In this episode of the Extra Credit Podcast, we are joined by HUB International Senior Vice President, Lee Palms. Throughout our conversation, Lee uses his more than 30 years of expertise in the risk and insurance industry to explain the evolving pitfalls of the consumer finance industry, specifically within bank partnership agreements. There are critical gaps companies are overlooking that could end as a costly mistake. Lee helps dissect the fine print when it comes to signing indemnification clauses, expanding existing policies, and what that really means for your business.

Discover how a simple overview of contractual language can save your company from financial hardship and legal chaos. Read more about this topic here: https://afsaonline.org/2026/07/24/industry-expertise-the-exposure-gap-your-bank-partnership-agreeme…

Guest: Lee Palms, Senior Vice President, HUB International

In this special episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, Celia Winslow, President and CEO of AFSA sits down with the oldest and youngest generation of the family business at 1st Franklin Financial. While both go by Ben Cheek, one is a recent graduate of Auburn University and the newest generation of Cheek serving as a Project Coordinator in the family business. The other, his grandfather and the Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Ben Cheek III, who has just celebrated a remarkable 65 years of service at the company.

Discover a heartfelt conversation of how 1st Franklin Financial has grown over the decades and explore how the development of new technology, like AI, impacts the installment lending industry. Throughout the conversation, the Cheeks reflect on their generational differences but continuously return to a truth that represents the heart of the company; adapting to technology should never mean losing sight of human connection and customer service.

Guests:

Mr. Ben Cheek III, Chairman Emeritus, 1st Franklin Financial

Ben Cheek, Project Coordinator, 1st Franklin Financial

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we sit down with Eric Ellman, President at the National Consumer Reporting Association. Ellman has been in the consumer credit and reporting space for almost 30 years and walks us through the history of consumer credit and its interesting anecdotes.

Ellman takes us in a time machine back into the late 19th century to discover how merchant-based credit systems evolved into our modern national credit bureau, the role of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the significant challenges consumers have faced over the years.

Guest: Eric Ellman, President, National Consumer Reporting Association

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we welcome Tab Edmondson, Senior Director of Lender Solutions at Epic, a new business partner of AFSA. The discussion centers on modernizing loan payoffs and lien release processes, highlighting the challenges dealerships face with multiple lenders and the inefficiencies in current systems. Tab shares insights from his extensive experience in the automotive industry, emphasizing the importance of streamlining processes to benefit dealerships, lenders, and consumers.

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we sit down with the elected presidents of the AFSA Education Foundation EDGE and Leadership Development Programs. Joining the conversation are Roman Roberts and Jasmine Carter from Republic Finance, along with Bobby McLendon from Security Finance. Together, they discuss the professional and personal impacts of the EDGE program at Mercer University and the Executive Leadership Program at UNC Chapel Hill. The guests also share their early experiences with money and highlight the critical role of the free MoneySkill program in classrooms across the country.

Learn more about the AFSA Education Foundation programs at www.afsaef.org/leadership and MoneySKILL at https://afsaef.org/.

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, AFSA SVP Danielle Arlowe is joined by Jennifer Keys and Matt Isaacson from Covius. The discussion centers on the complexities of vehicle recovery compliance, specifically focusing on proposed legislation in Massachusetts and Colorado and how these bills would impact right-to-cure notices and repossession processes for vehicle finance companies.

Speakers

• Jennifer Keys: Senior Vice President of Compliance, Covius.
• Matt Isaacson: Senior Regulatory Counsel, Covius.

Host

• Danielle Fagre Arlowe, SVP, AFSA

AFSA is tackling AI head on in a few short days at the 2026 Independents Conference & Expo – all of our sessions, committees and networking groups will revolve, even in a tangential way, around AI, how the consumer credit industry can get the most out of this emerging technology and what you need to keep your eye out for.

Back in the fall, AFSA moderated a panel at the Annual Meeting about some of the ways AI is already integrated into lending systems, analyzing unstructured information moving beyond traditional credit metrics, enabling sharper risk assessment and, ultimate a more personalized borrower experience at every stage.

The panel included:

• Elizabeth Blackhall, Senior Compliance Specialist with Husch Blackwell
• Lawrence Buckley, SVP, Business Development, DataOceans
• Tammy Mouta, Product and Growth Lead with Salient AI.

While you pack your saddle bags for Frisco or wait in that boarding line, take a listen and refresh yourself on where we stand in the AI space. Then, when you land, get ready for a deep dive on all things AI.

Listen to the Extra Credit Podcast wherever you get your podcasts or visit afsaonline.org/podcasts.

How much of your personal information is available online—and who can access it?

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we sit down with Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall by Incogni, to discuss the growing risks tied to personal data exposure, cyber threats, and executive security.

Fresh off Ironwall's feature on 60 Minutes, Ron explains how his company helps protect executives, employees, and organizations by removing sensitive personal information from data brokers, search platforms, and even the dark web.

The conversation explores how bad actors use publicly available data to target individuals, why attacks increasingly happen at home rather than at the workplace, and how artificial intelligence is making phishing scams more sophisticated—and more effective.

Ron also shares practical steps individuals can take to better protect themselves and their families, including limiting where personal information is shared, using VPNs, and understanding how everyday transactions may expose sensitive data.

In this episode:

• Why personal data has become a major security vulnerability
• How criminals use publicly available information to target individuals
• The rise of AI-powered phishing scams
• Why executives and employees alike are increasingly at risk
• How location tracking and data brokers collect personal information
• Practical steps consumers can take to protect themselves online

Whether you're focused on cybersecurity, consumer privacy, or protecting your organization from emerging threats, this conversation offers valuable insights into today’s rapidly evolving risk landscape.