Administration of dual component financial instruments

• US 20060195390A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EduCap, Inc. (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: EduCap, Inc. (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Catherine B., Rusk, Michael T., Darling, Paula K., Murray, Matthew W.
• Application Number:
  US11/066,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195390A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Methods and systems for administering a dual component financial instrument (DCFI) are described. The DCFI includes a revolving loan component and one or more installment loans. A holder of the DCFI account can use the revolving loan to pay for expenses, e.g., educational expenses. At predetermined intervals, e.g., annually on the anniversary date of the DCFI account, a new installment loan is automatically created on behalf of the account holder to pay off the revolving loan. Automatically creating an installment loan to pay off the revolving loan frees up the revolving loan for use by the borrower to pay for expenses during the next interval, e.g., the next school year, and allows the lender to quickly and efficiently securitize portions of the funds provided to the borrower.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for administering a financial instrument having a revolving loan component and a second loan component, said method comprising:

(i) storing revolving loan information corresponding to a revolving loan provided to a borrower by a lender;

(ii) when a predetermined condition is met, automatically establishing on behalf of the borrower a second loan for a predetermined amount, and storing loan information corresponding to the second loan; and

(iii) automatically crediting the predetermined amount towards an outstanding balance of the revolving loan.

2. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, further comprising providing a maximum balance for the revolving loan, and wherein the predetermined condition comprises the outstanding balance of the revolving loan meeting the maximum balance.

3. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a current date having a predefined relationship to the revolving loan.

4. The computer-assisted method of claim 3, wherein the predefined relationship comprises the current date being on or near an anniversary date of an establishment date of the revolving loan.

5. The computer-assisted method of claim 4, further comprising repeating steps (ii) and (iii) whenever the predetermined condition is met, and wherein step (ii) comprises automatically establishing a new loan each time the predetermined condition is met.

6. The computer-assisted method of claim 5, wherein steps (ii) and (iii) are repeated up to a predetermined number of years.

7. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, further comprising repeating steps (ii) and (iii) whenever the predetermined condition is met, and wherein step (ii) comprises automatically establishing a new loan each time the predetermined condition is met.

8. The computer-assisted method of claim 7, wherein steps (ii) and (iii) are repeated while a cumulative total balance of all loans to the borrower plus the then current outstanding balance of the revolving loan are below a predetermined maximum amount.

9. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is based on the outstanding balance of the revolving loan.

10. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein the second loan comprises a fixed-term installment loan.

11. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, further comprising providing a charge card usable by the borrower to draw funds from the revolving loan.

12. The computer-assisted method of claim 11, further comprising restricting merchants at which the charge card can be used.

13. The computer-assisted method of claim 12, wherein the restricted merchants are based on an educational institution in which the borrower is enrolled.

14. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein use of the charge card is restricted to merchants within a predetermined geographical area in relation to the educational institution.

15. A computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for performing the computer-assisted method of claim 1.

16. A computer system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, perform a method for administering a financial instrument having a revolving loan component and a second loan component, said method comprising;

(i) storing revolving loan information corresponding to a revolving loan provided to a borrower by a lender, wherein the revolving loan information comprises a maximum annual balance and a maximum lifetime balance; and

(ii) on or near each anniversary date of an establishment date of the revolving loan, rolling over the revolving loan by;

(a) storing loan information for a discrete fixed-term installment loan automatically established on behalf of the borrower for an amount of money based on a current outstanding balance of the revolving loan;

(b) automatically crediting the amount of money towards the current outstanding balance of the revolving loan; and

(c) automatically adding the predetermined amount to a lifetime balance of the revolving loan,

wherein the outstanding balance of the revolving loan is not allowed to exceed the maximum annual balance, and

wherein the lifetime balance plus the current outstanding balance of the revolving loan is not allowed to exceed the maximum lifetime balance.

17. A charge card comprising a memory storing account information corresponding to a financial instrument having a revolving loan component and a second loan component, wherein use of the charge card draws from the revolving loan component of the financial instrument, and wherein the revolving loan is automatically paid off by a new automatically created fixed-term installment loan on or near each anniversary of an establishment date of the financial instrument.

18. The charge card of claim 17, restricted to use at certain merchants.

19. The charge card of claim 17, restricted to use at certain merchants based on an educational institution in which a cardholder of the charge card is enrolled.

20. The charge card of claim 19, restricted to use at certain merchants based on a geographic area associated with an educational institution in which a cardholder of the charge card is enrolled.

21. A method of processing a charge card transaction for a financial instrument having a revolving loan component and a second loan component, wherein use of the charge card draws from the revolving loan component of the financial instrument, and wherein the revolving loan is automatically paid off by a new automatically created fixed-term installment loan on or near each anniversary of an establishment date of the financial instrument, comprising:

(i) receiving a charge card authorization request, sent by a merchant, comprising a requested amount and an account identifier, wherein the account identifier corresponds to the financial instrument;

(ii) determining whether the requested amount is within an annual credit limit of the revolving loan component;

(iii) determining whether the requested amount is within a lifetime limit of the revolving loan component;

(iv) approving the charge card authorization request when the requested amount is within the annual credit limit of the revolving loan component and the requested amount is within the lifetime limit of the revolving loan component, and denying the charge card authorization request when the requested amount would exceed the annual credit limit of the revolving loan component or the requested amount would exceed the lifetime limit of the revolving loan component;

(v) sending for delivery to the merchant a charge card authorization response comprising the result of step (iv).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein step (iv) further comprises denying the charge card authorization request when the merchant is not an allowed merchant, regardless of whether the requested amount is within the annual credit limit of the revolving loan component and the requested amount is within the lifetime limit of the revolving loan component.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a set of allowed merchants is based on an educational institution in which a cardholder of the charge card is enrolled.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein a set of allowed merchants is based on a geographic area associated with an educational institution in which a cardholder of the charge card is enrolled.