Dealertrack, a Cox Automotive brand, announced a series of application programming interface releases, product updates, and integrations aimed at improving contracting and funding efficiency for lenders and dealers as the industry continues to expand digital retailing and finance workflows.

As dealers and lenders work to support omnichannel buying while reducing errors and fraud risk, Dealertrack’s updates focus on removing friction in the finance process and supporting greater automation, from contract creation through funding.

According to Dealertrack data, 86% of auto finance contracts are now eligible for digital submission. The company said the next step is enabling fully digital contracts to fund without manual review.

Contracting and Funding Automation

Dealertrack said recent enhancements include earlier clearing of deal stipulations—particularly income verification—during the purchase process. The company also plans to introduce real-time point-of-sale checks for funding package documents, including vehicle service contracts.

“We’re focused on helping dealers and lenders move closer to auto-fundable contracts,” said Cox Lender Solutions Strategist Andy Mayers. “Reducing manual reviews benefits everyone involved in the transaction.”

Dealertrack’s network includes dealerships, lenders and after-market providers, positioning the platform to support standardization and automation across finance workflows.

Digital Retailing and Omnichannel Tools

Dealertrack Contracting Services now includes a full set of digital retailing APIs designed to support transactions that move between online and in-store environments or are completed fully online. These tools allow partners to originate contracts within their own platforms while ensuring deal data flows accurately across systems.

The updates are intended to reduce reworking of deal structures between dealers and lenders and support faster contract funding.

Stipulation and After-Market Management

Dealertrack has expanded automation for stipulation capture and delivery. Additional capabilities planned for 2026 include point-of-sale clearing of stipulations through integrated income verification.

After-market products continue to add complexity to finance contracts, more than 61% of deals including at least one after-market product that may require separate documentation. Dealertrack’s partnership with F&I Sentinel provides visibility into lender acceptance and compliance requirements for after-market forms. Future updates will include validation of after-market form data against finance contracts.

Fraud Reduction and AI Applications

Dealertrack is applying artificial intelligence to analyze deal data and documents before funding submission, with the goal of reducing returned contracts and delayed funding. Fraud prevention remains a key focus as digital buying expands. Cox Automotive estimates auto finance fraud costs reached $9 billion in 2025.

Dealertrack also provides fraud mitigation tools through its Compliance Suite and the 2026 Dealertrack Compliance Guide launched on Jan. 27. Additional support comes through partnerships, such as Point Predictive, including its BorrowerCheck solution for detecting synthetic identity risk.

“Lenders are asking for better visibility into contract issues before submission and fewer manual reviews at funding,” Mayers said. “These investments support that goal.”

Supporting Dealers And Lenders

Dealertrack said the updates are designed to balance operational efficiency with consumer convenience, supporting customized digital finance experiences while helping reduce risk.

“Our focus is on integration and automation that supports better decision-making across dealerships and lenders,” said Derek Hansen, senior vice president of dealer, lender, and inventory solutions.