UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.

For the transition period from to .

SANTANDER DRIVE AUTO RECEIVABLES TRUST 2015-1

(Exact name of issuing entity as specified in its charter)

Commission file number of the issuing entity: 333-192513-05

Central Index Key Number of issuing entity: 0001632092

SANTANDER DRIVE AUTO RECEIVABLES LLC

(Exact name of depositor as specified in its charter)

Commission file number of depositor: 333-192513

Central Index Key Number of depositor: 0001383094

SANTANDER CONSUMER USA INC.

(Exact name of sponsor as specified in its charter)

Central Index Key Number of sponsor: 0001540151

Delaware

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization of the issuing entity)

38-7133223

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No. of the issuing entity)

c/o Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC

1601 Elm Street, Suite 800

Dallas, Texas 75201

(Address of principal executive offices)

(214) 292-1930

(Telephone number, including area code)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: None

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrants’ knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Not applicable.

List hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the part of the Form 10-K (e.g. Part I, Part II, etc.) into which the document is incorporated: (1) Any annual report to security holders; (2) Any proxy information statement; and (3) Any prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) or (c) under the Securities Act of 1933. The listed documents should be clearly described for identification purposes (e.g., annual report to security holders for fiscal year ended December 24, 1980). None.

PART I

The following items have been omitted in accordance with General Instruction J to Form 10-K:

Item 1:

Business

Item 1A:

Risk Factors

Item 2:

Properties

Item 3:

Legal Proceedings

Item 4:

Mine Safety Disclosures

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Nothing to report.

Substitute information provided in accordance with General Instruction J to Form 10-K:

Item 1112(b) of Regulation AB. Significant Obligors of Pool Assets (Financial Information).

Nothing to report.

Item 1114(b)(2) of Regulation AB. Credit Enhancement and Other Support, Except for Certain Derivatives Instruments (Information Regarding Significant Enhancement Providers).

Nothing to report.

Item 1115(b) of Regulation AB. Certain Derivatives Instruments (Financial Information).

Nothing to report.

Item 1117 of Regulation AB. Legal Proceedings.

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as the indenture trustee, has provided the following information:

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (“DBTCA”) and Deutsche Bank National Trust Company (“DBNTC”) have been sued by investors in civil litigation concerning their role as trustees of certain RMBS trusts.

On June 18, 2014, a group of investors, including funds managed by Blackrock Advisors, LLC, PIMCO-Advisors, L.P., and others, filed an action against DBNTC and DBTCA in New York State Supreme Court alleging that DBNTC and DBTCA failed to perform purported duties, as trustees for 544 private-label RMBS trusts, to enforce breaches of representations and warranties as to mortgage loans held by the trusts and to enforce breaches by servicers of their mortgage loan servicing obligations for the trusts. During the course of the litigation, plaintiffs dismissed the case from New York State Supreme Court and refiled two separate cases, one in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “BlackRock SDNY Case”) and the other in the Superior Court of California, Orange County (the “BlackRock California Case”). Pursuant to a settlement among the parties, the BlackRock SDNY Case was dismissed on December 6, 2018 and the BlackRock California Case was dismissed on January 11, 2019.

On September 27, 2017, DBTCA was added as a defendant to a case brought by certain special purpose entities including Phoenix Light SF Limited in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in which the plaintiffs previously alleged incorrectly that DBNTC served as trustee for all 43 of the trusts at issue. On September 27, 2017, plaintiffs filed a third amended complaint that names DBTCA as a defendant in addition to DBNTC. DBTCA serves as trustee for one of the 43 trusts at issue. DBNTC serves as trustee for the other 42 trusts at issue. Plaintiffs’ third amended complaint brings claims for violation of the U.S. Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (“TIA”); breach of contract; breach of fiduciary duty; negligence and gross negligence; violation of the New York Streit Act; and breach of the covenant of good faith. However, in the third amended complaint, plaintiffs acknowledge that, before DBTCA was added to the case, the court dismissed plaintiffs’ TIA Act claims, negligence and gross negligence claims, Streit Act claims, claims for breach of the covenant of good faith, and certain theories of plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims, and plaintiffs only include these claims to preserve any rights on appeal. Plaintiffs allege damages of “hundreds of millions of dollars.” On November 13, 2017, DBNTC and DBTCA filed an answer to the third amended complaint. On December 7, 2018, DBNTC and DBTCA filed a motion for summary judgment. Also on December 7, 2018, plaintiffs, jointly with Commerzbank AG (see description of Commerzbank case below), filed a motion for partial summary judgment. Both motions are being briefed by the parties. Discovery is ongoing.

On November 30, 2017, DBTCA was added as a defendant to a case brought by Commerzbank AG (“Commerzbank”) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in which Commerzbank previously alleged incorrectly that DBNTC served as trustee for all 50 of the trusts at issue. On November 30, 2017, Commerzbank filed a second amended complaint that names DBTCA as a defendant in addition to DBNTC. DBTCA serves as trustee for 1 of the 50 trusts at issue. DBNTC serves as trustee for the other 49 trusts at issue. Commerzbank’s second amended complaint brings claims for violation of the TIA; breach of contract; breach of fiduciary duty; negligence; violation of the Streit Act; and breach of the covenant of good faith. However, in the second amended complaint, Commerzbank acknowledges that, before DBTCA was added to the case, the court dismissed Commerzbank’s TIA claims for the trusts governed by pooling and servicing agreements, as well as its Streit Act claims and claims for breach of the covenant of good faith, and Commerzbank only includes these claims to preserve any rights on appeal. The second amended complaint alleges that DBNTC and DBTCA caused Commerzbank to suffer “hundreds of millions of dollars in losses,” but the complaint does not include a demand for money damages in a sum certain. On January 29, 2018, DBNTC and DBTCA filed an answer to the second amended complaint. On December 7, 2018, DBNTC and DBTCA filed a motion for summary judgment. Also on December 7, 2018, Commerzbank, jointly with the Phoenix Light plaintiffs, filed a motion for partial summary judgment. Both motions are being briefed by the parties. Discovery is ongoing.

On December 30, 2015, IKB International, S.A. in Liquidation and IKB Deutsche Industriebank A.G. (collectively, “IKB”), as an investor in 37 RMBS trusts, filed a summons with notice in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, against DBNTC and DBTCA as trustees of the trusts. On May 27, 2016, IKB served its complaint asserting claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of duty to avoid conflicts of interest, violation of the Streit Act, violation of the TIA, violation of Regulation AB, and violation of Section 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. IKB alleges that DBNTC and DBTCA are liable for over U.S. $268 million in damages. On October 5, 2016, DBNTC and DBTCA, together with several other trustees defending lawsuits by IKB, filed a joint motion to dismiss. On January 6, 2017, IKB filed a notice of discontinuance, voluntarily dismissing with prejudice all claims as to three trusts. As of January 17, 2017, DBNTC and DBTCA’s motion to dismiss has been briefed and is awaiting decision by the court. On June 20, 2017, the parties filed a stipulation, voluntarily dismissing with prejudice all claims as to four additional trusts. Certain limited discovery is permitted to go forward while the motion to dismiss is pending.

It is DBTCA’s belief that it has no pending legal proceedings (including, based on DBTCA’s present evaluation, the litigation disclosed in the foregoing paragraphs) that would materially affect its ability to perform its duties as Trustee under the Indenture and Sale and Servicing Agreement for this transaction.

PART II

The following items have been omitted in accordance with General Instruction J to Form 10-K:

Item 5:

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Item 6:

Selected Financial Data

Item 7:

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 7A:

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Item 8:

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Item 9:

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Item 9A:

Controls and Procedures

Item 9B. Other Information.

Santander Consumer USA Inc. (“SC”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (“SC Holdings”). On February 26, 2019, SC Holdings filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and disclosed certain legal and regulatory matters. Additional information about SC Holdings and its consolidated subsidiaries, including information contained in required annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, is on file with the SEC under the name “Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.” and file number 001-36270.

PART III

The following items have been omitted in accordance with General Instruction J to Form 10-K:

Item 10:

Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance

Item 11:

Executive Compensation

Item 12:

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Item 13:

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Item 14:

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Substitute information provided in accordance with General Instruction J to Form 10-K:

Item 1119 of Regulation AB. Affiliations and Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.

Information required by Item 1119 of Regulation AB has been omitted from this report on Form 10-K in reliance on the Instruction to Item 1119.

Item 1122 of Regulation AB. Compliance with Applicable Servicing Criteria.

Each of SC and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (each, a “Servicing Participant”) have been identified by the issuing entity as parties participating in the servicing function with respect to the pool assets held by the issuing entity. Each of the Servicing Participants has completed a report on an assessment of compliance with the servicing criteria applicable to it (each, a “Report on Assessment”), which Reports on Assessment are attached as exhibits to this Form 10-K. In addition, each of the Servicing Participants has provided an attestation report (each, an “Attestation Report”) by one or more registered public accounting firms, which reports are also attached as exhibits to this Form 10-K.

None of the Reports on Assessment or the related Attestation Reports has identified any material instances of noncompliance with the servicing criteria described in the related Report on Assessment as being applicable to such Servicing Participant.

Item 1123 of Regulation AB. Servicer Compliance Statements.

SC has been identified by the issuing entity as the servicer with respect to the asset pool held by the issuing entity. SC has completed a statement of compliance with applicable servicing criteria signed by an authorized officer. The Compliance Statement is attached as an exhibit to this Form 10-K.

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)(1)

Not Applicable.

(a)(2)

Not Applicable.

(a)(3)

See Item 15(b) below.

(b)

Exhibits.

The exhibits listed below are either included or incorporated by reference as indicated:


Exhibit No.		Description

1.1		Underwriting Agreement, dated as of February 19, 2015, among Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC (“Santander Drive”), Santander Consumer USA Inc. (“SC”) and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representative of the several underwriters (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2015)

3.1		Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Santander Drive dated as of March 7, 2007 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Form S-3 filed by Santander Drive (Commission File No. 333-192513) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 22, 2013)

3.2		First Amendment to Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of February 28, 2017, by SC, as sole equity member (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Form 8-K filed by the Santander Drive (Commission File No. 333-139609) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2017)

4.1		Indenture, dated as of February 25, 2015, between Santander Drive Auto Receivables Trust 2015-1, as issuer (the “Issuer”), and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as indenture trustee (the “Indenture Trustee”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2015)

10.1		Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2015, between SC and Santander Drive (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2015)

10.2		Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2015, among the Issuer, Santander Drive, SC and the Indenture Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2015)

10.3		Administration Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2015, among the Issuer, SC, as administrator, and the Indenture Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2015)



10.4		Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2015, between Santander Drive and Wilmington Trust, National Association, not in its individual capacity but solely as owner trustee for the Issuer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of Form 8-K filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2015)

10.5		First Amendment to Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated December 13, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of Form 10-D filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 15, 2016)

10.6		Second Amendment to Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated April 13, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Form 10-D filed by the Issuer (Commission File No. 333-192513-05) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 17, 2017)

31.1		Certification (Santander Drive)

33.1		Management’s Assessment of Compliance with SEC Regulation AB Servicing Criteria (SC)

33.2		Management’s Assertion of Compliance (Indenture Trustee)

34.1		Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with respect to SC)

34.2		Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (KPMG LLP with respect to the Indenture Trustee)

35.1		Servicer Compliance Statement (SC)

99.1		Servicing Agreement, dated as of July 15, 2016, by and between SC and Santander Consumer International Puerto Rico LLC (the “Subservicer”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of Form 8-K filed by Santander Drive (Commission File No. 333-139609) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2017)

99.2		Amended and Restated Program Portfolio Schedule (SDART Publicly Registered Transactions), dated as of January 31, 2017, by and between SC and the Subservicer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 of Form 8-K filed by Santander Drive (Commission File No. 333-139609) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2017)

(c)	Not Applicable.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

None

Supplemental information to be Furnished With Reports Filed Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act by Registrants Which Have Not Registered Securities Pursuant to Section 12 of the Act.

No annual report, proxy statement, form of proxy or other proxy soliciting material has been sent to certificateholders, and the registrant does not presently contemplate sending any such materials subsequent to the filing of this report.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: March 29, 2019


SANTANDER DRIVE AUTO RECEIVABLES LLC, as depositor

By:		/s/ Corey Henry
Name:		Corey Henry
Title:		President and Chief Executive Officer
		(senior officer in charge of securitization of the depositor)

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

Santander Drive Auto Receivables Trust 2015-1 10-K