Detroit’s Ally Introduces Digital Platform that Pre-qualifies Vehicle Shoppers

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Ally Financial Inc., based in Detroit, has announced the development of Clearmatch, a digital service that allows customers to be approved for financing on vehicles in dealer inventories. Clearmatch was developed through Clearlane, Ally’s online auto financing platform.

Clearmatch will allow customers to be pre-qualified for financing online and then browse inventory at dealerships participating in the program. Once customers select one or more vehicles, they can be digitally approved for financing. The pre-qualification process will not impact customers’ credit scores, Ally officials say.

“Clearmatch will transform the car-buying experience, improving the process for both consumers and dealers. For consumers, it’s all about speeding up the process,” says Jeff Danford, senior vice president of Clearlane. “We help consumers explore their options, so when they get to the dealership they’re ready to finalize the purchase and financing with the dealer and drive home in their vehicle.”

After completing the online process, customers can take approval certificates to participating dealerships, where they can finalize the purchase and financing.

Ally launched Clearlane in April 2017. Ally Financial Inc. is a digital financial services company with assets of $167.1 billion as of December 31, 2017.

The public company, which operated as GMAC Inc. (General Motors Acceptance Corp.) until 2010, is the largest car finance company by volume. It works with some 18,500 dealerships and 4.3 million consumers. The headquarters are at One Detroit Center.