Method and system for analyzing and handling the customer files of a financial institution

• US 6,029,153 A
• Filed: 09/11/1997
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Weinberger, Henry, Bauchner, Renee, Newman, Al, Wright, Wilbur E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kanof, Pedro R.
• Application Number:
  US08/927,683
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/7, 395/214, 395/600, 395/739, 395/227, 395/237, 395/235, 395/240, 283/58
• US Class Current: 705/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for identifying and communicating the availability of additional products to at least one customer of a financial institution is disclosed. A processor analyses data about the customer and identifies characteristics indicative of financial products compatible with the customer'"'"'s financial needs. The customer'"'"'s files are appropriately electronically tagged and representatives of the financial institution are alerted of the marketing opportunity and, in turn, communicate the availability of the product to said customer. The representative may be a teller, branch manager, telemarketer or direct mail supervisor. Reporting of tagging is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for strategically identifying and communicating the availability of additional products to at least one customer of a financial institution comprising the steps of:

analyzing information about said customer from a database of a financial institution to identify at least one characteristic of said customer indicative of at least one financial product compatible with the financial needs of said customer;

marking a file in said electronic database associated with said customer with a mark identifying said at least one product;

accessing said file by a representative of said financial institution; and

communicating the availability of said at least one financial product to said customer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said financial products is selected from of the group consisting of:

financial services, investment services, brokerage services, stock purchases, financial instrument purchases, mortgages, purchases of certificates of deposit (CD'"'"'s), safety deposit box rentals, electronic home banking, loans, credit cards, premium credit cards, traveller checks, banking by personal computer, banking by telephone, banking by screen phone, and a second mortgage.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said marking step further includes the step of marking said file with a plurality of marks each corresponding to a different financial product.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said analyzing step further includes the step of reviewing past information about said customer and comparing said past information to current information about said customer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said representative is a bank teller.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said representative is a telemartketing representative.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said characteristic is selected from at least one of the group consisting of:

foreign purchases with a credit card, change in address, change in name, change in preferred branch of said financial institution, relatively high liability plus credit levels, teller activity levels, check writing activity levels, existence of a jumbo mortgage, credit limits on a credit card, purchases of computer-related goods, imminent loan maturity, imminent certificate of deposit maturity, savings trend, relatively high money market levels, credit card activity, purchases involving goods for the home of the customer, negative balance flux, use of checks from a different financial institution, the non-resident alien status of said customer and said customer having recently moved.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of generating periodic reports regarding the marking activity.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of displaying comprises providing a screen display of each said tag entry in response to on-line customer account access by an authorized representative of the financial institution.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said financial institution is a bank.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said representative also performs said communicating step.

2. A system for strategically identifying and communicating the availability of additional products to at least one customer of a financial institution comprising:

a processor for analyzing information about said customer from a database of a financial institution to identify at least one characteristic of said customer indicative of at least one financial product compatible with the financial needs of said customer;

said processor marking a file in said electronic database associated with said customer with a mark identifying said at least one characteristic;

a representative of said financial representative accessing said file; and

said representative communicating the availability of said at least one financial product to said customer.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein said financial institution is a bank.

11. The system of claim 2 wherein said financial products is selected from of the group consisting of:

financial services, investment services, brokerage services, stock purchases, financial instrument purchases, mortgages, purchases of certificates of deposit (CD'"'"'s), safety deposit box rentals, electronic home banking, loans, credit cards, premium credit cards, traveller checks, banking by personal computer, banking by telephone, banking by screen phone, and a second mortgage.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein said processor marks said file with a plurality of marks each corresponding to a different characteristic.

13. The system of claim 2 wherein said processor analyzes analyses past information about said customer and compares said past information to current information about said customer to determine said at least one characteristic.

14. The system of claim 2 wherein said representative accesses said file in an on-line environment.

15. The system of claim 2 wherein said representative is a bank teller.

16. The system of claim 2 wherein said representative is a telemarketing representative.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein said accessing is done in response to an interaction between said customer and said representative.

18. The system of claim 2 wherein said characteristic is selected from at least one of the group consisting of:

foreign purchases with a credit card, change in address, change in name, change in preferred branch of said financial institution, relatively high liability plus credit levels, teller activity levels, check writing activity levels, existence of a jumbo mortgage, credit limits on a credit card, purchases of computer-related goods, imminent loan maturity, imminent certificate of deposit maturity, savings trend, relatively high money market levels, credit card activity, purchases involving goods for the home of the customer, negative balance flux, use of checks from a different financial institution, the non-resident alien status of said customer and said customer having recently moved.

19. The system of claim 2 further comprising reporting means for periodically reporting on marking activity.