The Hankey Group

Name

The Hankey Group

Legal name

The Hankey Group

Website

https://hankeygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversified Financial Services

NAICS

Other Motor Vehicle Dealers (4412), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Asset-Backed Securities (6189), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Fleet & Commercial Vehicle Finance (FSAKADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Garage Liability & Dealers (Auto Dealers, Repair Shops) (FSAJABAF), Commercial Auto for Specialty Vehicles (Tow Trucks, Limousines, Dump Trucks, etc.) (FSAJABAG)

Keywords

• Automotive finance services
• Indirect auto lending
• Fleet financing
• Bridge lending
• Dealer management systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Auto Retail Finance (Westlake Financial): Acquisition and servicing of prime to sub-prime automotive retail installment contracts originated indirectly through a 30,000+ U.S. dealer network. Westlake reached $21.9B in assets. Asset-backed securitizations (WLAKE) are a recurring funding mechanism, e.g., 2026-1 WLAKE $1.95B issued.
2. Real Estate Investment (Hankey Investment Company): Private opportunistic real estate investment firm managing $2.5B in assets, including 492,981 sq ft of commercial property and 12 million sq ft of urban development land in Southern California valued at $1.91B.
3. Bridge Lending (Hankey Capital): Private direct lender originating bridge financing in the $5M to $300M+ range secured by California real estate, plus structured finance solutions including Debtor-in-Possession financing. Over $1.6B in notes on balance sheet.
4. Fleet Finance (HFC Acceptance): Fleet finance provider for franchise and independent car rental companies; $2.4B in assets. Funded customers without interruption since 1980.
5. Auto Dealership Sales & Service (North Hollywood Toyota): Sales of new and certified used Toyota vehicles plus Service, Parts, and Body Shop. Tracking over $280M in annual revenue.
6. Auto Rental & Leasing (Midway Auto Group): Largest privately owned high-line rent-a-car company in Los Angeles, $67.3M in assets, 4,246 vehicles, concierge services. Includes Midway Car Rental, Midway Leasing, Midway Group, and CULA (Credit Union Leasing of America).
7. Insurance Underwriting (Knight Insurance Group): Capital support and underwriting capability for niche property & casualty programs; $3B in assets. Operates admitted carrier (KnightBrook, A- KBRA / A- AM Best), E&S carrier (Knight Specialty), reinsurance (Knight Insurance Company Ltd., est. 1985 Cayman), premium finance (Shield Funding), and rent-a-captive SPC.
8. Technology Solutions (Nowcom): Technology products and services for automotive dealers and financial services (DealerCenter, Carzing); also provides internal IT support to all Hankey Group companies.
9. Asset-Backed Securitization (Westlake): Recurring AAA-rated (S&P) bond issuance program (WLAKE) used to fund Westlake's loan portfolio; multiple series per year across 2014-2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Core offering

The Hankey Group is a privately held diversified holding company that operates eight wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning automotive retail finance (Westlake Financial), real estate investment (Hankey Investment Company), technology for automotive dealers (Nowcom / DealerCenter), auto rental and leasing (Midway Auto Group), property and casualty insurance underwriting (Knight Insurance Group), Toyota dealership operations (North Hollywood Toyota), fleet finance (HFC Acceptance), and bridge lending secured by California real estate (Hankey Capital). Core revenue is generated through acquisition and servicing of prime to sub-prime automotive retail installment contracts originated indirectly through a 30,000+ U.S. dealer network, supplemented by commercial real estate lending, insurance program underwriting, technology subscriptions, car rental and leasing, and new/used vehicle sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Westlake Financial Services: Technology-driven, privately held finance company specializing in acquisition and servicing of prime to sub-prime automotive retail installment contracts
• Hankey Investment Company
• Nowcom
• Midway Auto Group
• Knight Insurance Group
• North Hollywood Toyota
• HFC Acceptance
• Hankey Capital
• DealerCenter
• Carzing

Products and services

• Westlake Financial Services Auto Retail Finance Technology-driven, privately held finance company that acquires and services prime to sub-prime automotive retail installment contracts originated indirectly through a network of 30,000+ U.S. dealers; reaches $21.9B in assets with a recurring AAA-rated (S&P) asset-backed securitization program (WLAKE) and over $1B in annual bond issuances since 2017.
• Hankey Investment Company Real Estate Investment Private, opportunistic, and active real estate investment firm managing $2.5B in assets, including 492,981 sq ft of commercial property and 12 million sq ft of urban development land in Southern California valued at $1.91B; serves institutional and high net worth partners seeking Southern California real estate exposure.
• Nowcom Technology Solutions (DealerCenter and Carzing) Technology company developing solutions for automotive dealers and financial services verticals; flagship product DealerCenter is a multi-lender and Dealer Management System (DMS) platform for used car dealerships featuring Westlake Financial as a preferred lender; Carzing is a consumer-facing auto technology product; Nowcom also provides internal IT support for all Hankey Group companies.
• Midway Auto Group Car Rental and Leasing Largest privately owned high-line rent-a-car company in Los Angeles with $67.3M in assets and a fleet of 4,246 vehicles; operates Midway Car Rental, Midway Leasing, Midway Group, and CULA (Credit Union Leasing of America) with concierge services for premium and executive clients.
• Knight Insurance Group Property and Casualty Underwriting Provider of capital support and underwriting capability for niche property and casualty programs with $3B in assets; operates admitted carrier KnightBrook (A- KBRA / A- AM Best), E&S carrier Knight Specialty, Cayman reinsurer Knight Insurance Company Ltd., premium finance arm Shield Funding, and a rent-a-captive SPC.
• North Hollywood Toyota Dealership Sales of new and certified used Toyota vehicles plus Service, Parts, and Body Shop operations in the San Fernando Valley; tracking over $280M in annual revenue.
• HFC Acceptance Fleet Finance Fleet finance provider for franchise and independent car rental companies with $2.4B in assets; has funded customers without interruption since 1980 across commercial vehicle fleet programs.
• Hankey Capital Bridge Lending

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lendbuzz: Tech-enabled auto finance company using alternative data for credit decisions, focused on underserved borrowers. Comparable to Westlake in non-prime auto lending focus, but differentiated by fintech/AI underwriting approach and smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Capital One Auto Finance: Auto lending division of Capital One, originating prime and near-prime auto loans through dealer and direct channels. Comparable to Westlake in scale of U.S. auto loan originations and dealer relationships, though within a larger consumer banking franchise.
• Ally Financial: One of the largest U.S. auto finance companies, offering prime auto lending, dealer floorplan, and online deposits. Comparable to Westlake as a major indirect auto lender with securitization funding, though broader and balance-sheet-funded by deposits.
• Markel Group: Diversified specialty insurance and investment holding company with niche program-carrier underwriting similar to Knight Insurance Group. Comparable to Hankey in combining specialty insurance with broader financial and operating businesses.
• Berkshire Hathaway: Diversified holding company with insurance, finance, and operating businesses. Comparable to The Hankey Group in multi-subsidiary structure, long-term ownership culture, and emphasis on returns on equity over scale.
• Ford Motor Credit Company: Captive auto finance arm of Ford, originating retail and dealer floorplan financing with an established ABS funding program. Comparable to Westlake in indirect auto lending and securitization funding, with OEM franchise affiliation.

Direct peers

• Credit Acceptance Corporation: Public sub-prime auto finance company that acquires and services retail installment contracts originated through U.S. dealers. Closest direct comparable to Westlake Financial in underwriting profile, dealer-based origination model, and securitization-funded balance sheet.
• Santander Consumer USA: Major sub-prime and prime auto lender in the U.S. with deep dealer relationships and an active securitization program. Highly comparable to Westlake in customer credit profile and indirect lending distribution.
• Exeter Finance: Private sub-prime auto lender that originates through U.S. dealers and funds via securitization. Closely mirrors Westlake's prime-to-sub-prime underwriting and dealer-channel model, with similar WLAKE-style ABS program.

Others

• GM Financial: Captive auto finance arm of General Motors, originating prime through subprime retail installment contracts and leasing. Comparable to Westlake in indirect auto lending and ABS-funded growth, with captive OEM backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hankeygroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hankey-group-of-companies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hankey Group