Methods and systems for characteristic leveling

• US 7,801,812 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VantageScore Solutions LLC (Equifax, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VantageScore Solutions LLC (Equifax, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harper, Sherry, Conlin, Marie, Torrez, Luz
• Primary Examiner(s): Subramanian; Narayanswamy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson; Kito R
• Application Number:
  US11/685,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Characteristic normalization (or leveling) is a process that yields consistent and equitable characteristic definitions across multiple sources of credit information. This leveling ensures that when the same data is present for multiple credit sources, for example two or more credit reporting agencies, it is interpreted in the same manner, acknowledging that differences in the data itself may still be present.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for leveling credit characteristics comprising:

(a) retrieving by a computer a credit data profile for at least one consumer, wherein retrieving a credit data profile is performed by at least two of a plurality of credit reporting agencies resulting in at least two credit data profiles for the at least one consumer, and wherein the credit data profile represents a credit history for the at least one consumer;

(b) generating by the computer a set of credit characteristics, wherein the set of credit characteristics represent a set of data elements that summarize a particular characteristic of a consumer'"'"'s credit behavior, wherein generating a set of credit characteristics is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(c) retrieving by the computer a respective characteristic definition from each of the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies for each credit characteristic in the set of credit characteristics, wherein the respective characteristic definition is a statement that describes a meaning of the characteristic through components;

(d) reviewing by the computer the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions, wherein reviewing is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(e) applying by the computer the respective characteristic definitions to each of the retrieved credit data profiles, generating by the computer audit statistics associated with each credit data profile;

(f) auditing by the computer the audit statistics;

(g) determining by the computer whether the step of auditing was successful;

(h) if the step of auditing was successful, generating by the computer a normalized set of credit characteristics and characteristic definitions from the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions; and

(i) if the step of auditing was not successful, modifying by the computer one or more of the respective characteristic definitions and repeating by the computer steps (d), (e), and (f) until the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating by the computer audit statistics further comprises:

generating first audit statistics; and

comparing the first audit statistics between different credit reporting agencies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of comparing the first audit statistics comprises modifying at least one of the respective characteristic definitions.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating second audit statistics based on the at least one modified characteristic definition; and

comparing the first audit statistics with the second audit statistics.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

comparing the second audit statistics between different credit reporting agencies.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent with the second audit statistics.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent between different credit reporting agencies.

8. A system for leveling credit characteristics comprising:

a memory configured for storing credit data profiles and credit reports;

a processor, coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform the steps of;

(a) retrieving a credit data profile for at least one consumer, wherein retrieving a credit data profile is performed by at least two of a plurality of credit reporting agencies resulting in at least two credit data profiles for the at least one consumer, and wherein the credit data profile represents a credit history for the at least one consumer;

(b) generating a set of credit characteristics, wherein the set of credit characteristics represent a set of data elements that summarize a particular characteristic of a consumer'"'"'s credit behavior, wherein generating a set of credit characteristics is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(c) retrieving a respective characteristic definition from each of the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies for each credit characteristic in the set of credit characteristics, wherein the respective characteristic definition is a statement that describes a meaning of the characteristic through components;

(d) reviewing the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions, wherein reviewing is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(e) applying the respective characteristic definitions to each of the retrieved credit data profiles, generating audit statistics associated with each credit data profile;

(f) auditing the audit statistics;

(g) determining whether the step of auditing was successful;

(h) if the step of auditing was successful, generating a normalized set of credit characteristics and characteristic definitions from the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions; and

(i) if the step of auditing was not successful, modifying one or more of the respective characteristic definitions and repeating steps (d), (e), and (f) until the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the step of generating the audit statistics further comprises:

generating first audit statistics; and

comparing the first audit statistics between different credit reporting agencies.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the step of comparing the first audit statistics comprises modifying at least one of the respective characteristic definitions.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

generating second audit statistics based on the at least one modified characteristic definition; and

comparing the first audit statistics with the second audit statistics.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing the second audit statistics between different credit reporting agencies.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent with the second audit statistics.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent between different credit reporting agencies.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for leveling credit characteristics comprising:

(a) retrieving a credit data profile for at least one consumer, wherein retrieving a credit data profile is performed by at least two of a plurality of credit reporting agencies resulting in at least two credit data profiles for the at least one consumer, and wherein the credit data profile represents a credit history for the at least one consumer;

(b) generating a set of credit characteristics, wherein the set of credit characteristics represent a set of data elements that summarize a particular characteristic of a consumers credit behavior, wherein generating a set of credit characteristics is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(c) retrieving a respective characteristic definition from each of the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies for each credit characteristic in the set of credit characteristics, wherein the respective characteristic definition is a statement that describes a meaning of the characteristic through components;

(d) reviewing the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions, wherein reviewing is performed by the at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies;

(e) applying the respective characteristic definitions to each of the retrieved credit data profiles, generating audit statistics associated with each credit data profile;

(f) auditing the audit statistics;

(g) determining whether the step of auditing was successful;

(h) if the step of auditing was successful, generating a normalized set of credit characteristics and characteristic definitions from the set of credit characteristics and respective characteristic definitions; and

(i) if the step of auditing was not successful, modifying one or more of the respective characteristic definitions and repeating steps (d), (e), and (f) until the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of generating audit statistics further comprises:

generating first audit statistics; and

comparing the first audit statistics for credit data profiles retrieved between different credit reporting agencies.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the step of comparing the first audit statistics comprises modifying at least one of the respective characteristic definitions.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

generating second audit statistics based on the at least one modified characteristic definition; and

comparing the first audit statistics with the second audit statistics.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

comparing the second audit statistics between different credit reporting agencies.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent with the second audit statistics.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the step of auditing the audit statistics is successful when the first audit statistics are substantially consistent between different credit reporting agencies.