Irvine, CA, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Origence, a leading provider of lending technology for credit unions, today announced a new auto refinance solution built to help credit unions capture more loan opportunities and grow relationships with their members. The solution launches with 47 credit union clients and operates under FI Connect, Origence’s nationwide licensed finance company, using its new refinance brand Hello Refi.
Hello Refi reaches consumers who are shopping to lower their auto payment and connects those loans to credit unions, adding volume without asking credit unions to build a consumer refinance operation of their own. In today’s economic environment Hello Refi is positioned to help the American consumer find extra dollars to make ends meet.
The solution is designed to be an additive to the refinance partnerships Origence already supports. Origence integrates with a range of refinance providers and brokers whose credit union clients continue to see strong results, and it will keep partnering with and integrating those providers. Many credit unions work with more than one refinance partner to reach different segments and capture more volume. Hello Refi gives credit unions a new option within that mix, not a replacement for it.
“Our job is to help credit unions capture more loans, more efficiently, with a great experience for the member, and to meet consumers in the channels where those loans are happening,” said Tony Boutelle, president and CEO of Origence. “Auto refinance is one of those channels. About 111,000 consumers refinanced their auto loans in the first quarter of this year, nearly double the number two years earlier, and credit unions have grown to the largest share of that market. This solution gives credit unions a stronger, more direct way to compete for those loans.”
Beyond direct-to-consumer marketing, the new division will also work with credit unions to identify refinance opportunities within their existing membership, helping credit unions deepen relationships and capture lending they might otherwise lose to outside lenders. Origence plans to validate and refine that approach through market research as the division scales.
Chris Brown, Origence’s senior vice president of operations and lending support, will lead the new refinance business.
“Too many people assume the loan they started with is the best deal they’ll ever get,” Brown said. “This solution exists to help consumers who are overpaying save real money, guided by a dedicated loan consultant who is on their side, while giving credit unions a direct path to those loans.”
Origence will share more about how credit unions can engage with the solution in the months ahead.
About Origence
Origence is a leading technology provider transforming the lending experience for credit unions and their members. Established in 1994 as a credit union service organization, Origence has helped credit unions originate nearly $600 billion in loans through a network of connected technology solutions, including Origence Lending Services, Origence arc, FI Connect, and Hello Refi. Learn more at www.origence.com and follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
About FI Connect
FI Connect is Origence’s nationwide licensed finance company, focused on capturing loan opportunities for credit unions in direct-to-consumer and embedded finance channels. Learn more at ficonnectlending.com.
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Erika Hill Origence 205-447-0610 erika.hill@origence.com
