New Analysis Finds Modernized Loan Payoff Workflows Can Deliver Over $1 Million in Annual Value for Auto Dealers

Findings show streamlined loan payoff and lien release workflows can reduce operating friction, improve capital efficiency, and accelerate vehicle turn times

DALLAS, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Loan Payoff Clearinghouse™ (NLPC), powered by EPIC™, today released a new financial impact analysis based on average NLPC participant performance and broader industry benchmarks. The analysis found that dealerships leveraging modernized loan payoff and lien release workflows can realize significant annual value through operational efficiencies, reduced friction, and improved capital velocity.

For many dealerships, loan payoff and lien release remain among the most fragmented and time-consuming parts of the vehicle transaction lifecycle. Manual checks, overnight shipping, varied lender processes, and limited visibility into lien and title status can increase operational expense, delay vehicle turns, and tie up working capital.

"The cost of friction in loan payoff and lien release is easy to underestimate until you see how frequently it impacts margin, working capital, and vehicle turn time," said EPIC CEO, Brandon Hall. "The NLPC helps transform those workflows into a more efficient, reliable, and scalable financial process."

The analysis found that dealerships processing approximately 1,000 loan payoffs per month can realize an estimated $1.07 million in annual impact driven by improvements across the loan payoff, funding, and lien release lifecycle.

Key findings include:

• Expedited lien release, improving capital efficiency and vehicle liquidity
• Lower reliance on expensive third-party alternatives
• Elimination of paper checks and costly shipping expenses
• Fewer manual touchpoints and less time-consuming processing
• Reduced exceptions, rework, and operational friction

The findings reflect a broader industry shift toward more connected and infrastructure-driven loan payoff workflows. As trade-ins, refinance activity, vehicle acquisition, and total-loss settlements continue to grow in complexity, dealers, lenders, and insurers are increasingly moving away from fragmented manual processes in favor of modern financial infrastructure designed to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and strengthen title release processes.

"Across our stores, even small delays in the payoff process can tie up millions in working capital," said Scott Crabtree, President of Pohanka Automotive Group. "Before EPIC, we regularly had deals stuck in payoff and lien release workflows for weeks at a time. Since standardizing on EPIC's National Loan Payoff Clearinghouse, we've reduced our payoff-to-release cycle times by more than half, improving inventory flow, floorplan efficiency, and overall operational speed across the group. The bottlenecks we used to experience have largely disappeared. For a high-volume dealer group, time, efficiency, and cost control are critical — and EPIC has delivered meaningful improvements across all three." 

The National Loan Payoff Clearinghouse™, powered by EPIC™, operates as secure and trusted financial infrastructure for loan payoff, lien release, and title transparency. The network enables dealers, lenders, and insurers to exchange and settle vehicle loan payoff transactions through a more efficient, reliable, and transparent framework.

Analysis is based on average NLPC participant performance and industry benchmarks. Actual results may vary.

About the National Loan Payoff Clearinghouse

The National Loan Payoff Clearinghouse™ (NLPC), powered by EPIC™, operates as a secure and trusted financial infrastructure that facilitates the standardized exchange, processing, and settlement of loan payoff and lien release transactions among network participants nationwide. Learn more at www.withepic.com.

EPIC Auto, Inc. is a financial technology company, not a bank. Payment services are provided by partner financial institutions, Members FDIC.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Laurie Halter
Charisma! Communications
503-816-2474 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Epic