Why Be Certified? And Why AFIP?

In order to answer these questions, let’s begin with who the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals (AFIP) are. AFIP was the vision of an F&I executive who saw the need for the F&I industry to govern their own business practices and have an active voice regarding the laws that were to impact and define them. With her direction, AFIP was founded in 1989 by Ford Motor Credit Company, GMAC, Bank of America, and many others. AFIP is run by Executive Director David Robertson, who 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. He is a qualified industry expert whose areas of expertise include aftermarket products administration, in-store sales, underwriting, and F&I processes. The AFIP Certification Program was created as a response to the barrage of changing regulations in the automobile finance industry and the need to educate F&I personnel and lender and vendor field representatives. The program currently includes the Carlaw F&I Legal Desk Book by the dealership lawyers at Hudson Cook. AFIP has a threefold mission: To give a voice to the F&I practitioner; to protect the interests of the F&I profession, F&I professionals and their customers; and to support the companies that serve the FemailI function. There are many reasons for dealer personnel to be certified. For the FemailI professional, AFIP gives the power to sell their products with confidence and authority. The course provides a working knowledge of the state and federal laws associated with the FemailI profession and a published Code of Ethics for easy reference. The AFIP Certified FemailI Professional logo on your diploma, nameplate, and business cards shows customers they are dealing with a professional with superior qualifications. For dealer principles, AFIP certification gives their employees the tools necessary to operate comfortably within the law and to meet higher performance thresholds. The AFIP logo shows lenders, vendors, and auditors that the dealership believes in a code of ethics and invests in training to make sure that the person occupying the FemailI position knows the laws and regulations that impact the dealership and its customers. On a practical level, one has only to pick up a copy of an industry magazine to know that the FemailI landscape is an ever-changing one with multiple government agencies, both federal and state, looking to catch dealerships doing something “wrong” or discriminatory. Since ignorance is not a defense, neither for the dealer principle nor the FemailI Manager, AFIP certification is a giant first step in the right direction. Jeram Marketing is proud to bring our clients this respected certification.