GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — As many national lenders cut back on their auto lending spectrum, or pull out of the market altogether, Universal Special Auto Finance reported that it is continuing to expand its business model to provide services across the entire credit spectrum.

With all of the turmoil on Wall Street, John Scordo, Universal's chief executive officer, said he remains calm and confident about the staying power of his company.

"Universal is unique in that our business model is designed to flex with the demands of the market," remarked Scordo. "We started receiving calls from auto-related businesses asking us to help them strengthen their businesses. That's when we created Universal Solutions.

"Solutions offers a wide range of consulting, portfolio management, servicing, floor-planning, auto lease management services and so much more," said Scordo. "We are now providing services in the near-prime space, Internet auto sales and working with companies from motorcycles to Mercedes to strengthen their businesses. It's an exciting time for us at Universal."

Universal began loan operations nearly a year ago and currently manages more than $40 million in auto loans in what could arguably be described as "the worst economic decline in decades," officials noted.

The company credits its success to Universal's patent-pending loan processing system, the power of partnerships with industry giants like Computer Sciences Corp. and its years of experience in the subprime auto market.

"Our executive team represents more than 50 years of proven experience and success in the auto and financial industries," Scordo pointed out.

Members of the Universal executive team were key members of Centrix. Centrix was able to build a $4 billion portfolio, servicing approximately 250,000 loans from throughout the nation.

"We're proud of our success at Centrix and are applying our intellectual capital to the Universal model to build on and enhance what we already know," said Sheryl Gurrentz, chief operating officer for Universal.

While Universal is a relatively new business in the subprime market, its executive team has of quite a bit of experience it has applied to the new business model, and officials said they are seeing growth throughout their credit spectrum.

"Universal is excited to build upon and continue to bring innovation through our years of expertise and success in the market," said Betty Ann Habig, vice president of client development. "The demand isn't going away; it is growing and so are we."

For more information about Universal, visit its Web site at www.universalsaf.com.