Chase credit cards, in card images and other samples, generally have the name “D. Barrett” embossed on them. Their business cards are issued to “Barrett Group” or “Barrett Connect.” Barrett happened to be a graphic designer for Chase and his name went on a card and it stuck.

American Express sample cards bear the name “C F Frost” but many years ago were issued to “John Q Public.” Frost was an Ogilvy & Mather executive who worked on the Amex account in the 1960s. Wells Fargo uses Henry Wells for obvious reasons.

Filed under “Today I Learned” I’ve just discovered who the Linda Walker is that has graced sample Citibank credit cards for 30 years.

This is the subject of occasional online speculation, for instance wondering about Linda Walker’s total credit line from Citi and whether it’s advisable for her to have so many cards.

Even sample Costco reward certificates are issued to Linda Walker.

It turns out that just like at other issuers Linda Walker is a real person. She’s just retired from Citibank. For the past 10 years she’s overseen Citi’s anti-money laundering compliance. Before that she spent 14 years at UBS and Prudential. And from 1989 to 1997 she served as Associate General Counsel at Citi.

And it’s her name that’s appeared in Citibank card advertising for the last three decades.

[I]t was great that Citi paid tribute to my being the “Name That’s Synonymous with Citi Cards,” stating in an internal article “When it comes to making a name for herself, Linda Walker has set the bar pretty high. Her name is ubiquitous in its appearance on Citi branded cards featured on TV, in digital marketing, in print, and as part of marketing mailers for the last three decades.”

And no she does not have one of every Citibank credit card issued in the past three decades..

Update: A Chase insider tells me that while their communications team has alternatively suggested ‘D Barrett’ is in customer service, marketing, or technology that isn’t correct – but that it is an employee who may prefer not to have her story told.