SBS and AiM partner to deliver hybrid auditing for US wholesale auto lenders

SBS, a provider of banking software for wholesale financing and digital audit operations, has announced a new partnership with Alliance Inspection Management (AiM) to deliver a powerful hybrid auditing solution for US wholesale auto lenders. The collaboration enables lenders to combine SBS’s Digital Audit platform with AiM’s nationwide network of physical floorplan auditors, offering a flexible, risk-aware approach to portfolio oversight.

As wholesale lenders face mounting pressure to scale operations, respond quickly to changing dealer behaviours, and reduce audit costs, the SBS-AiM partnership aims to redefine how audits are conducted. By integrating digital self-audits and in-person inspections into a unified workflow, lenders can now tailor their audit strategies with greater control and efficiency.

“Lenders are increasingly adopting hybrid audit models to effectively minimise risk,” said James Powell, Chief SaaS Transformation Officer, Head of Specialised Finance Strategy at SBS.

“By combining our technology with AiM’s team of physical auditors, we’re enabling lenders to enhance risk management and set the stage for digital transformation, on their own timeline.”

Through the partnership, lenders using SBS’s Digital Audit solution gain direct access to AiM’s network of 120+ full-time field auditors who conduct over 800 audits each month, inspecting hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Conversely, AiM’s physical audit clients will now be able to leverage SBS’s technology to gradually introduce digital audits, potentially cutting audit costs by up to 50% and reducing audit times by as much as 40%.

“Physical audits have long been the backbone of asset finance,” said Eric Widmer, SVP of Sales and Marketing at AiM. “As the industry deciphers when and how to incorporate digital audits our partnership with SBS delivers a flexible solution that allows them to take advantage of both types of audit activities.”

The SFP Digital Audit, part of the broader SBS Financing Platform, uses secure imaging, live video streaming, and NFC tagging to enable real-time inventory verification, even in offline environments. This allows lenders to increase audit frequency and coverage without the traditional resource strain, while reserving physical audits for higher-risk or high-value scenarios.