SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADMINISTERING RETURN SWEEP ACCOUNTS

• US 20080046361A2
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Island Intellectual Property LLC (Double Rock Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Reserve Management Corporation
• Inventors: BENT, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Novel systems and methods for managing a plurality of client demand accounts so as to allow a banking institution to retain client deposits on the bank'"'"'s balance sheets while, at the same time, providing the client with the capability of implementing up to an unlimited number of transactions per month and also providing the client with interest on their account balances. These objectives are achieved through the use of a pooled deposit account at the client'"'"'s savings institution or bank. Funds are transferred from individual client demand accounts to the pooled insured deposit account. All or a portion of the interest accrued from the pooled deposit account is then distributed to individual clients. The interest may, but need not, be distributed according to the relative proportions of each client'"'"'s funds in the pooled deposit account. A database keeps track of deposits to, and withdrawals from, each of the client demand accounts, as well as each client'"'"'s proportionate and/or monetary share in the pooled deposit account. On a regular, periodic, or recurring basis, a net transaction is calculated as the sum of individual client deposits and withdrawals from the plurality of demand accounts. The net transaction calculation is used to determine an amount of funds that need to be deposited into the pooled deposit account to cover client deposits, or an amount of funds that needs to be withdrawn from the pooled deposit account to cover client withdrawals. Individual account management calculations are performed to determine whether to deposit or withdraw funds from the pooled deposit account to each of a plurality of individual client demand accounts. The database is updated for each client'"'"'s deposit and withdrawal activities. The invention permits funds to be deposited into a demand account from various sources, and also provides for the tendering of payments from the demand account via different instruments, without limitation as to the number of transfers, and with accrual of interest on the deposited funds.

Claims

34. A computer-implemented method for managing funds for a plurality of client accounts for a plurality of clients whose funds were accepted for deposit in respective client accounts held in the names of the respective clients at a first banking institution, the method comprising:

(a) maintaining a plurality of FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts, each aggregated deposit account held at a different banking institution including an FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit account held at the first banking institution;

(b) maintaining or having maintained an electronic database, on one or more computers, containing information on funds held by each client in the plurality of aggregated deposit accounts;

(c) administering the aggregated deposit accounts to transfer or have transferred client funds that had been accepted into respective client accounts held in the names of the respective clients at the first banking institution to the aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution except that for clients with a balance of funds in the aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution that equal or exceed a specified amount depositing additional funds of that client to one of the aggregated deposit accounts in a different one of the banking institutions;

(d) withdrawing or having withdrawn client funds from one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts using a method of withdrawal that allows an unlimited number of transactions per month while preserving an insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit accounts; and

(e) updating or having updated the electronic database based on the transfers to and withdrawals in the plurality of aggregated deposit account.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the withdrawing or having withdrawn step is made from an aggregated deposit account at one of the banking institutions through an aggregated demand deposit account at that banking institution.

36. The method of claim 34, further including the step of, on a regular, periodic, or recurring basis, calculating a net transaction as the sum of individual client deposits and withdrawals from each of the plurality of the client accounts;

and, further including the step of utilizing the net transaction calculation to determine an amount of funds that need to be deposited into one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client deposits, or an amount of funds that needs to be withdrawn from one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client withdrawals.

37. The method of claim 34, further including the steps of:

(a) monitoring requested debits of funds from each of the client accounts, and (b) selectively authorizing or rejecting each of the requested debits based upon an account balance in a client account or a client'"'"'s proportionate share in the plurality of aggregated deposit accounts or based upon both the account balance in the client account and the client'"'"'s proportionate share in the plurality of aggregated deposit accounts.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the withdrawing or having withdrawn step is substantially performed only by one or more of the following methods:

in person, or by mail, or by messenger, or by telephone and distributed by mail, or by automated teller machine, or a combination thereof so that the insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit accounts is preserved.

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the additional funds to the aggregated deposit account held thereby based at least on one or more exclusions of banking institutions made by the client.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the additional funds to the aggregated deposit account held thereby based at least on one or more exclusions of banking institutions made by the client.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the excess over the specified amount to the aggregated deposit account held thereby based on an exclusion of banking institutions located in a state where the client resides.

42. A computer-implemented method for managing funds for a plurality of client accounts for a plurality of clients whose funds were accepted for deposit in respective client accounts held in the names of the respective different clients at a first banking institution, the method comprising:

(a) accepting client funds from each of a plurality of clients, with funds from each different client being accepted into a respective client account held in the name of that respective client at the first banking institution;

(b) maintaining or having maintained an FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution;

(c) maintaining or having maintained or receiving access to an electronic database, on one or more computers, containing information on funds held by each client in a plurality of FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts, each aggregated deposit account held at a different banking institution;

(d) transferring or have transferred client funds of a plurality of the client accounts to the aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution except that for clients with a balance of funds in the aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution that equal or exceed a specified amount depositing or authorizing deposit of additional funds of that client to one of the aggregated deposit accounts in a different one of the banking institutions;

(d) withdrawing or having withdrawn client funds from the aggregated deposit account in the first banking institution using a method of withdrawal that allows an unlimited number of transactions per month while preserving an insured and interest-bearing status of that aggregated deposit account; and

(e) updating the electronic database based on the transfers to and withdrawals in the plurality of aggregated deposit accounts or receiving electronic access.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the withdrawing or having withdrawn step is made from an aggregated deposit account at the first banking institutions through an aggregated demand deposit account at the first banking institution.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising receiving a selection from one or more clients of exclusions of one or more banking institutions, and providing such exclusions to assist in selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the additional funds to the aggregated deposit account held thereby.

45. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving a selection from one or more clients of exclusions of one or more banking institutions, and providing such exclusions to assist in selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the additional funds to the aggregated deposit account held thereby.

46. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving from one or more clients an exclusion of banking institutions located in a state where the client resides, and providing such exclusion to assist in selecting the different one of the banking institutions to deposit the additional funds to the aggregated deposit account held thereby.

47. The method of claim 42, further including the step of, on a regular, periodic, or recurring basis, calculating a net transaction as the sum of individual client deposits and withdrawals from each of the plurality of the client accounts;

and, further including the step of utilizing the net transaction calculation to determine an amount of funds that need to be deposited into one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client deposits, or an amount of funds that needs to be withdrawn from one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client withdrawals.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein the withdrawing or having withdrawn step is substantially performed only by one or more of the following methods:

in person, or by mail, or by messenger, or by telephone and distributed by mail, or by automated teller machine, or a combination thereof so that the insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit account at the first banking institution is preserved.