Ryder launched a consumer truck-rental operation in 1968 with 1,000 trucks and vans.

The partnership would help Paramount Equity expand its mortgage and consumer financial operation.

Revenue from its consumer operation, which is dominated by the long-distance calling business, is shrinking at an annual rate of more than 15 percent.

As for this last point, the bank said it was spending heavily to build its investment bank and consumer operation.

One concern is that manipulating such a system will become even easier as banks move more of their consumer operations on line.

Its consumer operations, for example, are losing out to Chase Manhattan Bank.

From 1982 to 1986 he managed Citicorp's international consumer operations.

In financial services, the strategy of Sears is to focus on its consumer operations and sell or reposition those that are not directly consumer-related.

Ms. Bernard would not discuss specific plans or financial goals for the consumer operation.

He said the company would concentrate on licensing its product database and "scale down our costly consumer operations."