WOODLANDS, Texas — Income development firm American Financial & Automotive Services Inc. has partnered with Automotive Compliance Education LLC to provide its dealer customers with a new F&I compliance certification program.

ACE Certification will be offered through American Financial’s award-winning F&I University (FIU), which helped the firm earn Diamond and Platinum awards for compliance and F&I training, respectively, in Auto Dealer Today’s annual Dealers’ Choice Awards program.

“American Financial believes this unique opportunity with ACE was a natural partnership,” officials stated in a press release announcing the new partnership. “Aligning compliance certification and F&I training creates an even stronger program for F&I professionals that will take their career to the next level. FIU already provides an industry-leading F&I curriculum and online continuing education … By implementing ACE certification, FIU has solidified its commitment to compliance and F&I training to the industry.”

The ACE certification program was developed by industry-leading attorneys to help set and maintain professional standards at dealerships. This training program takes the rigorous and complicated federal regulations that touch different parts of the dealership and digests them into logical doses. The online training modules also show trainees how the regulations relate to everyday situations in the dealership.  

Annual re-certification is part of the program, as F&I professionals will be responsible for taking an annual review module and exam. This process includes any significant regulatory changes that may have occurred in the previous year. Like other professional licenses, such as an insurance license, this certificate will recognize automotive professionals and their adherence to ethics, industry education, and professionalism on an ongoing basis.

“Not only will business managers walk away from the intensive F&I school with innovative techniques to take back to the business office, they will also walk away with an ACE F&I compliance certificate that will set them apart as professional leaders in ethics and compliance,” American Financial officials said, noting that the firm's F&I school is the only one offering ACE certification in an instructor-led format. “When business managers leave the five-day F&I school being ACE certified, they will bring back assurance to the dealership and its customers. Prove your dealership’s commitment to compliance and F&I by getting your team ACE certified today.”

For more or to register for F&I school, click here.