RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — CUDL, which administers a point-of-sale and indirect auto lending network for credit unions, announced that the company's AutoSMART Program and Web site was recently presented with Summit International's 2007 Marketing Effectiveness Award.

CUDL's AutoSMART Program and Web site, www.cudlautosmart.com, which competed against 500 entries globally in the B2B Product Campaign Category, was recognized for outstanding achievement in the areas of Marketing Strategy and Effectiveness, officials reported.

Developed specifically for credit unions and their member base, the AutoSMART Program and Web site provides CUDL's more than 640 partnering credit unions a flexible, versatile vehicle shopping and research site that they can brand, customize and market to members as their own, the company explained.

For credit union members, the AutoSMART Web site is designed to provide a state-of-the-art car-shopping experience, offering robust vehicle research capabilities and an expanded library of online of auto-shopping resources.

A companion to the Web site, the quarterly AutoSMART magazine, developed by CUDL, provides members with further insight to auto shopping, financing and car care tips.

Through the CUDL AutoSMART program, more than 5,000 dealers have the ability to post their vehicle inventories online, both locally and nationally, providing an additional advertising source to drive new customer opportunities, according to the company.

Currently, more than 385,000 vehicles from dealer inventories nationwide are listed on the AutoSMART Web site.

"Our goal is to provide our credit union partners with a program and online resource that will both help increase member retention and grow their auto loan portfolio, while also providing members with the most sophisticated, complete vehicle research and shopping Web site available today," said Mike Federoff, CUDL's associate vice president of products.

"For dealers, the AutoSMART site provides an ideal opportunity to connect with credit unions and their car-buying members in order to expand into new markets and grow their customer base," he continued.

During the blind judging event (entering company names withheld) judges analyzed entries to determine if they significantly achieved this goal.

"Winning a Summit MEA is a significant accomplishment. The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit MEA recognition," said Jocelyn Luciano, executive director for the Summit Awards.

For more information on CUDL, visit www.cudl.com.