Inside the Huntington, Octane OPE deal

Huntington National Bank and powersports lender Octane will launch a one-stop digital finance platform for outdoor power equipment consumers, dealers and OEMs in early 2026.

The deal, announced Nov. 17, will give some Huntington dealer and OEM partners a digital portal to track customer applications and offer full-spectrum credit prequalification to outdoor power equipment (OPE) customers, according to Octane.

Consumers will access Octane’s prequalification tools on OEM or dealer websites and get approvals for either Huntington’s prime options or nonprime options through Octane’s in-house lender Roadrunner Financial, Jon Vestal, general manager of recreational lending at Octane, told Auto Finance News.

Dealers will see a “full-service lender portal” with Huntington and Octane branding, he said.

The prequalification and digital portals will launch in early 2026, Vestal told AFN. The OPE technology will function similarly to digital tools Octane has offered in the powersports and RV spaces, so no pilot program is required, he said.

“We’re confident in our technology and our ability to lend. We’re very confident in Huntington,” he said.

The deal allows Huntington to utilize its dealer and OEM relationships in the outdoor power equipment industry to provide “seamless lending” to consumers buying mowers, tractors and other outdoor equipment, Rich Porrello, director of consumer finance at Huntington, told AFN.

“Our focus is trying to take friction out for our consumers … We think this platform and partnership helps us do that.” — Rich Porrello, Huntington National Bank

Huntington’s total assets rose 3% YoY to $210 billion in the third quarter, according to its earnings supplement.

After originations jumped 36% YoY in 2024, Octane has surpassed $6.6 billion in aggregate originations.

This story first appeared on Auto Finance News, a publication of Royal Media.

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