IDA in bidding to bring 1,000-job operation to Dublin

More than 1,000 new jobs could be created in a multi-million pound financial services operation the IDA is bidding to bring to Ireland.

First USA, the third-largest issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards in the US, is planning a new European credit-card operation and is to locate all its customer support and administration services in one premises. Trade sources said the US bank had narrowed its choices to Dublin or Cardiff.

An IDA spokesman confirmed it was negotiating with the bank in competition with a number of European agencies. The bank is planning a 180,000 sq ft campus which would provide high-value employment and, if attracted here, would be one of the largest Irish-based services projects.

Bank representatives travelled to Dublin to look at possible locations, trade sources said. The intense competition to win the bank is understood to be making rapid progress, though a final decision may not be made for months.

The IDA's recent success in convincing a US bank, MBNA Corporation, which specialises in credit-card service, to set up a call centre in Dublin employing 200 people is providing encouragement that the First USA project can also be brought here. The First USA centre would provide well-paid jobs administering the bank's operations throughout Europe.

First USA, a public limited company since 1992, merged with Bank One Corporation last year and employs some 7,600 people in the US. It is a leading issuer of platinum, gold and classic credit cards, as well as many private-label cards. It is one of the top names in US finance.

Details of the negotiations emerged as it was announced that Benchmark Electronics Inc, a Texas-based contract manufacturer and engineering design operation, is to set up a plant in the IDA's Blanchardstown Business Park in Dublin. The plant will provide 262 jobs within three years.