* Industry veteran James Stano is appointed President of Capital Services FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC has appointed James E. Stano as President and Managing Director of the company's Capital Services business unit. In this position, Stano is responsible for managing all aspects of the company's complex and diverse $4 billion leveraged lease portfolio. He reports to Paul E. Knauss, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC. The DaimlerChrysler Services Capital Services business unit is responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of leveraged lease investments across a broad range of industries, including aviation, rail, marine, and energy, as well as investments in real estate and affordable housing. In September, the operations will be moving from Norwalk, Conn. to Farmington Hills, Mich. "Our objectives are to actively manage the portfolio by selectively buying, selling and trading assets within the portfolio to maximize the portfolio's value and return to DaimlerChrysler Services," Stano said. "The team we have assembled has the experience to achieve those objectives." Stano joins DaimlerChrysler Services from Key Corporation's - Lease Advisory Services, where he was a Vice President, responsible for arranging leveraged lease transactions since 2004. Prior to that, he held a series of increasingly responsible positions in Bank of America's leasing business over a 15-year period, becoming the bank's Managing Director of Structured Tax Products. Additionally, DaimlerChrysler Services announced the appointments of Kenneth D. Casper as Portfolio Director, and Gail L. Niemi as Aviation Manager in its Capital Services unit. "We are fortunate to expand our Capital Services team with professionals of the caliber and experience of Jim Stano, Ken Casper and Gail Niemi," Knauss said. "Their collective leveraged lease portfolio management experience will help manage all aspects of this complex and diverse portfolio." Casper has leasing industry experience in leading managed portfolios, acquisitions, and structured financings in rail, energy and aviation. Prior to joining DaimlerChrysler Capital Services, he was Vice President - Corporate Finance for GATX Corporation where he worked for six years. Additionally, he spent 12 years in increasingly responsible positions in finance and accounting within Chevron Corporation. Niemi has extensive leasing industry experience. Most recently, she was an aviation industry consultant with Morten Beyer & Agnew. During her career, she has held positions at Bank of America, D'Accord Financial Services, GATX, and Rolls-Royce North America, where she was Vice President of Sales Finance and Treasurer. Stano holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Wayne State University and a Master's in Business Administration from Michigan State University. Casper holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's of Business Administration from Brigham Young University. Niemi holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California - Davis. About DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC provides brand-specific financing for automotive dealers' inventories and their retail consumers and does business as Chrysler Financial and Mercedes-Benz Credit. As DaimlerChrysler Services Truck Finance it also finances commercial vehicles for affiliate products such as Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star. The company serves as the headquarters for the operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Puerto Rico and has over 5,800 employees who manage a portfolio of more than $95 billion with nearly five million contracts. DaimlerChrysler Services North America is a member of the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Group, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, which operates in 39 countries with an employee base exceeding 11,000 and a global portfolio of $139 billion. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is one of the leading financial services companies worldwide. DATASOURCE: DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC CONTACT: Jack Ferry, +1-248-427-3124, , or Amber Paauwe, +1-248-427-3126, , both of DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC Web site: http://www.daimlerchryslerservices.com/na

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