eAsset management is critical to tracking digital loans and providing a digital chain of custody and evidence
Tim Yalich, Head of Automotive Strategy, Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions, has shared his insights on the adoption of digital capabilities in auto lending. There has been considerable uptake in recent years, particularly on the consumer-facing side of digitized processes, Yalich argues, although some retailers continue to be inhibited by concerns over the legality and enforceability of electronically signed documents as secure assets.
That perception extends to questioning how electronically signed documents are stored and managed in a way that ensures they retain the same legal enforceability as paper — via eVaults — and understanding what elements are essential in using eVaults to ensure that level of enforceability. The insights feature in a recently published article, “Why All eVaults are Not Created Equal,” in AutoSuccessOnline.com.
Considering the number of eVault platforms available now, it’s no longer enough to just store everything electronically in an eVault, he contends. Yet it is critical for lenders to incorporate an eAsset management capability to properly store and manage one’s financial assets “in a way that supports originators, warehouse lenders, custodians and investors, along with servicers to close, manage and monetize digital assets.”
“Today’s leading solutions are purpose-built to deliver digital asset certainty, which is the assurance that digital loans are created, stored and assigned in full accordance with all compliance standards for the industry, while maintaining the highest level of legal enforceability throughout a digital loan’s lifecycle,” Yalich writes.
He notes that eAsset management of financial assets requires much more than the “secure storage” elements of an eVault, namely, encryption, tamper evidence, access controls and access logs. eAsset management also includes the ability to assign and transfer control over a financial asset with a tamper-sealed registry of the history of control.
Yalich is bullish on industry efforts that complement lenders’ increasing digitization of back-end functionality with consumer-facing processes, but he says a fully compliant, contactless digital loan experience requires these critical components. “With the adoption of this technology, auto lenders and their dealership partners will ensure they are providing the efficient experience that consumers want today, while also remaining in compliance with new and evolving regulations built for a digital economy,” he adds.
