We anticipate warehouse lines to specialty finance companies will come with tighter covenants.
We anticipate warehouse lines to specialty finance companies will come with tighter covenants.
Institutions that lean into stronger oversight will be able to attract more stable financing.
Robust monitoring and control validation are not optional but essential in asset-based lending
Tricolor Holdings’ Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in September 2025 has shone a light on the importance of investment oversight for the auto specialty finance sector.
Numerous banks were “bracing for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in combined losses from loans tied to subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings,” Bloomberg reported on Sept. 10. “The lenders are looking into whether collateral for warehouse lines was double-pledged,” the article said.
The company’s collapse is a stark lesson that robust monitoring and control validation are not optional but essential in asset-based lending. For specialty finance lenders, the case underscores several takeaways to apply when structuring and managing similar deals.
Here are some foundational ways lenders can strengthen their systems and future lending arrangements:
The subprime auto finance industry and other specialty lending sectors will undoubtedly incorporate the lessons of Tricolor. Institutions that lean into stronger oversight will position themselves to attract more stable financing and achieve lower costs of capital, because they’ll be deemed safer counterparts. Conversely, those that resist may find capital more expensive or scarce. In a post-Tricolor world, opacity is a risk few will be willing to take.
A third-party advisor can help lenders and issuers navigate what we expect to be an era of heightened scrutiny, whether that involves conducting routine field exams, setting up comprehensive ongoing monitoring programs or enabling other safeguards.
To prevent future failures, lenders must embed proactive oversight into every lending arrangement.
RSM offers three key solutions to put proper controls in place:
It’s important to remember that oversight is not only about catching bad actors but also about early detection of problems, including credit deterioration. Even absent fraud, robust monitoring helps manage credit risk. (Identifying that a portfolio is weakening, for instance, enables lenders to adjust advance rates or covenants in time).
The Tricolor case underscores that rigorous lender due diligence and continuous monitoring are indispensable throughout the life of a deal. By implementing proper controls, engaging a third-party advisor and leveraging technology for ongoing oversight, lenders can shift from being reactive to being proactive and significantly mitigate a variety of risks.