WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — While the J.D. Power and
Associates 2012 Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study indicated there is a
strong relationship between an exceptional vehicle loan or lease servicing
experience and customer intent to use the same finance provider again, the study
also found that there is a minimal relationship with the servicing experience
and customer intent to use the same dealership for a future vehicle purchase or
lease.

Instead, analysts found the in-dealership experience
significantly impacts likelihood to return to the same dealer.

"A superior servicing experience translates into greater
lender consideration for future business," said Lisa Stimac, account director
automotive finance at J.D. Power and Associates. "While a similar
relationship does not exist with respect to considering the same dealership,
finance providers may still influence dealer consideration by ensuring
efficient approval processes and knowledgeable staff.

"Most consumers just want the vehicle-buying process to be
simple," Stimac continued. "Financing is a tough area to simplify, but by
providing seamless, fast service throughout the loan or lease period, financing
providers increase their chances of being re-selected and building brand
loyalty."

J.D. Power determined many of the best practices in auto
finance servicing are related to problem prevention. These practices include:

—Providing service alerts
—Reminding customers of a payment or confirming when a payment has been made
—Providing accurate and informative billing information
—Offering alternative, easy-to-use methods for reviewing account information

"Addressing and resolving problems that do occur serve the
dual purpose of increasing customer satisfaction and minimizing the number of
interactions with the lender, which takes time and resources," Stimac said. "Of
course, when a customer experiences a problem, resolving it quickly and
efficiently is critical to recover the lost goodwill from problems in the first
place."

The study measures customer satisfaction in four key factors
of the new-vehicle financing experience: billing and payment, interest rate/monthly
payment, website and phone contact.

The study is conducted across four consumer vehicle financing
segments: mass market loan, mass market lease, luxury loan and luxury lease.

Consumer Financing Segment Rankings

Volkswagen Credit ranked highest based on a 1,000-point
scale in mass market loan segment, compiling a tally of 865 and performing
particularly well in billing and payment as well as interest rate/monthly
payment.

Following next was Mazda Capital Services (844) and Honda
Financial Services (843).

In the mass market lease segment, Ford Credit (827) came in
highest in the segment and performed particularly well in all factors.

Among the top three were Volkswagen Credit (816) and Honda
Financial Services (802).

Turning to the luxury loan segment, Mercedes-Benz Financial
Services posted the highest score at 853 on a 1,000-point scale and performed
particularly well in phone contact.

Mercedes-Benz was followed closely by Acura Financial
Services with a score of 852. BMW Financial Services ranked third with a score
848.

Finally, in the luxury lease segment, Lincoln Automotive
Financial Services ranked highest with a score of 826 and performed
particularly well in all factors.

Following in the rankings were Lexus Financial Services
(808) and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (806).

The 2012 Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study is based on
responses from 11,259 new-vehicle purchasers or lessees who completed a vehicle
loan or lease transaction between June of last year and May of this year. The
study was fielded between August and October of this year.

Customer Satisfaction Index Scores

Mass Market Loan Segment

Volkswagen Credit: 865
Mazda Capital Services: 844
Honda Financial Services 843
Toyota Financial Services: 831
Ford Motor Credit: 825
Hyundai Motor Finance: 805
Mass Market Loan Average: 801
Ally Financial: 798
Nissan Motor Acceptance: 795
Subaru Motors Finance: 792
Chase Auto Finance: 782
Capital One Auto Finance: 773
Bank of America: 736
Wells Fargo Dealer Services: 736
Fifth Third Bank: 662

Mass Market Lease Segment

Ford Motor Credit: 827
Volkswagen Credit: 816
Honda Financial Services: 802
Toyota Financial Services: 781
Mass Market Lease Average: 775
Hyundai Motor Finance: 750
Ally Financial: 748
Nissan Motor Acceptance: 745

Luxury Loan Segment

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services: 853
Acura Financial Services: 852
BMW Financial Services: 848
Lincoln Automotive Financial Services: 835
Audi Financial Services: 825
Lexus Financial Services: 819
Luxury Loan Average: 816
Chase Auto Finance: 790
US Bank: 769
Bank of America: 745

Luxury Lease Segment

Lincoln Automotive Financial Services: 826
Lexus Financial Services: 808
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services: 806
BMW Financial Services: 804
Acura Financial Services: 800
Luxury Lease Average: 789
Audi Financial Services: 787
Infiniti Financial Services: 760