Fiserv Inc. has hired a former H&R Block Inc. official as an executive vice president and its chief operating officer.
The Brookfield, Wis., technology vendor said Monday that Mark Ernst will report to its president and chief executive, Jeffery Yabuki.
Ernst most recently was the deputy commissioner for operations support at the Internal Revenue Service, overseeing technology, operations, human resources and other duties. Previously, he was the CEO of the investment firm Bellevue Capital LLC and the chairman, president and CEO of H&R Block from 2001 through 2007. During that time the company settled several class actions over refund anticipation loans.
Ernst's "leadership experience will complement our management team as we look to further extend our solution differentiation, and capture a larger share of market opportunities," Yabuki said in a press release. Fiserv's COO position has been vacant since 2007, when Norm Balthasar retired, a company spokeswoman said in an interview.
