Negative Equity Lien Payoff

When selling a financed vehicle on DealNow, sometimes the buyer’s offer does not fully cover your loan payoff. This is called negative equity.

Don’t worry—your deal can still close. It just means you’ll need to cover the difference between your loan payoff and the buyer’s purchase price using the DealNow Pay.


Example From Your Deal Screen

In Section 3 (“Title”) of your ongoing deal, you’ll see details like this:

Screenshot of the DealNow loan payoff section showing a purchase price of $50, a loan payoff of $51, and a negative equity payout of -$1. A notice advises the seller to deposit 1 + 5 days of per diem, totaling $6, to close the deal.
What the seller and buyer see

In this example:

  • Purchase price (buyer’s payment): $50.00
  • Loan payoff: $51.00
  • Difference (negative equity): -$1.00
  • Cushion (5 * Per Diem Cost): -$5.00

This means the seller must cover $1.00 to fully pay off their loan but should deposit $6.00 total to account for the time it takes for money to move and for the deal to fully close.

⚠️ Important: The actual payoff may already include some days of per diem. You’ll need to add 5 days of per diem on top of what’s already showing. Any unused funds after the deal can be transferred back at no cost.


What You Need to Do

  1. Fund your DealNow Pay account (Dpay Wallet).
  1. Deposit the payoff difference plus per diem.
  • The per diem is the daily interest your lender charges until your loan is paid off.
  • Deposit the payoff difference, any already-accrued per diem, and 5 additional days of per diem (recommended).
  • This prevents you from having to make an extra payment later.
  1. Refunds: Any unused funds after the deal can be transferred back at no cost.

How Much to Deposit

We suggest funding your DealNow Pay account with:

  • The payoff difference (loan payoff – buyer’s purchase price)
  • + Any already-accrued per diem
  • + 5 days of per diem (recommended cushion)

Example

  • Difference: $1.00
  • Accrued per diem: None in this example
  • Per diem: $1.00/day × 5 days = $5.00
  • Total recommended deposit: $6.00

Good to Know

  • Your funds are safe. Any extra you deposit will be refunded after the deal is closed.
  • Covering negative equity is required to finalize the deal. Without it, your lender will not release the title.

✅ Once your DealNow Pay account is funded, your deal can move forward smoothly.

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