Southern Auto Finance Co. (SAFCO) continued its string of notable personnel and strategic moves on Tuesday. The latest action is hiring Noel Ortega as its new senior vice president of account services.

Prior to joining SAFCO, Ortega served as senior vice president of servicing for United Auto Credit (UACC). While there, SAFCO said Ortega transformed the organization’s approach to customer service, shifting from a traditional subprime servicing model to a retail-focused, customer-centric culture.

Before joining UACC, SAFCO highlighted Ortega held senior leadership roles at LoanMart and Westlake Financial Services, where he consistently exceeded servicing goals, grew teams exponentially, and helped to drive strong portfolio performance.

“We are excited to welcome Noel Ortega to SAFCO, where his strategic vision and years of leadership experience in servicing and collections will undoubtedly drive innovation, portfolio performance, and strengthen our commitment to customer excellence,” SAFCO CEO George Fussell said. “We look forward to the positive impact Noel will bring as we continue to grow and expand our portfolio.”

SAFCO began the year by announcing Colombia-based Finanzauto acquired a minority equity stake in the company.

Then in February, the company appointed Marissa Kaliman as its vice president of compliance and general counsel.

And in August, SAFCO rolled out a rebranding initiative to expand credit access for all consumers, regardless of their credit history.