SBS and AiM launch hybrid audit solution for auto lenders

By Vriti Gothi

SBS has partnered with Alliance Inspection Management (AiM) to launch a unified hybrid audit solution, combining digital and physical inspections to help wholesale auto lenders strengthen risk management

Through this partnership, lenders can now seamlessly access both the SBS Digital Audit platform and AiM’s network of over 120 full-time field auditors within a single, integrated solution. For over two decades, AiM has provided trusted in-person floorplan audits, evaluating more than $26 billion in inventory portfolios each month. Now, lenders can adopt a flexible hybrid model that brings together secure digital self-audits and physical inspections, enabling them to expand audit coverage, optimise resource deployment, and make faster, more informed decisions.

The SBS Financing Platform’s Digital Audit leverages secure imaging, live video streaming, and NFC technology in connected and offline environments, delivering real-time, verifiable inventory data. By increasing audit frequency through digital channels, lenders can deploy AiM’s physical auditors where they add the greatest value, strengthening asset protection while reducing audit costs by up to 50% and audit time by up to 40%.

Eric Widmer, SVP Sales and Marketing at AiM, said, “Physical audits have long been the backbone of asset finance, with AiM conducting over 800 floorplan audits for hundreds of thousands of vehicles every month. As the industry explores how best to integrate digital audits, our partnership with SBS provides a flexible, future-ready solution that empowers lenders to harness the strengths of both approaches.”

James Powell, Chief SaaS Transformation Officer and Head of Specialised Finance Strategy at SBS, said, “Lenders are increasingly turning to hybrid audit models to protect funded assets and adapt to a more digital future. By uniting SBS’s secure technology with AiM’s extensive network of experienced auditors, we’re giving lenders the confidence and control to modernise risk management and evolve at their own pace.”

The hybrid audit solution is a key part of the SBS Financing Platform, which also provides wholesale servicing and portfolio management tools trusted by lenders nationwide. Together, SBS and AiM remain committed to driving innovation that meets the evolving needs of wholesale lenders and supports the industry’s shift toward scalable, digital-first operations.