SNC Spotlight

Insurance can be complex. Turn to our blog for up-to-date, relevant content to help you make the best decisions for your financial institution. With expert knowledge from seasoned industry professionals, we simplify insurance topics so you can get back to business.
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Tackling Inflation and the Automobile Industry: A Simple Solution to Reduce Future Auto Loan Charge-offs

Despite Inflation, You Can Still Maintain a Competitive Advantage and Protect Your Auto Loan Portfolio

 

Spotlight Soundbite: The Value of Customized Portfolio Protection in the Subprime Auto Loan Market

 

 

Borrowers Are Facing Financial Stress

As everyone knows, in the past several years interest rates have soared and prices have inflated. Individuals across the economic spectrum are finding it harder to weather the expenses of everyday life — groceries, housing, transportation, childcare, and all the others. While buy now and pay later programs may offer temporary relief, borrowers will ultimately not be able to put off making tough decisions about where to spend and save.

Unfortunately, a growing number of auto loan borrowers, and especially subprime borrowers, are choosing to drop or reduce their auto insurance coverage as a result of having to decide which bills to pay with their increasingly stretched paychecks. And these uninsured or underinsured borrowers pose a threat to your institution’s loan portfolio and profitability.

The news isn’t all grim, however — State National can help protect your financial institution from the risks posed by this group.

 

How to Minimize Charge-offs Caused by Uninsured Borrowers

Do you currently use an insurance tracking system to keep track of your borrowers’ coverage status in an attempt to prevent charge-offs? It’s a good start — tracking is a critical part of monitoring your institution’s risk exposure. However, having your staff track insurance in-house is a time-consuming and inefficient solution. More concerning, even if you employ an outside vendor to track coverage for you, studies show that tracking alone is not enough to encourage borrowers to keep their insurance in force.

Without a consequence for remaining uninsured or underinsured, it’s been shown time and time again that a significant portion of borrowers, particularly in the non-prime and subprime space, simply will not heed warnings to bring their loans into compliance no matter how many letters or phone calls they get reminding them to do so. Without a mechanism that will actually change borrower behavior, tracking alone still leaves too much risk in your portfolio.

A Persistent Problem — With an InsurTech Solution

The good news is, you can more thoroughly protect your portfolio while also saving labor costs and freeing up your staff to perform other tasks to grow your business. And you can do it all easily, seamlessly, and with total peace of mind when it comes to compliance. Protecting collateral from loss is most definitely not the same as it was “in the old days” — or even just a few years ago.

Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other leading-edge technology solutions have changed the game when it comes to mitigating the risk from uninsured borrowers. From software bots that can log in to insurer websites and update thousands of insurance statuses in seconds to nearly effortless multichannel borrower submission options including QR codes, email, text, web, and more, collateral protection problems of the past are simply not an issue today, especially with State National as your provider. As I like to say, “This isn’t your grandpa's CPI!”

 

Learn About State National's Secure Texting!

 

Save Time, Money, and Aggravation — What’s Not to Like?

State National’s solutions provide tracking AND protect your portfolio. We also save your financial institution time with seamless implementation and multi-option borrower insurance submission solutions. Even better, there’s InsurTrak – our custom-designed proprietary technology platform where you can view all program details in real-time with just a few clicks.

Additionally, you can personalize your coverage around exactly what works best for your business. Whether you need a full-featured, comprehensive program, one that keeps costs at a minimum for borrowers, or something in between, State National can customize a program that best fits your needs.

 

A Simple Solution for Reduced Risk and Increased Profitability

We have heard from some financial institutions that they “have no charge-offs” because they planned and allotted for a certain amount of loss. But money lost is still money lost even if you budgeted for it! What if you could save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars this year? Well, you can! Let me show you how you can leverage State National’s advanced technology and more than 50 years of experience mitigating loss from uninsured borrowers to proactively protect your business against today’s unpredictable economy and the wave of charge-offs your financial institution may be facing soon.

It’s not too late to protect your portfolio from what’s coming our way.

 

Contact Us!

Mark Baltuska
Mark Baltuska
Mark Baltuska is State National's Vice President of Finance Company Markets, offering custom portfolio protection and tracking solutions to lenders across the country, with a specialty in non-prime and subprime auto loan portfolios.

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Strengthening Your Cyber Defenses

Strengthening Your Defenses: Why Secure Partners Are Critical With third-party risk on the rise, here's how to ensure your vendors are allies, not liabilities Cybersecurity Awareness Month each October is a critical reminder for organizations to evaluate their security posture. For financial institutions, including credit unions, banks, and finance companies, this evaluation must extend beyond your own walls and into the practices of every vendor you work with. In today’s interconnected environment, the security of your business partners is an extension of your own. Choosing a partner with a robust, proactive security posture isn't just a matter of compliance; it's a fundamental part of protecting your institution and those you serve. The Stakes Have Never Been Higher The threat landscape continues to evolve, and recent data shows that third-party risk is a primary driver of costly breaches — and the financial industry remains a prime target. Consider these findings: Third-party risk is a direct cause of breaches. A 2024 report found that at least 35.5% of all data breaches originated from compromises at a third-party vendor. (SecurityScorecard) Costs for financial institutions remain high. The average cost of a data breach for the financial industry is $6.08 million per incident, significantly higher than the global average. (IBM) The human element is a key factor. The "human element," which includes errors, phishing, and social engineering, plays a role in 60% of all breaches. (Verizon) Stolen credentials are a primary entry point. The use of stolen or compromised credentials was a factor in nearly one-third of all breaches, underscoring the need for strong authentication. (Verizon via Abnormal) What to Look for in a Secure Partner A partner’s commitment to security should be proactive, not reactive. Lenders must look for organizations that employ impeccable controls and can demonstrate their strength in this area. Proactive Due Diligence: Does a potential partner voluntarily offer a due diligence packet because they are confident in their security? Or do you have to ask multiple times? A proactive partner is a secure partner. Advanced, Demonstrable Safeguards: Look for partners who can show you their security in action. A key feature to look for is multifactor authentication (MFA), especially on platforms where your members or customers interact. MFA provides an essential extra layer of defense beyond a simple password, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected. “Security threats don’t stop when the whistle blows at 5 p.m. and hackers don’t take vacations,” says Michael Weiskircher, State National’s CIO, “so protecting against attacks has to be an ongoing, real-time process of fixing vulnerabilities immediately.” Security in Action at State National At State National, we believe that protecting our clients' data is a foundational part of the service we provide. We are on a mission to not only meet but exceed all security standards. MFA on Borrower Platforms: We practice what we preach. Our MyLoanInsurance.com borrower portal is protected with two-factor multifactor authentication (MFA). This safeguard helps ensure that borrower data is protected from unauthorized access. Constant Vigilance: We know that security is a 24/7/365 commitment. As Michael Weiskircher, State National’s CIO, says, “Security threats don’t stop when the whistle blows at 5 p.m. and hackers don’t take vacations, so protecting against attacks has to be an ongoing, real-time process of fixing vulnerabilities immediately.” A Dedicated Compliance Department: A partner with a proactive, in-house compliance team demonstrates a deeper commitment to security. This team ensures the company rigorously adheres to all state and federal data protection laws, providing a critical layer of assurance that security policies are consistently followed and enforced. The Markel Advantage: As part of the Markel family of companies, State National has access to the security tools, resources, and expertise of a multi-billion dollar, multinational insurance holding company. This adds yet another layer of enterprise-level protection. Choosing an Ally, Not a Risk Vetting a business partner's security is a critical fiduciary responsibility, and choosing the right one allows you to focus on serving your members. You can rest easy knowing that when it comes to your portfolio protection program, State National has you covered. Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart

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