Independent Dealer Compliance Education
for Used Car Dealerships
BHPH Summit logo

Independent Dealer Compliance Education helps used car and buy here pay here operators protect their stores, customers, and portfolios. This page brings together practical guidance on federal and state dealer regulations, audit preparation, and day to day operational controls. Whether you are formalizing a compliance management system or leveling up, you will find actionable resources that translate complex rules into clear steps. Explore topics like FTC Safeguards Rule, data security, FCRA and ECOA, dealer advertising standards, buyers guide disclosures, collections and repossession requirements, payment processing controls, and vendor oversight. You can also connect this roadmap with our wider training and peer learning resources in the education and events area, plus timely industry articles in the blog. If you need orientation on a specific jurisdiction or topic, start with independent dealer regulatory guidance and used car dealer compliance education, then branch into audit readiness, risk assessments, and operational best practices tailored for your store.

Get Registered Now!
SUMMIT REGISTRATION
Use this page to register members of your dealership ASAP!
ONLY $599 for First Registered Attendee
ONLY $299 For Each Addt'l Dealership Attendee
CAESARS ROOMS DISCOUNTED TO $189 a night
(Plus Resort Fee)
Vendors interested in attending the Summit please click here, submit your information and a member of our staff will contact you.

Compliance is a business advantage when it is built into operations. The right policies and training reduce charge offs, protect margins, and strengthen customer trust. Use this page to align your dealership with federal and state expectations, map responsibilities to roles, and set up monitoring that actually helps your team. For topic deep dives, see independent dealer regulatory guidance, used car dealer regulatory compliance training, and used car dealer audit preparedness education, plus additional resources across our dealer education hub.

2023 Conference Photo
2023 Conference Photo
2023 Conference Photo
2023 Conference Photo
Sales Techniques
Advanced Marketing Strategies
Underwriting Best Practices
Collections Management
Smart Inventory Control
Service & Reconditioning
Human Resources
AI Dealership Integration
... and much, much more!

What is Independent Dealer Compliance Education

Independent Dealer Compliance Education is a focused set of training, templates, and real world best practices designed for independent used car retailers and buy here pay here operators. It connects the dots between federal rules, state specific requirements, and daily workflows like sales, underwriting, deal jackets, collections, repossessions, and data security. The goal is simple: build a compliance management system that fits your store, is easy to train, and improves portfolio performance.

Why Compliance Drives Performance

Strong compliance is not just about avoiding penalties. It reduces re contracts and chargebacks, prevents unfair or deceptive practices, streamlines audits, and improves customer communication. Teams work faster when policies are clear and systems are documented. Dealers that master compliance also market with confidence, retain more customers, and earn stronger lender and capital relationships.

Core Areas to Master

A right sized compliance program touches every stage of the customer and vehicle lifecycle. Use the topics below to prioritize your roadmap and assign owners for each control.

  • Federal rules: FTC Safeguards Rule and Privacy Rule under GLBA, Red Flags identity theft, OFAC screening, FCRA and permissible purpose, ECOA and Reg B adverse action, UDAP, TCPA and TSR for outbound contacts, and Used Car Rule buyers guide requirements
  • State rules: retail installment sale acts, fee and add on limits, documentary fee disclosures, titling and registration timing, collections notices and fees, repossession notices and cure windows, and storage or personal property rules
  • Deal jacket and underwriting controls: proofing, stips, deal terms validation, verification logs, and exception approvals
  • Collections and repossessions: call recording governance, hardship documentation, extension and deferment policies, SCRA screening, compliant repo vendor management, and reinstatement guidelines
  • Data security: written information security program, risk assessments, encryption, access controls, vendor oversight, and incident response drills

For a foundational overview by store type, explore used car dealer compliance education and independent dealer regulatory guidance. If you operate in buy here pay here, see buy here pay here legal compliance education and buy here pay here federal compliance education for aligned materials.

Build Your Compliance Management System

A compliance management system CMS is the structure that makes policies real. It puts responsibilities on a calendar, defines who monitors what, and documents feedback loops. The following blueprint is dealer proven and scalable.

  • Leadership and accountability: name an executive owner and store level champions; publish a responsibility matrix and backup coverage
  • Written policies and procedures: use short checklists that mirror your DMS and CRM steps; embed screenshots and required fields
  • Training and testing: onboard by role, run short refreshers quarterly, and document completion with quizzes or sign offs
  • Monitoring and QA: sample deals weekly, review call recordings, and audit repo files; track defects and fixes in a simple log
  • Complaint management: centralize intake, categorize root causes, and prove timely responses and make goods
  • Vendor management: risk rank vendors, keep contracts and SOC or security attestations, and review performance and SLAs annually

Use used car dealer operations training and dealer operations management training to connect your CMS to day to day workflow. For practical templates, browse dealer education resources and dealer practical training.

Advertising, Sales, and Deal Jackets

Advertising must be clear, accurate, and consistent with the final deal. Ensure online, lot, and social listings match buyers guide, price, and add ons. In sales, align disclosures and signatures to the DMS and state forms. Organize the deal jacket with a standardized order so audits move fast and defects are easy to spot.

  • Price integrity: list out the full drive off cost and itemize add ons with consent; keep screenshots of advertised prices
  • Buyers guide: complete and match warranty status to contracts; maintain an image of the guide posted on the vehicle
  • Stips and verifications: income, residence, references, insurance, and identity; log any exceptions and authorization to pull credit

Deepen your process with used car dealer operations best practices and dealer sales training education.

Collections, Extensions, and Repossessions

Collections must balance empathy with policy. Document scripts for right party contact, hardship review, and extensions. When repossession is necessary, confirm notices and timing against state law, and control personal property handling and fees. Maintain clear repossession vendor instructions and track performance.

  • Scripting and consent: align TCPA and TSR, honor do not call preferences, and document consent where applicable
  • Extension policy: document reason, new due dates, fees, and who can approve; reflect changes in the DMS
  • Repo file: proof of notices, cure, assignment, condition report, sale type, and deficiency calculation worksheets

For hands on curriculum, see buy here pay here collections training, buy here pay here real world collections training, and buy here pay here collections best practices. For recovery strategy and loss mitigation, explore buy here pay here loss mitigation training and buy here pay here repo process education.

Data Security and the FTC Safeguards Rule

The FTC Safeguards Rule applies to many independent dealers that offer in house financing or arrange credit. Your written information security program should identify a qualified individual, perform a risk assessment, encrypt sensitive data, enforce MFA, train staff, oversee service providers, and test controls. Map each control to your DMS, CRM, and file storage to keep it practical.

  • Risk assessment: list data stores, threats, and mitigations; update after system changes or incidents
  • Access control: role based access, offboarding checklist, and quarterly user reviews
  • Incident response: define severity levels, who to notify, timelines, and evidence collection steps

Use dealer technology training education and used car dealer technology integration training to align policy with tools. For privacy transparency, review your privacy policy and retain change logs.

State Specific Guidance

State rules drive many of your day to day steps, from disclosures and doc fees to repossession and sale procedures. Start with a jurisdiction checklist and update it annually or when regulators publish changes.

Audit Readiness and Evidence

Audits go smoothly when evidence is organized. Keep a binder or digital folder per control with policies, samples, and metrics. Refresh samples quarterly. Run an annual tabletop of your incident response and repo process. Track corrective actions to closure and maintain sign offs.

People, Roles, and Training Cadence

Compliance holds if it lives in job descriptions. Map controls to roles, add cross training, and set a reasonable cadence for refreshers. Tie training to real metrics like payment performance, re contracts, and customer satisfaction.

  • Sales: advertising accuracy, buyers guide, disclosures, stips, and E-sign process
  • Underwriting: credit pull governance, ECOA timing, and adverse action letters
  • Collections: scripts, hardship handling, extension approvals, and repo files
  • IT or vendor lead: access reviews, encryption, backups, and incident drills

For structured development tracks, see dealer professional development training, dealer leadership development training, and used car dealer leadership training.

Metrics that Matter

Pair policy with a small dashboard that teams review weekly. Trend analysis reveals risks early and proves improvements to auditors and partners.

  • Re contracts and we owe aging
  • Extension counts and approval levels
  • Complaint categories and cycle times
  • Repo file completeness and sale recovery rates
  • Access review exceptions and remediation time

Events and Peer Learning

Live workshops and peer sessions accelerate adoption and give your team confidence. Connect your plan with upcoming agendas, speakers, and sponsor supported resources in our education ecosystem.

Helpful Internal Resources

Explore these resources to extend your plan and answer specific questions as they arise. Each link opens an in depth topic page with tools and examples aligned to independent dealer operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start with a one page responsibility matrix, assign owners for sales, underwriting, collections, and data security, and adopt short checklists that mirror your DMS. Then schedule weekly file sampling and a monthly metrics review. Use independent dealer regulatory guidance to prioritize tasks.

Provide role based onboarding, then micro refreshers every quarter, plus targeted refreshers after any audit finding or policy change. For structured curricula, see dealer professional development training and used car dealer training program.

The FTC Safeguards Rule, Privacy Rule, Red Flags, FCRA, ECOA Reg B, OFAC screening, UDAP standards, the Used Car Rule, and TCPA or TSR for outreach are common. See federal compliance training for dealers and used car dealer regulatory compliance training for practical checklists.

Typically policies and procedures, sample deal jackets with buyers guide evidence, credit pull logs and adverse action letters, collections call recordings or notes, repo file documentation, complaint logs, and your written information security program with risk assessments. Use used car dealer audit preparedness education to organize evidence.

Risk rank vendors, keep contracts and security attestations, define breach notice terms, and perform an annual review of access, backups, and uptime. Track findings and remediation. Align with dealer technology training education and dealer risk management training.
LATEST NEWS   |   Read More

BHPH United Summit logo
BHPH United was formed for the sole purpose of providing education and resources to Buy Here Pay Here dealers. BHPH United and its partners are excited and passionate about the Buy Here Pay Here industry and believe the best way to support it is through current, relevant, and comprehensive education.
2026 All Rights Reserved by
BHPH United

Login