IRVING, Texas -

Within hours of Santander Consumer USA stating Jason Grubb and Brad Martin left high-level posts at the company, Exeter Finance Corp. announced the pair as two of its top executives.

Exeter indicated on Tuesday afternoon that the company appointed Grubb as chief executive officer and Martin as chief operating officer, effective immediately.

Meanwhile, Exeter said Steve Zemaitis, who currently holds the position of COO, will assume the role of president at the company.

Grubb replaces interim CEO Mark Floyd, a member of Exeter's board of directors who served as Exeter CEO from July 2010 until his retirement in October 2014. Floyd came back again in December upon the departure of CEO Tom Anderson.

Both Grubb and Martin are seasoned auto finance executives. Grubb's most recent experience includes 11 years at Santander Consumer USA, where he served in leadership roles including president and COO of originations. 

Prior to Santander, Grubb served as servicing senior vice president at WFS Financial, and also held leadership positions with Commercial Financial Services, CFS International and Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp.

Martin served for the last two years as COO of servicing with SCUSA, and previously held an executive vice president role at Santander during his 11-year tenure with the company. Martin also functioned in leadership positions within AmeriCredit, and served as a Third Class Petty Officer in the United States Navy.

“I could not be more pleased to join Exeter at such an exciting time in its history,” Grubb said. “I recognize that this company has positioned itself as a prominent player within the industry, and as such, has tremendous opportunities ahead.”

Martin agreed, stating, “I look forward to helping Exeter service its dealer customers in the most effective and efficient manner possible. I am committed to helping the team deliver outstanding results.”

Exeter board of directors chairman Martin Brand shared his assessment now that the company has its new leadership in place.

“As Exeter builds upon its strong foundation, we are pleased to welcome two respected auto finance veterans, Jason Grubb and Brad Martin, to the Exeter team,” Brand said. “Their combined knowledge and expertise will help drive Exeter's continued ability to deliver best-in-class execution and prudent underwriting.

“I also want to thank Mark on behalf of the entire board for stepping in and providing steady leadership for the company as interim CEO,” Brand added about Floyd leadership, which included a commitment to serve the finance company’s network of dealerships