Advocacy & Outreach

AFIP can research and solicit legal and regulatory agency opinions, and help resolve issues negatively impacting the automotive industry.

We’re currently actively working to resolve two important issues.

• Trigger Lead of One– A practice in which credit reporting agencies use the information provided by dealers while ordering a customer’s credit history report and score to alert competing dealers and lenders of the opportunity to steal your customers, often causing the customer to receive unsolicited sales calls during negotiations.
• Aftermarket Product Restrictions – A practice in which credit reporting agencies use the information provided by dealers while ordering a customer’s credit history report and score to alert competing dealers and lenders of the opportunity to steal your customers, often causing the customer to receive unsolicited sales calls during negotiations.

Past victories include:

• Organization and leadership of an ad hoc group formed to represent VSC administrators in the negotiation with the IRS of a compromise on how service agreements are taxed
• Representation of the VSC industry before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to defeat a proposal that would have required automobile dealers to disclose the profit on vehicle service contracts.
• Secured a Staff Opinion Letter from the FTC to stop the practice of lawsuits against dealers for warranty-covered repairs in cases in which a VSC was sold.

Inevitably, disputes will arise between the various parties involved in a vehicle transaction (be they lenders, vendors, dealers or customers). In many cases, these disputes can be resolved without aggressive legal action with the assistance of an expert moderator. And when an issue has escalated beyond resolution, you need an industry expert on the stand.

Dispute Resolution*

AFIP Executive Director David Robertson provides an invaluable alternative to lengthy and costly legal battles. Robertson has a history of providing mutually acceptable dispute resolution. Past activity includes work involving aftermarket administrators, insurance companies, franchised dealers, independent general agents and consumers.

Expert Witness Services*

David Robertson, AFIP’s executive director and industry veteran, has a successful track record of drafting expert witness reports and testifying in depositions and in court at both the state and federal levels for matters between aftermarket administrators, insurance companies, franchised dealers, independent general agents and consumers.

Areas of Expertise

• Aftermarket Products Administration
• In-store Sales
• Underwriting
• F&I Process

* These services provided individually by AFIP Executive Director David Robertson. David Robertson is a qualified industry expert, but does not and should not be construed to provide legal advice.

If you need an industry expert to speak or train at your next event, AFIP can provide or help you locate skilled professionals for almost any subject matter. Whether you need a panelist to provide practical information on dealership Red Flags Rule compliance or company-wide ECOA training, AFIP or one of our Industry Members can help.

Expert Speaking

It isn’t always easy to find a subject matter expert when planning an industry or corporate event. If you need assistance finding a knowledgeable presenter, AFIP can help. AFIP Executive Director David Robertson, with almost 40 years experience in the industry, can speak on a multitude of industry-related subjects or can help you locate an expert from among our prestigious AFIP Industry Members.

Expert Training

In addition to the compliance product-related training provided by AFIP and its multiple Industry Members, AFIP offers additional training services.*

Specialized Training*

• ECOA Training – Vetted and approved by the Department of Justice to conduct court-mandated Equal Credit Opportunity Act training for dealerships.
• Applied Business Ethics – Quality college-level ethics training for industry-related businesses.

Compliance Training**

• AFIP Certification Training
• Red Flags Rule Program Training
• Safeguards Rule Program Training

* Services provided individually by AFIP Executive Director David Robertson.
** Services provided by AFIP Industry Members.

Media Resource

AFIP Executive Director David Robertson can provide articles, quotes or resources for the trade or popular media. Dave has written for and been quoted in multiple industry magazines, including a long-running monthly column in F&I Management & Technology, and has appeared on mainstream television news programs like ABC 20/20 speaking about F&I-related topics.