June 1, 2022
Vicky Kinsey, VP of Marketing
Cherokee Strip CU set out to look for a partner to help them set up an indirect auto lending program for their credit union. Their goals were simple: Reach a wider membership, make it easier for members to obtain car loans and be available outside of working hours when car shoppers typically shop. They were also looking for a dependable and more hands-on partnership. CUAC’s mission, industry-leading technology and extreme responsiveness were the catalysts that made CUAC the obvious choice.
Cherokee Strip CU joined CUAC in 2017 and since then, they have seen an increase in membership in the thousands. CUAC’s robust reporting has allowed them to analyze real-time data to assess loan profitability and evaluate dealer performance.
“CUAC has helped us raise our membership by several thousand members. The platform is so user-friendly; everything we need to know to work a loan is available at our fingertips.” Said Stacey Calderon, Vice President of Lending and Resolutions at Cherokee Strip Credit Union. The CUAC Team is extremely easy to work with and very responsive to our needs. CUAC’s approach to indirect lending has allowed us to compete for our member’s financing at the point-of-sale.”
Marci Bacarisse, the Project Manager over Cherokee Strip’s solution had this to say. “I am so glad we have been a great fit for Cherokee Strip. Stacey is amazingly easy to work with and we do our very best to make sure they have everything they need to be successful.”
CUAC’s COO, Kurt Howard, had this to say about the relationship. “Stacey is great to work with and I trust our relationship will be very long term. Being a smaller credit union, it is important that they have all the tools needed to properly compete in their market and I feel like we do that for them.” When pressed further about what CUAC can do for smaller institutions like Cherokee Strip, Kurt had this to say: “I believe our relationship with Cherokee Strip sends such a powerful message. No matter what the size of your credit union is, we can empower you to compete with the largest lenders in your market. From putting you with other Tier 1 lenders such as captives and national banks on Dealertrack and RouteOne, to digital contracting on both platforms, to online payoffs, Digital Document Solutions etc., the list goes on and on. With the robust reporting, integrated data solutions through Microsoft’s Power BI the Credit Union controlling the risk, there is no reason a smaller credit union would not want to partner with us to allow them to compete at the point of sale where their members are buying cars.”
CUAC, with years of experience and best practices, has proven to be the leader in indirect and direct lending services for large and small credit unions. If you are interested in taking your credit union’s indirect program to the next level, please reach out to Kurt Howard at khoward@cuacuso.com or online at www.cuac.com/contact.