Credit applications and lenders

MotoDealerHQ can host a full credit application on your website. Shoppers apply from a vehicle page or from their online deal; you see a masked copy in the console, send it to one or more lenders, record each decision, and apply an approval to the deal. Sensitive details are encrypted and deleted after a period you choose.

Before you start #

• Credit applications need a plan with the finance feature (Pro and Enterprise). On Starter, the website keeps a simple financing interest form.
• Your MotoDealerHQ operator must have set up the separate encryption key for credit applications on the server. Until then the application stays unavailable.
• The application is off by default.

Turn on the credit application #

1. Open Finance › Finance settings.
2. Read the Disclosure text and the Adverse action notice template, and have your counsel review them. Select Save disclosures.
3. Set Delete sensitive details after (days of no activity) (90 by default, 7 to 730) and your Privacy notice (page or https:// address).
4. Tick Offer the secure credit application at /credit-application and select Save settings.

The application is then linked from Get pre-qualified on your vehicle pages and from online deals when the customer picks financing through the dealership. It has six steps (applicant, residence, employment and income, optional co-applicant, vehicle and amount, review and sign). Each signer types their name to accept the disclosures, and the exact text they saw is stored.

How sensitive data is protected #

• The SSN, date of birth, address history, housing payment, employer details and income are encrypted with a key that is separate from the rest of the system. Only the last four digits of the SSN are kept readable, for display and search.
• These details never appear in leads, notes, notifications, emails, exports, logs or the API.
• The application page has no analytics, cookie banner or chat, is never indexed by search engines and only works over HTTPS.
• Demo dealerships show "Demo dealership — do not enter real information" and discard the sensitive details.

Review an application #

1. Open Finance › Credit applications. Filter by Status, From / To dates and Salesperson.
2. Select an application.

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1. Filters.
2. SSN: only the last four digits, or "not stored".
3. Lenders the application was sent to.

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1. Applicant: masked details and the request (vehicle, amount, down payment). Date of birth, incomes and housing payment are hidden.
2. Disclosures signed: what each signer accepted, and when.
3. Lender submissions: where it was sent and what each lender decided.
4. Adverse action notice: appears when a decline needs a notice.

Reveal the full details #

People with the reveal permission see a Reveal full details box. Enter Your password and select Reveal. The full values appear once, on that page only. Every reveal and every refused attempt is recorded in the audit log, without the values.

Send it to lenders #

1. Add your lenders first (see below).
2. On the application, under Send to lenders, tick one or more lenders and select Create submissions. Each lender may pull the applicant's credit; the applicant authorized this when signing.
3. For a manual lender, open its Lender portal ↗, enter the application there, then record the outcome: Mark as (submitted, received, approved, conditionally approved, countered, declined, withdrawn, funded), Lender reference, Approved amount ($), APR (%), Term (months), Monthly payment ($), Stipulations, or the decline reasons, Decision expires and a Note for the timeline. Select Save.
4. For an API lender, select Send to the lender. Decisions come back by callback, or select Check status.
5. When a lender approves, choose the deal under Apply to deal and select Apply approval. The deal switches to dealer financing with that lender and amount; on a desked deal, use Use these terms on the worksheet (see deals and desking).

The application's status follows its submissions: any funded makes it Funded, any approval makes it Approved, and when every lender declined it becomes Declined. The salesperson and finance managers are notified of new applications and decisions; notifications name the application and lender only, never amounts or personal details.

Adverse action notices #

When a lender declines and nothing is approved, the application shows that a notice is needed.

1. Select Prepare and record the notice. A draft is built from your template.
2. Edit the Notice text and send it yourself (mail, email or in person), or note that the lender sent it.
3. Fill in Sent how and Sent on, and select Record notice sent.

MotoDealerHQ does not send the notice for you. Make sure every declined applicant gets one in time (usually within 30 days).

Add a lender #

1. Open Finance › Lenders and select + New lender.
2. Enter the Name, Type (bank, credit union, captive or powersports specialist), contact details, Dealer portal address and Notes (programs and buy rates; never applicant details).
3. Under How you submit, choose manual or API. For API, enter the lender's API endpoint (https only) and the Signing secret you agreed with them (at least 32 characters). The secret is stored encrypted and never shown again.
4. Leave Active ticked and select Save lender.

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1. Connection: manual (lender portal) or API.
2. Type of lender.

Retention and deletion #

Sensitive details are deleted automatically after your retention period with no activity, counted from the last status change or decision. You can also select Delete sensitive details now on an application. The application record, decisions, signed disclosures and notices stay.

Permissions #

Limitations #