize of $1,500 and $500. Proceeds from the raffle and event will go to The Garage. “Flagship is proud to give back to the communities we serve,” Keiser said. “We’re hoping that the community will enjoy this family-oriented event and come out and buy a raffle ticket in support of this great organization.”

The free family-friendly Spring Fling will take place on Sunday, May 20, from 12-4 pm, at beautiful Hartefeld National, 1 Hartefeld Drive in Avondale, PA, where the $10,000 winner will be chosen by one of the teens from The Garage. Individuals do not need to be present to win and can purchase tickets online at https://Go.RallyUp.com/Garage-Spring-Fling. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, increasing participants’ odds of winning.

Tickets for food and games can be purchased at the door. Activities include vendors, food trucks, bouncy houses, games, putt-putt golf, face painting and more! “We are thrilled to be partnering with Flagship this year to give our students and our community a fun day through this corporate sponsorship,” said Kristin Proto, Executive Director of The Garage. “Our students rely on donations like Flagship’s to keep our space available to them year-round.”

*Jordan’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.

About The Garage

For the past 17 years, The Garage Community and Youth Center has been a key part of the community, providing resources and sense of belonging to area youth who are in need. Through tutoring, mentoring, computer lab access, recreation and special programs, some of our community’s most “at-risk” middle and high school students are finding the necessary support to reach their full potential.

Speedpay, Inc., a Western Union® company, announced its renewed relationship with Flagship Credit Acceptance, a leading auto-finance provider with a nationwide network of more than 9,400 dealers. As part of its five-year deal, which positions Speedpay as Flagship’s electronic billing presentment and exclusive payments provider, Flagship will be Speedpay’s first auto finance client to offer the moBills® solution through Walletron.

“Our commitment to Speedpay is a testament to the confidence we have in their array of solutions – namely, their mobile payment options – that will help make it easier for our customers to pay their bills on time,” said David Bertoncini, Chief Operating Officer at Flagship Credit Acceptance. “Aligning with Speedpay means we will have greater efficiency in billing, access to top-notch customer service, and a reliable stream of payments.”

As part of its agreement with Speedpay to implement Walletron moBills®, Flagship will provide customers with the option to view their statement or pay their bill from within their smartphones’ mobile wallets. Users will receive light-up phone notifications reminding them to make or schedule a payment before a bill is due, and those who make automatic payments can also receive smartphone notifications confirming their payment has been made. The customer’s Flagship bill will update automatically in their mobile wallet, providing accurate account information in a centralized place on their phone.

“The moBills® solution enables Flagship to offer their customers a convenient, mobile-centric view into their account that complements their lifestyles. No more remembering their account numbers or log-in information before being able to make a payment – essential functions given the on-the-go demands of today’s consumers,” said Frank Lockridge, Head of Speedpay. “It’s one of the many options we offer our clients to help them reach their customers in the right place, at the right time, to facilitate timely payments.”

As a subsidiary of The Western Union Company, a leader in global payment services, Speedpay offers clients billing and payments solutions through various channels and across multiple industries, helping reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction. Speedpay services also maintain an average of 99.98 percent uptime and offer 24/7 support, 365 days a year.

To learn more about Speedpay’s comprehensive electronic bill payment and presentment solutions, visit speedpay.com.

About Speedpay, Inc.

Speedpay provides electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) solutions that help keep your business running. An industry leader given its footprint, financial strength, service reliability and availability, Speedpay is dedicated to helping billers collect better payments. Our clients benefit from our highly consultative approach – ensuring we deliver customized payments offerings that address your business challenges and provide overall efficiency, ultimately saving you time and money. From web to mobile, eBill, IVR or CSR, Speedpay offers some of the most highly configurable channels available on the market, specifically designed for the way people want to pay bills.

A wholly owned subsidiary of E-Commerce Group Products, Inc., Speedpay has been at the forefront of the electronic payments industry since 1989, and was acquired by Western Union® in 2002.

For more information, visit www.speedpay.com.

For the first time, dealer partners and Flagship executives and lenders gathered together to share their open and candid opinions and feedback about the auto lending industry, their relationship with Flagship, and the profit partnership we can collectively develop, improve, and grow in the coming year.

Over the course of the three-day event, the group enjoyed gourmet meals at the resort’s famed restaurants, an ideal setting in which they shared their feedback about the Flagship lending program and provided their input on the development of future product offerings and strategic initiatives.

On Thursday, the group came together for a facilitated discussion about the auto industry, the Flagship core product offering, and the partnership opportunities available to them in our present dynamic Dealer-Lender relationship. The discussion continued onto the famed Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf-designed Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, as they played a round of golf with stunning panoramic views of the McDowell Mountains.

The event, held February 8-10, took place at the Fairmont Princess Resort in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Cowboys Golf Club, the nation’s only NFL-themed golf course, proved to be a worthy challenge for the Central Sales Division’s First Annual Invitational Golf Tournament.

On September 8, nine teams vied for awards and accolades, culminating in a four-star buffet and awards celebration at the Cowboys golf clubhouse.

The teams were comprised of Dallas/Ft. Worth metro-area dealers and our leadership team, including Executive Vice President of Sales, Jeff Haymore, Senior Vice President of Credit, Jack Farrell, and Vice President of Sales for the Central Division, John Moody.

The course, located in beautiful Grapevine, Texas, lived up to its reputation as one of the best and most difficult Jeff Brauer-designed golf courses in America. Plans for a 2017 expanded Central Division Flagship Invitational Tournament are already in progress.