Why Real-Time Vehicle Event Data is Crucial for Smarter Recoveries

Data is power, especially in the recovery process where timely decisions can make all the difference. For lenders and forwarders, having accurate, actionable data on hand is essential in determining not just when, but whether a vehicle should be recovered.

However, critical vehicle event data is often scattered across multiple platforms, leading to inefficiencies and delays in timely decisions. That is why it’s essential for lenders and forwarders to choose technology partners like Loanbridge and MBSi, who are integrated to help users streamline workflows and improve overall efficiencies and success. 

MBSi's VP of Partnerships and Sales Liz Schuerman recently chatted with Loanbridge’s COO Nat Parker to learn more about Loanbridge, why it’s essential to have the right technology partners in place and working together to fuel a cohesive recovery strategy, and what’s to come in the MBSi-Loanbridge partnership. 

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Liz: So, tell me, how did Loanbridge start? 

Nat: Our founder, Alex Wilhelm, got the idea for Loanbridge after helping a family friend, Tommy, a repossession agent struggling during COVID. While shadowing him, Alex saw how time-consuming it was for Tommy to manually search individual VINs, so he wrote a Python script that instantly found 13 vehicles. That experience revealed how fragmented recovery data was and inspired Alex to build a solution that could aggregate and normalize it, creating real efficiency and opportunity for the industry.

Liz: That’s awesome! We’ve found the same thing at MBSi. Many lenders and forwarders use separate tools for things like lien verification, vehicle events and skip tracing, which leaves them juggling between disconnected data.  That’s why we are so excited about this collaborative tech approach.  Now they can keep all their VINs in one place and easily connect to multiple data sources, like Loanbridge and other partners, for a clear, streamlined view of their portfolio.

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Liz: Fast forward to last year, that’s when the Loanbridge-MBSi story began.

Nat: That's right. My first week at Loanbridge was during Used Car Week in 2024. Alex had hired me three days beforehand and said, “Hey, I need you to come to the biggest show in our industry.” That is where he introduced me to you.

Liz: Yes! I met Alex at the Auto Finance Summit about a month before he brought you on.  There was an instant synergy and excitement about how complimentary Loanbridge and MBSi could be if we partnered. We had been exploring strategic partnerships that connect our users with valuable data sources. By bringing more actionable data into our platform, we can make the experience even smoother and more powerful for lenders, forwarders, and agents.

Nat: Exactly. While data is king and leads to faster, more efficient recoveries, data without a workflow to follow is just not as valuable.

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Liz: Have you had any ‘aha’ moments when it comes to users using real-time vehicle event data? 

Nat: Yes — The difference between time of recovery and actionable opportunity between, say, police impounds and private property impounds is a time-driven process. We've found that there are different sorts of flows that we can enable based on whether it's a police impound, a private property impound, a sales listing, or the like.

Liz: When you're talking about creating these actionable insights, meaning Loanbridge flagged this as a vehicle for impound, the time that it's going to take to go get that vehicle matters. For instance, if I don't see or look at that flag until tomorrow, that could be the difference of me getting the car or paying additional fees.

Nat: That's right. We've been processing an average of 6 million+ VINs in our inventory, and typically see savings up to $1,200 per vehicle based on time sequencing and avoiding impound and daily storage fees. So, it really matters. Ultimately, time is money.

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Liz: What types of vehicle event data are now available through this integration? Any new data sets coming soon? 

Nat: Currently with the MBSi-Loanbridge integration, users can access valuable vehicle event data, such as salvage, impounds, accidents, sales, thefts, auctions, and recalls. 

We're currently testing and offering collision data from nationwide body shops as well. That includes insurance claims filed, work orders processed, parts ordered, and other unique data elements that can provide a more holistic picture for lenders, insurers, assignment companies, and forwarders.

Liz: I would imagine it becomes a one-stop shop, right? So, in current state, without a Loanbridge provider, I'm logging in and manually searching many databases versus coming to one place to check my VIN and see where it might come up.

Nat: Yes! Rather than contracting with multiple partners, we're able to be a one-stop shop, both with respect to a usable user interface or our website, our portal, it's very clean and easy to use, has web and email-based alerts. We also offer a fully versioned API, a RESTful API, that can be integrated into platforms like RecoveryConnect.

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Liz: How do we streamline this massive data source and meet users where they are with actionable insights? 

Nat: Having Loanbridge’s API access in RecoveryConnect is key. Many users value our impound and tow alert data because it includes both the towed-from and towed-to addresses — key details that help with efficient agent dispatching and ongoing skip tracing.

Something we also do is we reverse geocode any of the addresses passed through by the data originator. So, we'll get 123 Main Street returned on a result. We groom that data, verify it with a Google Places API and come back with an actual fully vetted address and phone number to contact the actual towed-to originator or address. 

Liz: What makes this data set stand out is the monitoring aspect. A lot of the data sources in RecoveryConnect today, we can check at whatever frequency a client might like. Loanbridge allows you to continuously monitor your portfolio for events and notifies you when something changes. It gives you that real-time, actionable insight rather than just waiting for the next scheduled update.

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Liz: How do you see the role of data evolving in the automotive recovery industry over the next few years?

Nat: Data is at the core of what we do. Tracking tools like GPS or LoJack can be tampered with, but data can’t be fooled the same way. That’s why tracking at the data level offers a more reliable, scalable way to stay ahead and uncover real insights.

The other thing I would say is that AI and its ability to engage in pattern matching and machine learning across large data sets is even more important to driving the type of workflows that MBSi owns. That's been a big part of our investment—engaging with AI to validate data and optimize those workflows.

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Liz: We pride ourselves on leading with strong technology and great partners like Loanbridge. Our platform is modern, scalable, and built for the future. What advice would you give customers who are beginning their own journey toward modernization and data-driven efficiency?

Nat: Before talking to technology partners, first, map and understand your current process, the pain points, and the necessary approvals so vendors can keep that top of mind as we recommend a path forward for a solution.

Second is try before you buy. Loanbridge typically offers free trials for its customers directly. That's largely because using the platform pretty much sells itself.

The last advice is that the old way of doing things may be safe, but lenders who aren't leaning into modern tech stacks or modern opportunities like AI are at risk and will fall behind. Use a partner like MBSi that knows the space, that is connected to an incredible ecosystem of players, and use a domain expert like Loanbridge, who can drive those innovations quickly, and you'll see real ROI. Don't be afraid to try.

Liz: Good advice. I think that, especially in the service provider network, we're finding margins are razor thin. They're trying to do more with less. So the more you're able to drive those efficiencies with technology and data, the better off you're going to be.

Liz: Where do you see Loanbridge and MBSi from a partnership standpoint, sort of long-term?

Nat: I see a very cool future for us. I think that what we are building and proof-pointing, as it were, together could be scaled up in a very considerable way. Just watching your Head of Product, Heather Ford and Alex in a room together, the possibility to innovate, create new products and processes together was endless.

Liz: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. We're super excited. We're itching to get into what’s next, the cool things we can do together in the future and to see how this unfolds.

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Access Loanbridge’s Real-Time Vehicle Event Data in RecoveryConnect

Lenders and forwarders can now access and actively monitor their portfolios using Loanbridge’s real-time vehicle event data in RecoveryConnect. Receive an automated notification when a vehicle event occurs, enabling you to act quickly and action the case immediately.

Want to learn more about the Loanbridge-RecoveryConnect integration? Contact us at sales@mbsicorp.com or fill out the form here to get started.