Press Release
LendPro and 1stMILE Partner to Expand Financing Access for Automotive Aftermarket
Redmond, WA and Charlottesville, VA - August 27, 2026 - LendPro, an embedded financing platform for retail, and 1stMILE, a financial experience platform built exclusively for the automotive aftermarket, today announced a partnership to expand consumer financing coverage for automotive service, tire, and repair shops nationwide.
The partnership adds LendPro’s lender network to 1stMILE’s automated credit matching services, giving shops in the 1stMILE Automotive Network more paths to an approval for customers across prime, near-prime, and no-credit profiles — from a single application embedded in checkout.
For a service, tire, or repair shop, financing often decides whether a customer approves a needed repair, replaces a set of tires, or drives away and waits. Shops on the 1stMILE Automotive Network finance $622 million in repair orders annually. Adding LendPro is designed to extend that coverage further.
“Drivers expect flexible payment options when they need repairs or tires, and every approval we can’t get is a repair that doesn’t get performed. LendPro widens the lender coverage behind our automated credit matching without changing anything at the counter with one application, embedded in checkout they already run. That means more approvals, bigger tickets, more safe vehicles on the road, and more customers who come back.”
-Rob Murphy, Vice President of Credit Services at 1stMILE
A customer completes one quick application at checkout. 1stMILE routes it across its lender panel in a structured sequence, so a decline from one lender does not end the process or send the customer back to the start. With this partnership, that sequence extends across LendPro’s certified lender integrations as well.
The path also accounts for approval amount, not just approval status. If a customer is approved but the amount falls short of the estimated repair or purchase, the process continues looking for a combination that covers the job.
Shops keep control over the order in which financing options are presented, so financing can be aligned to a shop’s existing lender relationships, promotions, and customers.
“An approval only matters if it gives the customer enough purchasing power to move forward. LendPro is built to look beyond the first lender decision and help merchants identify the strongest available financing path for each customer. By combining that intelligence with 1stMILE’s automotive network and integrated commerce capabilities, we can help more shops convert necessary repairs and tire purchases into completed transactions – resulting in more safe vehicles on the road.”
-Matthew Dishman, President and CEO of LendPro
The partnership also enables financing to be introduced earlier in the customer journey. Rather than waiting until the final checkout decision, shops can make financing available through their websites, service pages, payment calculators, text messages, QR codes, and in store experiences.
Presenting financing earlier can help customers understand their potential purchasing power before making a final repair or purchase decision. It also gives shops more opportunities to remain engaged with customers who begin an application but do not immediately complete the transaction.
What shops get:
- One application across an expanded lender panel
- Soft pull prequalification
- Prime, near-prime, and no-credit coverage
- Shop-controlled ordering of financing options
- Online, mobile, text, QR code, and in store application channels
- Approval amounts matched against the estimated ticket
- Real-time application and approval notifications
- Continued customer engagement following an application
- Centralized lender and financing performance reporting
1stMILE provides an established foundation for delivering these capabilities throughout the automotive aftermarket. Its financial experience platform connects payments, financing solutions like automated credit matching, the 1stMILE Mastercard, and Buy Now, Pay Later, loyalty, and vehicle protection within a single connected ecosystem. LendPro joins the financing options already on this platform, enabling broader lender coverage and providing merchants with a more complete affordability strategy for their customer base.
The initial rollout focuses on automotive service, tire, and repair shops, where access to financing most directly affects repair authorization, average ticket, and repeat visits.
About LendPro
LendPro is the Financing Intelligence Layer for Modern Retail. Its embedded financing platform connects retailers with more than 25 financing providers through one streamlined application experience.
LendPro supports prime, near prime, lease to own, and no credit needed financing through certified lender integrations, configurable waterfalls, embedded prequalification, and retailer controlled workflows.
LendPro is not a lender and does not provide lender capital. This independence allows retailers to maintain control over lender order, financing strategy, customer engagement, and the overall financing experience.
From initial product or service discovery through application, approval, and transaction completion, LendPro helps merchants increase financing usage, recover initial declines, improve purchasing power, and convert more customer demand into completed sales.
Learn more at www.mylendpro.com.
About 1stMILE
1stMILE is a financial experience platform built exclusively for the automotive aftermarket. Its embedded ecosystem combines payments, financing solutions like automated credit matching, the 1stMILE Mastercard, Buy Now, Pay Later, loyalty, and vehicle protection into one connected experience across more than 17,000 automotive locations nationwide.
1stMILE gives drivers simpler ways to manage vehicle repairs and helps automotive shops secure the bigger job, earn the next visit, and turn one-time repairs into lifetime customers.
Learn more at 1stmile.com/shop-owners.
Media Contacts:
LendPro
Matthew Dishman
President and CEO LendPro
ceo@mylendpro.com (434) 202-0137
1stMILE
Rob Murphy
Vice President of Credit Services 1stMILE
rob.murphy@1stmile.com
The 1stMILE Mastercard is issued by The Bank of Missouri, pursuant to license by Mastercard International. 1stMILE, LLC is a Registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank N.A., Chicago, IL and Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, RI.
Annual figures based on 1stMILE Automotive Network activity.
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