Bankamerica Lures Mastercard Official

In a surprise move, H. Eugene Lockhart resigned as MasterCard International’s president and chief executive to take a newly created post as president of BankAmerica Corp.’s global retail bank.

For the first time in its 30 years, MasterCard elevated an insider, Robert Selander, to head the company. Selander, 46, had been president of MasterCard’s operations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Lockhart, president and chief executive of the Purchase, N.Y., credit-card issuer since 1994, will run the consumer and small business banking areas at BankAmerica. He will join the company at the beginning of May.