Overview
Cox Automotive’s Dealertrack announced a suite of AI tools and APIs, plus automation features, to accelerate auto loan funding and reduce fraud across dealer and lender workflows. The initiative targets bottlenecks in contracting, expands validations at the point of sale, and enables partners to originate and complete contracts on their own platforms with data flowing into Dealertrack systems.
What’s new
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Digital Retailing APIs for Contracting Services: Partners can initiate and complete transactions “anytime, anywhere,” with bidirectional data across ecommerce and in-store systems to minimize rehashing and align deal data earlier between dealers and lenders.
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Expanded stipulation management: Automation to capture, flag, and resolve income and other verification requirements earlier in the process, shifting clearance closer to the point of sale to shorten funding times.
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Real-time point-of-sale validation: Immediate checks on all funding package documents (including vehicle service contracts) and new capabilities to validate data on aftermarket forms so it matches the financing contract.
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Aftermarket standardization: Partnership with F&I Sentinel to surface which forms lenders accept and how they align with compliance requirements, addressing complexity from diverse provider forms.
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AI pre-submission reviews: Automated comparisons of deal data and attached documents against lender policies before submission to reduce returned contracts and funding delays.
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Fraud mitigation: Integration with Point Predictive’s BorrowerCheck for synthetic ID detection and updates to the Compliance Suite, including a 2026 Dealertrack Compliance Guide launching Jan. 27.
Why it matters
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Dealertrack says 86% of auto finance contracts are eligible for digital submission and that the industry is nearing “auto-fundable” contracts with minimal manual intervention.
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Consumer behavior is driving change: 91% of buyers complete some or all purchase steps online, increasing demand for seamless omnichannel closing and funding.
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Complexity in aftermarket products is significant: over 61% of contracts include at least one aftermarket product, with dealerships facing roughly 250,000 distinct forms—an area ripe for standardization.
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Fraud pressures are rising, with industry costs cited at $9 billion in 2025, prompting lenders to seek earlier visibility into contract issues and validation results to reduce manual reviews.
How it helps dealers and lenders
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Moves quality control to the front of the process via AI checks and earlier stipulation clearing, reducing back-and-forth after submission.
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Improves first-pass funding rates by aligning data and compliance at the point of sale.
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Shortens time at the dealership and accelerates funding cycles, supporting higher customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Timeline and availability
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Point-of-sale stipulation clearing is targeted for later in 2026.
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Dealertrack is expanding document validation for aftermarket products and rolling out new APIs that let partners originate contracts within their own platforms.
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No specific industrywide timeline was provided for fully automated funding.
Strategic context
The updates are part of a broader effort to streamline the buyer’s journey from credit application through final signature, emphasizing data accuracy and consistency across online and in-store channels. By tying document checks and policy compliance to the point of sale, Dealertrack aims to reduce cycle times between submission and funding while strengthening fraud defenses.
