The National Automotive Finance (NAF) Association announced that their 6th annual Non-prime Auto Lending Conference, which took place June 17-19, hosted lenders and dealers from across the United States and Canada.

The conference began with a presentation on federal regulation. FDIC's John Lane, associate director of operations, division of supervision, gave the speech "Regulator's Views on Non-Prime Lending."

In addition, Kenneth Shilson of the National Buy Here, Pay Here Association spoke on the "Non-Prime Capital Market Opportunities and Challenges." Ray Nichols of the National Automotive Auction Association gave "Views from the Auction Market," mentioning the evolving relationship among remarketers, lenders and the Internet.

NAF Association's legal affairs subcommittee, chaired by Douglas Koktavy, put together two panel presentations that covered a range of issues of interest to both dealers and lenders. Panel members discussed the impact of selected state and federal decisions on the non-prime automotive industry. Including its chairman, seven mambers of the NAF Association's legal affairs subcommittee participated in the panel presentations.

In "The New Non-Prime Buyer," Joseph Lescota, chairman of automotive marketing for Northwood University, discussed how economic issues have affected both new and used car buyers.

Bradley Schwai, who administered the NAF Association's annual non-prime auto lending survey for the second straight year, reported on data from this and previous surveys. Participants were also asked about the Internet, and it was found that bookings via the Internet had risen.

The conference took place at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers at Cityfront Center. Speaker presentations are available for purchase on audiotape, and some presentations will be posted on the association's Web site. For more information, visit www.nafassociation.