USAA Chief Operating Officer Carl Liebert, once considered a possible candidate to lead the San Antonio financial-services company, is moving on.

Liebert has been appointed chief executive and president of Fort Lauderdale’s AutoNation Inc., the nation’s largest auto-dealership chain. He starts March 11.

At USAA, Liebert has been responsible for the company’s overall business strategy and the customer experience. USAA’s bank, life and property and casualty insurance, real estate company and its member experience operations have all reported to him.

A USAA spokeswoman had no immediate comment on who might replace Liebert.

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Liebert joined USAA as president of USAA Capital Corp in 2013. The following year, he became COO when Stuart Parker was promoted to CEO and president. Parker succeeded Joe Robles Jr., who retired in early 2015.

Photo: AutoNation Inc. Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, File Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo / USAA Historical Collection Photo: Courtesy Photo / The History Factory Photo: Courtesy Photo / The History Factory Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo / The History Factory Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: JOE BARRERA JR. /EXPRESS-NEWS FILE PHOTO Photo: Courtesy Photo: Courtesy Photo /UTSA Libraries Special Collection Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images Photo: John Davenport / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press Photo: Richard A. Marini /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Express-News File Photo Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther /San Antonio Express-News Photo: San Antonio Express-News / File Photo

At the time of Robles’ retirement announcement, some current and former USAA employees considered Liebert a top candidate to take the helm of the company.

As head of USAA Capital, he oversaw the company’s banking, investments and insurance operations.

Liebert will replace longtime AutoNation boss Mike Jackson, a former Mercedes-Benz executive.

“AutoNation has a clear strategy that sets it apart in the auto retail sector and diversifies the typical retail business model,” Liebert said in a statement. “The opportunities that lie ahead for AutoNation are massive, and the ability to lead this next chapter is deeply humbling and exciting.”

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AutoNation has 325 stores and has sold 12 million vehicles. It generated $396 million, or $4.34 a share, in net income on about $21.4 billion in revenue last year.

Prior to joining USAA, Liebert served as president and CEO of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide and was on USAA’s board. He also was an executive vice president with Home Depot, where he was responsible for international operations.

USAA serves members of the military, veterans and their families. It has almost 13 million customers.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD