Westlake Financial Adds Nova Credit's Income Navigator to Expand Income Verification in Auto Lending
Nova Credit's income verification solution, delivered through Dealertrack, expands Westlake's income verification capabilities within its indirect auto business
LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK, NY — September 3, 2026 — Nova Credit, a leading credit infrastructure and analytics company, today announced that Westlake Financial, the largest privately held auto finance company in the U.S., will leverage Nova Credit's cash flow intelligence platform, starting with the addition of Nova Credit's Income Navigator as an additional income verification resource within its indirect auto lending underwriting process.
Delivered directly through Dealertrack, Income Navigator will complement the providers, data sources, and verifications processes Westlake already uses. The addition will give Westlake another flexible way to verify applicant income during the credit-decision process.
The addition comes as the auto market continues to tighten. New-vehicle sales are on pace to finish 2026 near 15.7 million, down from the first half of last year, according to Cox Automotive Mid-Year Review published in June 2026. This environment has lenders and dealers competing more intensely for qualified buyers while continuing to maintain appropriate credit and risk standards.
For auto lenders, speed and accuracy at the time of decision are critical. Dealers and applicants expect fast answers, but applicants requiring income documentation can take longer to process, introducing potential fraud risk, and affecting lenders' ability to complete a transaction.
Income Navigator is designed to verify consumer income through a configurable combination of bank data, payroll data, and document uploads. Its integration within Dealertrack will allow Westlake to access these capabilities without requiring dealers to move outside their existing workflow.
“Income Navigator is designed with multi-source waterfall verification and irregular income handling, said Chris Hansen, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Nova Credit. “Income Navigator will complement Westlake’s broader verification strategy by providing another way to evaluate consumer-permissioned data, reduce potential fraud, and cut manual review. We’re pleased to support Westlake as it continues expanding the tools available to its underwriting teams.”
"Our edge has always been better data, better technology, and more flexible risk models," said Chris Urban, Executive Vice President, Risk and Underwriting at Westlake Financial. "We grow by approving good borrowers that others miss, and understanding the true risk level across all aspects of an application. Income Navigator gives us another tool to help us verify ability to pay in real time and streamline our verification and funding process - without slowing down the dealer or compromising our standards."
Income Navigator processes millions of applications annually and is used by leading lenders and property managers to support income verification, document fraud indication, and reductions in manual review. Nova Credit operates as a Consumer Reporting Agency with nearly a decade of FCRA-compliance expertise, bringing proven policies, procedures, and adverse action support to every deployment.
Nova Credit expects to discuss Westlake’s planned use of Income Navigator at its Cash Flow Intelligence Summit in New York City on September 10, where leaders from banking, fintech, and auto finance will gather to discuss the future of credit decisioning. About Nova Credit
About Nova Credit Nova Credit is the industry's leading cash flow intelligence platform, enabling businesses to unlock the power of cash flow data in how they operate. The company leverages its industry-leading data infrastructure, intelligence layer, & FCRA-compliance to boost underwriting approvals, fight fraud, drive responsible growth, and more. Nova Credit supports over 7,000 businesses including organizations such as HSBC, SoFi, Appfolio, and Yardi, with a growing suite of products. Learn more at www.novacredit.com. About Westlake
About Westlake Financial Westlake Technology Holdings is an auto and finance technology company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with approximately $24 billion in assets under management. Westlake Financial ("Westlake") originates indirect automotive retail installment contracts through a nationwide network of new and used automotive dealers with a wide variety of asset types. Westlake also offers credit facilities and commercial real estate loans through Westlake Capital Finance (WCF); primary and back up loan portfolio servicing through Westlake Portfolio Management (WPM); floor plan lines of credit through its Westlake Flooring Services division; shared cash flow auto lending through Westlake's wholly-owned subsidiary, Western Funding Inc., a Nevada based auto lender; indirect automotive leasing for credit unions through Westlake's subsidiary, Credit Union Leasing of America (CULA); dealer leads and direct-to-consumer auto loans through Westlake Direct; and consumer installment loans through Westlake's wholly-owned subsidiary LoanCenter. For more information, visit www.westlakefinancial.com.
Media Contacts Nova Credit PR Contact: Katie McNally, marketing@novacredit.com
Westlake PR Contact: David Goff, VP, Marketing, dgoff@westlakefinancial.com