SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Automotive Dealership Institute has announced plans to release its Encyclopedia of Finance and Insurance Management, said ADI CEO/Executive Director Alan Algan. The encyclopedia, at more than 1,000 pages, has been in the works since January 2005 and will be available this August.

"The publication of the Encyclopedia of Finance and Insurance Management is an industry event," said Algan. "There has never been any F&I-related publication of this magnitude. Our contributors are renowned for their reputations and expertise. I can't imagine any dealership without a copy of it for reference purposes."

Contributors to the substantial volume include ADI's executive staff: Alan Algan, author of Automotive F&I Management, originally published in 1992 when it became the first and only book on the subject to be catalogued by the U.S. Library of Congress; CFO/Dean of Education Arzu Algan, who authored ADI's copyrighted textbook; and President/Director of Corporate Affairs Keith Tuber, a former journalist with 16 writing awards to his credit, who served as executive editor of the project.

Additional distinguished contributors include Professor Robert W. Serum, Ph.D., vice president, Academics and International Programs for Northwood University; Dr. David D. Long, chancellor and COO of Northwood University; David N. Robertson, executive director of the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals (AFIP), who also wrote the foreword; John Walsh, director of Education for the Institute for Ethical Behavior, whose highly praised four-part series on F&I ethics originally appeared in F&I Management and Technology magazine; and Gary Thomas Fagg, a consulting actuary and principal of CreditRe, who is an acknowledged expert on credit insurance.

Among the topics covered in the F&I encyclopedia are:

-- Finance and Insurance - Prime and Nonprime

-- F&I Menu Presentation Process

-- Creation and Management of the Dealership Internet Department

-- Retail Installment Sales Contracts

-- Consumer Leasing, Lease Agreements

-- Collecting, Analyzing and Evaluating Credit Information

-- Legal Compliance - Privacy Rule, Safeguards Rule, Cash Purchases, etc.

-- Credit Insurance and Related Products

-- Ethics for Automotive Financial Professionals

"Education is an important factor in the success of any dealership, as changing regulations and technologies continue to mold the automotive industry," said Dr. Serum. "Having a single-volume resource guide is an indispensable tool that will be utilized over and over again by F&I personnel and upper management."

The Encyclopedia of Finance and Insurance Management will be published in a hand-crafted hard-cover edition retailing for $795. It will be distributed domestically by Idealergroup LLC, and will be available for purchase through Idealergroup's network of general agents; at Northwood University bookstores in Michigan, Florida and Texas; through the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals' Web site, www.afip.com; Amazon.com; the Automotive Dealership Institute's Web site, www.autodealerinstitute.com; and other retailers.

"There has been a basic shift in the car-buying experience, from a product-oriented market to a credit-oriented market," said Robertson. "Accordingly, the F&I process is afforded much greater attention, not only as a process, but as an academic endeavor. This isn't something that a few people do, it's something everybody does, and consequently the emphasis on the F&I process has greatly increased."

Preorders are now being accepted by Idealergroup, LLC, at 570-366-0221 or through www.idealergroup.com.