Orlando, Fla. — The Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals announced SunTrust Bank’s successful certification of their entire 32-member dealer-contact field staff. To become AFIP Certified F&I Professionals, the SunTrust Dealer Financial Services employees completed a rigorous college-level course on the federal and state regulations that govern their profession and complete an ethics module jointly developed with the Walsh Institute for Ethical Behavior. Each candidate must pass the final exam with a score of 80 percent or higher for each section, and commit in writing to abide by the association’s strict Code of Ethics.

AFIP’s Executive Director, David Robertson said, “SunTrust’s decision to certify its dealer-contact cadre is demonstrable proof of its commitment to its dealer-clients and the consumers who utilize its financial services, a point underscored by the field operative’s well above-the-norm performance on the 200-question final exam. Ultimately, however, SunTrust’s customers will be the chief beneficiaries of the certification process. SunTrust has taken a leadership position in raising the bar for technical competence and ethical compliance.”

According to Bill Brakebill, corporate Dealer Financial Services group manager, the decision to undertake the exhaustive certification training was based on Dealer Financial Services’ continued focus on aligning its goals with what is important to our Dealer customers.