TAMPA, Fla. — Organizers of F&I Think Tank, the F&I manager-geared event preceding Dealer Summit 2016 this May, announced that six of the top dealer compliance experts in the industry will be at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel for the preshow event’s “Busting Compliance Myths” panel session. These individuals will field questions from attendees in a 20 Group-like setting, as well as provide an update on key regulatory battles taking place at the federal and state levels.

The panel, which will take the stage at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, will also take on several long-held beliefs in F&I and offer their take on whether or not they’re legally valid. Examples include the 300% rule (offer 100% of your products to 100% of your customers 100% of the time) and disclosing the base payment on the F&I menu.

“This is going to be a fun session,” said Gregory Arroyo, editorial director of F&I and Showroom and Auto Dealer Today magazines. “Our compliance experts are going to separate fact from fiction when it comes to some of these recommended best practices in the F&I office. They will also take questions from the audience in what promises to be a lively discussion.”

Moderating the panel will be respected compliance and training expert Robert Harkins, who serves as vice president of training for American Guardian Warranty Services Inc. He’s also served as master of ceremonies for a number of industry events, including F&I and Showroom’s annual Industry Summit.

Panelists include David Robertson, executive director of the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals; Michael Tuno, president and founder of World Class Dealer Services Inc.; Jim Ganther, president of Mosaic Compliance Services; Randy Henrick Esq., associate general counsel for Dealertrack, and Karen Klees, certified consumer credit compliance specialist for EFG Companies.

Tuno is a 20-year veteran of the auto industry and has served as an F&I instructor for the National Automobile Dealers Association since 2007, while Klees was one of the first 100 professionals to earn the National Automotive Finance (NAF) Association’s Certified Consumer Credit Compliance Specialist designation. Henrick, a more than 30-year veteran of banking and consumer financial services, is the author of the annual Dealertrack Compliance Guide, while Ganther began his career as a business attorney and litigator in Washington, D.C., and Tampa, Fla., and is currently a member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel.

“We have the who’s who of dealership compliance,” Arroyo added. “I don’t think there’s another event that can make such a claim.”

F&I Think Tank was created in partnership with Ethical F&I Managers, a more than 5,000-member Facebook group founded by F&I and Showroom’s “Mad” Marv Eleazer. The preshow event is included in the price of a full show pass to Dealer Summit 2016. For more information or to register, click here.