'They're my new best friends,' said Adam Lee, the company's president. 'They want to loan money, they have members who buy cars, and I have a bunch of cars I want to sell.' Many banks and finance companies have tightened credit standards or are getting out of the third-party car-loan market because they can't borrow money to lend, or they're reluctant to lend and risk having customers default on their loans. That means consumers are finding it harder to borrow money for cars and trucks, contributing to the downturn in U.S. auto sales, which in October slumped to their lowest level in 17 years. Typically, seven of 10 buyers finance their vehicles through a dealer, working with third-party lenders and the financial arms of automobile manufacturers. Ira Rosenberg, chief executive officer of Prime Motor Group, said he received letters in the past month from two Maine-based lenders, Bangor Savings Bank and Northeast Bank, and from North Carolina-based Wachovia Corp. saying they're getting out of third-party auto lending. Those companies were among the top lenders in Maine, and their departure comes at a time when national lenders, such as GMAC Financial Services, are cutting back on the amount of credit they offer consumers. GMAC Financial, the lending arm of troubled automaker General Motors, announced last month it would only make auto loans to people with credit scores of 700 or above. 'It's a herd mentality,' said Rosenberg, one of Maine's biggest car dealers. Bangor Savings, which was a leading third-party auto lender in Maine, notified dealers in August of plans to exit the business in October. By coincidence, that's when the economic crisis hit. 'We had no crystal ball to show what was going to happen nationally to consumer lending,' said Yellow Light Breen, a senior vice president at the bank. Northeast Bank made the move in September, deciding it was more profitable and less risky to steer money to commercial loans, mortgages and home equity loans, said Jim Delamater, Northeast's president. Northeast continues to make car loans directly through its branches. Not all banks are getting out of the third-party car loan business. One of them, TD Banknorth, said it favors consumers with credit scores above 650 but considers each application on an individual basis. That approach isn't new, said Michael Copley, the bank's senior vice president for retail lending. Dealers recognize the bank's conservative standards and don't forward loan applications from customers with lower scores or unfavorable credit history, he said.