LOS ANGELES — Bill Jensen, the senior credit executive for Chase Auto Finance before his retirement in 2016, is back. This week, Westlake Financial Services announced it had contracted Jensen to focus on developing its strategic accounts division.

Jensen, who began his auto finance career with Bank of America in 1972, will analyze all aspects of strategic account relationships to maximize business for dealerships and Westlake. He will look to leverage his extensive background in indirect auto lending from JP Morgan Chase, Mazda, and Bank of America to provide Westlake measurable strategies to expand in this segment.

“Westlake’s relationships with strategic accounts are crucial to continued growth primarily because these accounts consist of the largest and most growth orientated dealer groups in the United States,” said Jensen. “Westlake Financial is a strong competitor in the industry, successfully serving both franchised and independent dealers nationwide through its integration of technology and constant innovation. Westlake’s full range of financial services products and full-spectrum lending capabilities are a solid fit for auto dealers of all sizes.”

Jensen first joined Bank of America’s management training program before joining Security Pacific Bank as an indirect auto collector in 1973. In 1989, he was appointed head of business development for the bank after serving in various credit and sales roles.

In 1993, Jensen became manager of dealer financial services at Mazda Motor of America, where he expanded Mazda’s captive finance relationship with Primus, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Credit. Jensen returned to Bank of America in 1995 as national sales and marketing manager, a role in which he helped design and launch its national indirect lending platform.

Jensen then joined Bank One in 1999 as director of marketing. When the bank was acquired in 2005 by JP Morgan Chase, he was named custom finance senior executive — a position in which he was responsible for subprime business and processes. In 2012, he became national retail lending credit executive and was responsible for Chase Auto Finance Credit originations, booking and funding for more than 17,000 auto dealerships nationwide. In 2014, Jensen was appointed senior credit executive and was responsible for major credit origination process and control improvement projects until his retirement in 2016.

“Bill brings over 45 years of experience to this role,” said Ian Anderson, group president for Westlake Financial Services. “His knowledge will provide us even deeper insight into the needs and interests of these unique groups. We are dedicated to solidifying our position as the selected indirect lender for strategic accounts nationwide and we are confident that Bill will heavily contribute to this initiative.”

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