Ford Unit Taps Visa Vet to Head Card Operations

Associates First Capital Corp., a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., has appointed Randall M. Chesler executive vice president and general manager of its U.S. Visa and MasterCard credit card operations.

In the new post, Mr. Chesler, 38, a three-year Visa U.S.A. veteran, will oversee all bank card operations for Associates Financial Services Co.

He will report to Joseph Scarpinato, executive vice president of Associates' credit card portfolios, including the auto club, private label, and international businesses.

Mr. Chesler's banking experience includes his most recent role as executive vice president of member relations for San Francisco-based Visa.

There he was responsible for communications between Visa and its members and was a significant force in expanding the member base in the United States.

Before joining Visa, he spent 14 years at Citicorp.

Joseph Stroop, a spokesman for Dallas-based Associates, said Mr. Chesler brings a lot of knowledge and experience, which will help Mr. Chesler manage the largest portion of Associates' credit card portfolio.

Mr. Chesler is the second Visa executive that Associates has hired in as many months.

He joins David A. Brooks, who was an executive vice president at Visa U.S.A. for three years.

In January, Mr. Brooks started a rocky assignment at Advanta Corp. in Spring House, Pa., quitting three months later upon the disclosure of a $19.8 million first-quarter loss.

But last month he landed on his feet at Associates as executive vice president of business development.

Mr. Brooks does not have responsibilities with the credit card operations and will not work alongside Mr. Chesler.

No one has been tapped to fill Mr. Chesler's role at Visa yet.

Carl Pascarella, president and chief executive officer of Visa, said in a release that Mr. Chesler had done "an extraordinary job" and had provided support and leadership throughout his career at the card association.

At yearend 1996, Associates ranked 19th among issuers of bank credit cards.

In the past eight months it has grown rapidly, with one key acquisition being J.C. Penney's $740 million bank card portfolio in January.

Mr. Chesler will help Associates manage the growth in that area, said Mr. Stroop.

With this latest addition, Mr. Stroop said, Associates now has the management team to run its credit card business successfully.

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