I too am in the same situation of having paid off an auto loan back in 1998 with Avco Financial, only to recently find out through the DVM that they still have a lien on the title. Through all of my research, I am still unable to find any way to get a hold of ANYONE with or affiliated with Avco. Can any lend some advice????
I just ran into the same issue. Accounts that were formerly with AVCO Financial or Associates Financial (where my loan was bought by AFTER AVCO) are now managed by Citifinancial Services. Here is some helpful information about where to contact them at http://dmv.ca.gov/about/lob/lob_a.htm. Just in case you have a problem with the URL, their info is Citifinancial Services, 250 Carpenter Freeway Wingreen, Irving, TX 75062 and their phone number is (800) 922-6235. Good luck!