First Data Corp. has dissolved its information management group and moved the components to different divisions.
The transaction processing giant made the realignment public this week, also disclosing that the group's president, John Chaney, had resigned to pursue civic and charitable interests.
First Data Information Management, based in Houston, was an umbrella organization for information-based products sold to several industries. Formerly known as First Data Solutions, the division included acquired companies such as Consumer Credit Associates, Hogan Information Services, and Donnelly Marketing.
Consumer Credit Associates, which First Data bought in April 1997, sold credit reports to financial institutions and was viewed as a potential competitor of the Big Three credit bureaus. First Data renamed the business Innovis last year, then announced in January that it was shutting it down.
The further reorganization was an offshoot of the Innovis writeoff, said Colleen Emigh, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based First Data. The moves are meant to "improve our performance and become easier to do business with," she said. Differences "should not be noticed by our clients."
Under the new structure, First Data Analytics, which offers scoring and modeling products for card issuers, has been moved to the First Data card services group. USA Value Exchange, or USAVE, a program that puts advertisements and promotions on credit card statements, has also been shifted to this group.
Both businesses report to David Bailis, the executive vice president in charge of the card-issuing side at First Data.
Donnelly Marketing, which First Data bought in 1996, becomes a freestanding entity reporting to Charles T. Fote, president and chief operating officer.
The unit sells access to a data base of consumer and business records.
Hogan, which provides public-record information for risk management and marketing, is being managed under the company's Telecheck division. First Data acquired Hogan in 1996.
An administrative headquarters in Houston will be closed, Ms. Emigh said, and its 30 people will be reassigned.
The changes acknowledge that "we've gotten a little too confusing," Ms. Emigh said.
"We've been a little more internally focused than we should be, and this is one of our many attempts to get more externally focused."
