Ford Motor Credit Company

Established in 1959, Ford Motor Credit Company is a major part of Ford Motor Company's business. This wholly owned subsidiary offers automotive financial services to dealerships and customers around the world. Ford Credit's sole focus is to support the sale of Ford Motor Company vehicles. Its profits and dividends help support business needs and vehicle development at Ford.

In North America, Ford Credit does business in every state in the United States and all provinces in Canada. Outside the United States, FCE Bank is Ford Credit's largest operation. The biggest share of FCE's business is in the UK and Germany, with smaller operations in most other European countries. Ford Credit also operates in select markets in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America.

Ford Credit offers a wide variety of automotive financing, insurance and related products. Most financing falls into three categories:

• Retail – purchasing customer sale and lease contracts from dealers and offering financing to commercial customers to lease or purchase vehicle fleets
• Wholesale financing – making loans to dealers to purchase vehicle inventory
• Other financing – making loans to dealers for working capital and improvements to dealership facilities, and to purchase or finance dealership real estate

Ford Credit works on issues of interest to its stakeholders, including the following.

• Credit Availability: Ford Credit provides financing for qualified dealers and consumers, utilizing financing and servicing practices that ensure credit is available and affordable for a broad spectrum of customers. Despite the recession and credit crisis, Ford Credit has continued its consistent lending practices and supported the sale of Ford vehicles.
• Credit Approvals: Ford Credit has used consistent and prudent credit standards and practices for many years to support Ford Motor Company dealers and customers. Because the company uses proprietary credit originations and collections systems, it can finance and collect from a broader range of customers than if it used credit scores alone.
• Consumer Education: Ford Credit is a longstanding supporter of and participant in financial education through organizations such as AWARE (Americans Well-Informed on Automobile Retailing Economics) and Junior Achievement, as well as in community and educational forums across the United States. Ford Credit's Web site, www.fordcredit.com, includes information in English and Spanish to help consumers make informed decisions about vehicle financing.
• Customer Privacy: Safeguarding customer information is important to Ford Credit, which uses systems, policies and procedures to maintain the accuracy of customer information and to protect it from loss, misuse or alteration. Customer information is accessible to appropriate personnel who have a business need for the information. Ford Credit provides training and communications programs to educate personnel about privacy requirements. Beyond protecting customer privacy, Ford Credit continuously utilizes and works to develop robust processes to produce a superior service experience that ensures customers are always treated fairly and respectfully.
• Identity Theft: Ford Credit is a founding member of the Identity Theft Assistance Center, a nonprofit industry association in which member institutions collaborate to protect their customers from fraud and help them recover if they are victims of ID theft.
• Technology and Process Improvements: Ford Credit continuously improves processes and utilizes technologies that drive efficiency and sustainability. These include improved and online customer services that facilitate paperless invoices; electronic payments and online credit applications; expanded utilization of electronic contract signing; electronic document storage; and improved software tools and telephony technologies to enhance responsiveness and increase satisfaction for dealers and customers.