Robert Riedl
CONSUMER PORTFOLIO SERVICESAbout Robert Riedl
Robert Riedl (62) rejoined Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (CPS) in August 2025 as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, after previously serving CPS from 2003–2015 in senior roles including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Senior Vice President of Risk Management . Prior roles include Principal at Northwest Capital Appreciation (2000–2002), Senior Vice President at SLP Capital (for the year prior to joining NCA), and investment banking positions at ContiFinancial Services, Jefferies & Company, and PaineWebber (1986–1999) . Between 2021 and July 2025, he was Chief Investment Officer at Lobel Financial; since 2017 he has been a partner at Greendoor Partners, a boutique investment and advisory firm . CPS’s disclosures do not provide Riedl’s education or individual TSR/revenue/EBITDA performance attribution; the 2025 proxy focuses on 2024 compensation and governance structure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) | COO, CIO, CFO, SVP Risk Management | 2003–2015 | Senior leadership across operations, investments, finance, and credit risk for subprime auto finance platform |
| Northwest Capital Appreciation | Principal | 2000–2002 | Private equity investing/portfolio oversight |
| SLP Capital (NCA portfolio company) | Senior Vice President | ~1999–2000 | Operating leadership within PE portfolio context |
| ContiFinancial, Jefferies & Co., PaineWebber | Investment banker | 1986–1999 | Capital markets and structured finance experience relevant to auto ABS and funding |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lobel Financial Corporation | Chief Investment Officer | 2021–Jul 2025 | Led investment strategy at a family-owned auto finance company |
| Greendoor Partners | Partner | 2017–present | Boutique investment/advisory; ongoing external network and perspective |
Fixed Compensation
- Riedl’s CPS compensation for 2025 is not disclosed in the 2025 proxy (which reports 2024 compensation for named executive officers only); he is not listed as a named executive officer for 2024 .
- Context (EVP/President 2024 base salaries): President $470,000; CFO $386,000; EVP (Risk, Systems & IT) $374,000 .
| Context – 2024 Base Salaries (named executive officers) | 2024 |
|---|---|
| President (Michael T. Lavin) | $470,000 |
| CFO (Danny Bharwani) | $386,000 |
| EVP – Risk, Systems & IT (Christopher Terry) | $374,000 |
Note: Figures above illustrate CPS EVP/President pay levels; Riedl’s specific salary for 2025 was not disclosed in the proxy .
Performance Compensation
CPS uses an Executive Management Bonus (EMB) Plan. For 2024, the CEO’s plan was objective-heavy with a 650% of salary maximum, while the President and EVPs had capped percentages of 160% and 140% of base salary, respectively .
| Metric framework (EVP/President) | Weighting / Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skills and performance (EVPs) | 35% | Part of subjective/functional assessment |
| One individual objective (EVPs) | 14% | Tailored to executive |
| Department evaluation (EVPs) | 42% | Departmental performance |
| Company performance (EVPs) | 28% | Corporate outcomes |
| CEO discretionary allocation (EVPs) | 21% | With Compensation Committee approval |
| EVP maximum | 140% of base | Plan cap |
| President weights | 40%, 16%, 48%, 32%, 24% | Same five categories; 160% cap |
Illustrative 2024 EMB outcomes (context for plan calibration): President $444k (94.4% of base), CFO $445k (115.27%), EVP Sales $429k (111.07%), EVP Risk/IT $319k (85.4%) .
- Long-term incentives: No officer stock option grants were made in 2024; historically CPS relies on stock options (no RSUs/PSUs for officers as of 12/31/2024) .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Ownership guidelines: CPS elected not to adopt minimum stock ownership goals for senior management; multiyear vesting is seen as alignment mechanism .
- Hedging/pledging: Hedging and short sales are prohibited; pledging of CPS stock by executives is permitted. The policy explicitly allows pledging, and CEO Bradley has pledged 1,685,878 shares; an additional 1,818 shares are pledged by another executive officer (unnamed) .
- Beneficial ownership (record date Oct 23, 2025): Combined directors and executive officers own 16,457,667 shares (63.7%) of shares outstanding (22,071,046). Individual lines in the proxy list certain directors and named executive officers; Riedl is not individually listed (not a 2024 NEO) .
- Option overhang and plan capacity: As of the 2025 proxy record date, 6,227,631 shares were subject to outstanding options (~28.2% of outstanding). The requested 2025 Equity Plan share limit would bring post-expiration “overhang” to 25.9% (reflecting the 2006 plan’s termination in 2026 and the new plan authorization). Burn rate: 0.0% in 2023 and 2024; 8.5% in 2022; 3-year average 2.8% .
- Outstanding equity award structure (as of 12/31/2024): Named executive officers held options only; example vesting schedules included 2022 grants that become exercisable on fixed future dates (e.g., 8/3/2025, and 50%/50% on 1/24/2025 & 1/24/2026; and 6/24/2025 & 6/24/2026) .
Employment Terms
- Employment status: Executive officers are at-will; CPS discloses no employment contracts for named executive officers and no severance or termination payments other than in connection with change-of-control (CoC) provisions applicable to stock options .
- Change-of-control economics: Options can accelerate/permit exercise upon CoC, with “mandatory” acceleration under specified events (sale of substantially all assets; qualifying mergers; board turnover; >25% voting ownership acquisition) often subject to a Qualifying Termination within 1 year, or if equivalent awards are not provided. “Qualifying Termination” includes termination without cause or for “good reason” (e.g., material diminution or >50-mile relocation). Committee retains discretion for other circumstances. As of 12/31/2024, potential option acceleration value for each NEO was quantified using $10.86/share, but Riedl was not a 2024 NEO and thus not included in that table .
- Clawback and recoupment: The proposed 2025 Equity Plan subjects awards to any CPS clawback/recoupment/ownership policies and to applicable law and listing standards, and permits amendments to impose clawback provisions .
- Pensions/deferred comp: No defined-benefit pension or supplemental deferred compensation plans for officers; executives participate in broad-based 401(k) on general employee terms .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: CPS’s reliance on stock options (no officer RSUs/PSUs as of 12/31/2024) ties long-term upside to share price; however, the board allows pledging and has no ownership guideline—both weaken alignment versus investor-preferred practices .
- Retention and incentive structure: EVP/President cash bonus caps of 140%/160% of base, with meaningful subjective and departmental weightings, can support retention and functional performance focus; absence of 2024 option grants and low 3-year burn rate signal disciplined equity usage ahead of the 2025 plan refresh .
- Change-of-control risk/reward: Option acceleration provisions (with Qualifying Termination mechanics) create standard protection without guaranteed severance; for a newly rejoined CRO like Riedl, upside depends on whether, and on what terms, future equity awards are granted under the 2025 Equity Plan .
- Trading signals to monitor: CPS prohibits hedging but permits pledging; monitor any Form 4 filings post–August 2025 for Riedl to identify initial equity grants, open-market purchases, or subsequent dispositions; the company-wide options overhang (28.2%) and historical option exercise activity among NEOs in 2024 suggest periodic selling pressure around vesting/exercise windows, though Riedl-specific activity was not disclosed in the proxy .
What’s missing and should be tracked
- Riedl’s 2025 (partial-year) base salary, target bonus, and any initial equity awards (grant date, size, strike/vesting) were not disclosed in the 2025 proxy; watch for 8-Ks and the next proxy for full terms .
- Ownership specifics (beneficial shares, pledged shares if any, vested/unvested options) for Riedl were not individually provided; group-level ownership is 63.7% .
Overall, Riedl brings deep CPS-specific and subprime auto finance experience in risk, funding, and operations at a time of credit-cycle sensitivity. The primary levers to monitor for compensation alignment and potential trading signals are any initial option/stock awards under the 2025 Equity Plan, subsequent Form 4 activity, and how his bonus metrics are set within the EMB framework for 2025/2026 .
Citations: Executive bio and roles . EMB plan framework and payouts . 2024 base salaries (context) . Equity usage, overhang, burn rate, 2025 equity plan . Outstanding options and vesting examples . At-will status; CoC acceleration terms and Qualifying Termination . No ownership guidelines; hedging/pledging policy . Group beneficial ownership . Clawback/recoupment provisions .