SAN DIEGO -

Bill Jensen’s career began more than 40 years ago at Security Pacific Bank in Santa Ana, Calif., as a collector.

After nearly two decades at that institution, followed by a stint as executive director for the National Vehicle Leasing Association, a post with Bank of America and a role managing Mazda American Credit, Jensen is senior vice president and national retail credit executive at Chase Auto Finance.

Jensen is also the inaugural winner of the Auto Finance Executive of the Year award, presented by Black Book Lender Solutions.

“I am deeply honored to be named the Auto Finance Executive of the Year, especially because it is named by industry peers,” Jensen said. “There are so many great men and women in this industry worthy of an award like this, and I can’t thank you enough for this recognition.

“Without my colleagues at Chase, who I have the great privilege to work with every day, this award wouldn’t have been possible,” he continued.

While Jensen is one of the most seasoned executives in the industry, he described how much he still loves what he does, especially working for consumers he says live on “Main Street.”

“For example, when the federal government offered the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program during the recent recession, we work quickly to modify our loan programs that will allow Americans to purchase or refinance a car of their dreams,” Jensen said.

“When there have been weather disasters, or more recently for furloughed federal government workers during the government shutdown, we’ve moved quickly to make impacted customers’ loan payments easier to handle,” he continued. “We also get to work with and offer products that support thousands of auto dealers across the U.S., which are often the lifeblood in our local economies.

“At Chase, I push myself to do my best because our customers, our dealers and our employees have entrusted me to do so. It’s that simple,” Jensen went on to say.

Jensen is receiving his award today at the SubPrime Forum, which is orchestrated in partnership with the NAF Association and is sponsored by Dealertrack Technologies, Fiserv and Black Book Lender Solutions.

The Auto Finance Executive of the Year Award will be given to Jensen by Jeff Bunch, vice president of Black Book Lender Solutions.

“I am excited about naming Bill Jensen the Auto Finance Executive of the Year with his vast knowledge and 35 years experience in the auto industry. We congratulate him on this well-deserved award,” Bunch said.

The publisher of Auto Remarketing and SubPrime Auto Finance News and Used Car Week chair Bill Zadeits offered a similar reaction when Jensen was chosen.

“Bill Jensen exemplifies exactly what a talented executive in the auto finance industry should be,” Zadeits said.  “We were excited to see Bill nominated and chosen for this award, and we’re delighted that our first-ever Auto Finance Executive of the Year Award is going to an individual of Bill’s caliber.”

With another accolade to count, Jensen is ready to continue with his daily tasks of being an integral cog in Chase’s vehicle financing arm, especially with how the market is now behaving.

“Today’s industry is competitive and very positive. The lessons learned during the recession have made the business even stronger and better prepared for success during the recovery we are now enjoying,” Jensen said.

“There will always be challenges for us to do better, but at the end of the day, our responsibility is to provide the best possible service to our customers and dealers across the country,” he concluded.
 

Nick Zulovich can be reached at nzulovich@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.