RoadLoans.com Selected As Preferred Direct Lender For AutoTrader.com

DALLAS and ATLANTA, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, has named RoadLoans.com as its preferred direct lender. Shoppers who are interested in a direct lending option will now have a seamless way to access financing through RoadLoans.com from the AutoTrader.com site.

RoadLoans.com is a leading online auto lender specializing in new and used auto financing for customers with all types of credit seeking a direct lending experience. RoadLoans.com also offers customers the opportunity to refinance an existing auto loan. Founded in 1997, RoadLoans.com is owned by Santander Consumer USA Inc., a leading automotive finance company in the U.S.

Consumers shopping on AutoTrader.com will see the RoadLoans.com finance option when they indicate they need financing. Once on the RoadLoans.com site, shoppers can complete a secure online loan application and receive a loan decision in seconds. Consumers may customize their loan, select their preference for Annual Percentage Rate ("APR"), loan term (months) and down payment amount.

"RoadLoans has helped hundreds of thousands of people receive auto financing, while AutoTrader.com is a trusted brand by millions of consumers," says Lana Johnson, vice president of originations for Santander Consumer USA. "Their Web presence, coupled with our online financing capabilities, creates the perfect combination to help more customers purchase a car."

"The transition from online car shopping to offline purchasing is not as smooth as it could be, and we're looking for ways to fill this unmet need for consumers," says Matt McKenna, senior vice president of national accounts at AutoTrader.com. "With the RoadLoans.com solution integrated into AutoTrader.com, consumers will be able to access an instant direct-to-consumer financing option to help them move forward in the car buying process."

About RoadLoans.com and Santander Consumer USA Inc.

Santander Consumer USA Inc., owner of the Drive®, Santander Auto Finance® and RoadLoans.com® brands, is a leading company in the automotive finance sector, whose core business is indirect, direct, and third-party originations and servicing of auto loans. The company has a serviced auto loan portfolio of approximately $21 billion and relationships with nearly 14,000 dealers in the U.S. The company began originating loans in 1997 and is headquartered in Dallas. (http://www.santanderconsumerusa.com and http://www.roadloans.com)

Santander Consumer USA is a unit of Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN), a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with a presence in 10 main markets. Santander is the largest bank in the euro zone and is among the top 15 in the world by market capitalization. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.383 trillion in managed funds, more than 102 million customers, 14,760 branches – more than any other international bank – and 193,000 employees at the close of 2011. It is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America. Furthermore, it has significant positions in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, Poland and the U.S. northeast. Santander Consumer Finance operates in the Group's core markets as well as in the Nordic region. In 2011, Grupo Santander registered EUR 7,021 million in recurring net profit.

About AutoTrader.com

Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, created in 1997, is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers and is a leading online resource for auto dealers, individuals and manufacturers to advertise and market their vehicles to in-market shoppers. The company also provides a robust suite of software tools for dealers and manufacturers to help them manage and market their vehicle inventory and display advertising on the Internet. AutoTrader.com continues to grow key business metrics, including revenue, profitability and site traffic. Today, AutoTrader.com attracts millions of unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to review descriptions, photos and videos of vehicles for sale; research and compare vehicles; review pricing and specials; and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips and editorial coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. AutoTrader.com operates one other auto marketing brand, AutoTraderClassics.com. AutoTrader.com also owns used vehicle management software company vAuto, Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com), HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for the automotive retail industry and VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end solution platforms for dealers.  AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

Media Contacts:
Laurie Kight
Santander Consumer USA Inc. 
214-237-3690
[email protected]                                      

SOURCE Santander Consumer USA Inc.