Two service providers teamed up last week to bring credit unions and dealers together.

DriveCentric, a robust CRM, artificial intelligence (AI) and conversational engagement platform for automotive retailers, announce an integration and partnership with CUDL, one of the nation’s largest credit union financing networks.

They’re collaborating to provide a more simplified and streamlined credit application and financing process for today’s customer-focused dealerships.

According to a news release, the new integration not only allows dealers to tap into CUDL’s credit union network — which, collectively, represents one of the industry’s top auto finance sources — it is designed to create a seamless workflow within DriveCentric’s CRM that streamlines the credit application process for dealers and ultimately improves the experience for their customers.

The companies went on to mention this integration can allow DriveCentric dealership partners to connect with one a network of more than 1,100 local and national credit unions and their more than 64 million members.

The CUDL auto finance network helped credit unions fund a record $46.9 billion in auto paper in 2021, while CUDL credit unions, as an aggregate, were the largest auto finance company in the nation in 2021, experiencing 13% growth over 2020.

“The landscape of lending is evolving, and we recognize the value and need for delivering a simplified, streamlined application process for dealers and their customers,” CUDL product director Marty Simons said in the news release.

“We’re excited to join forces with DriveCentric to provide dealers with the ability to easily send deals to credit unions, paving the way for an improved customer experience,” Simons continued.

Both DriveCentric and CUDL noted that they are focused on delivering solutions their users find valuable and efficient.

“At DriveCentric, we know that time equals money for our dealer partners,” DriveCentric director of operations Drew Adler said in the news release. “The integration with CUDL will allow our mutual dealer partners to provide their customers with a more streamlined experience that will ultimately lead to a more efficient sales process.

“We are very excited for dealers and consumers to reap the benefits of this partnership,” Adler went on to say.

Current CUDL dealers are invited to reach out to their CUDL dealer experience representatives to start the process of enabling the integration today. Current DriveCentric dealers who do not use CUDL, but would like to, can learn more about CUDL's full suite of solutions at CUDL.com.