Account opening system, method and computer program product

• US 8,224,723 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Bosch, Joel Joseph, Rathi, Prashant, Howcroft, Kathleen Marie, West, Robert McCoy
• Primary Examiner(s): MERCHANT, SHAHID R
• Application Number:
  US10/161,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,700 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• 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

Abstract

A system that facilitates opening of a bank account by banking personnel for a customer. The account opening system includes an automatic rate determination feature that uses customer information, account information and other criteria to determine an account interest rate. The rate determination system may also mediate rate negotiation between a personal banker and the customer by limiting the increase in rate awarded by the personal banker. An auditing system assigns numbers to a series of profiles, each describing a request to open an account. Profiles to be audited are determined by generating random numbers that fall within the range of assigned profile numbers. Random number generation is repeated until a threshold percentage of profiles have been selected for auditing. The account opening system includes a system for tracking the progress of the account application and for organizing information recorded by the personal banker during interactions with the customer.

Claims

1. A system for opening an account for a customer, said account opening system comprising:

a customer information system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and configured to prompt entry of information about the customer and to record the customer information as one of a plurality of profile listings;

an account information system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and configured to prompt and record an interest bearing deposit account type selection and add the account type selection to the profile listing;

an audit system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and configured to assign a profile number to each of the profile listings, to generate a random number corresponding to the profile number of a respective one of the profile listings and to initiate auditing of the respective one of the profile listings;

an account activation system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and capable of receiving a deposit amount submitted by the customer, activating the account and crediting the deposit amount to the account;

a rate decision system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and configured to prompt and record entry of an application date, a rate lock code, a term, a receipt date and a deposit amount and capable of using the application date, the rate lock code, term, receipt date, deposit amount and account type selection as criteria to consult a plurality of electronic rate tables in order to determine an interest rate for the account, the interest rate is determined from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date; and

a comment system comprising computer executable instructions embodied on a computer system and configured to tag the account to identify a progress status of opening the account.

2. An account opening system of claim 1, wherein the profile number is an integer between lower and upper limits and the random number is a randomly generated integer between the lower and upper limits.

3. An account opening system of claim 2, wherein several random numbers are generated corresponding to a percentage of the profiles for which audit is desired.

4. An account opening system of claim 1, wherein the audit system is further configured to re-record the customer and account information associated with the profile listings and to compare the re-recorded customer and account information with the profile listings.

5. An account opening system of claim 4, wherein the customer information includes a tax identification number.

6. An account opening system of claim 1, wherein the audit system is further configured to re-record the rate lock code, term, receipt date and deposit amount and to compare the re-recorded rate lock code, term, receipt date and deposit amount to the rate lock code, term, receipt date and deposit amount originally recorded.

7. The account opening system of claim 1, wherein the rate decision system is configured to prompt a customer to enter the rate lock code through a customer computer in communication with the account opening system through the Internet.

8. The account opening system of claim 1, wherein the rate decision system is configured to prompt a bank employee to enter the rate lock code.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the interest rate is the highest interest rate from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date.

10. A computer implemented method of opening an account for a customer, said account opening method comprising:

recording in electronic form in a computer data entry system entry of customer information and account information, including an interest bearing deposit account type selection, as one of a plurality of profile listings;

assigning a profile number to each of the profile listings;

electronically generating a random number within a range of the assigned profile numbers;

auditing the profile listing having the profile number corresponding to the randomly generated number;

prompting and recording in electronic form entry of an application date, a rate lock code, a term, a receipt date and a deposit amount and using the application date, the rate lock code, term, receipt date, deposit amount and account type selection as criteria to consult a plurality of electronic rate tables in order to determine an interest rate for the account, wherein the interest rate is determined, by a computer, from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date; and

tagging the account to identify a progress status of opening the account.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein assigning the profile number includes assigning an integer between lower and upper limits and wherein generating the random number includes generating an integer between the lower and upper limits.

12. A method of claim 10, wherein generating and auditing are repeated a number of times corresponding to a percentage of the profiles for which audit is desired.

13. A method of claim 10, wherein auditing includes re-recording the customer and account information and comparing the re-recorded customer and account information to the customer and account information originally recorded.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the prompting and recording entry of a rate lock code step includes the step or prompting a customer for entry of the rate lock code through a customer computer communicating through the Internet.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the prompting and recording entry of a rate lock code step includes the step of prompting a bank employee to enter the rate lock code.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the interest rate is the highest interest rate from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date.

17. A computer program product for opening an account for a customer, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for recording entry of customer information and account information, including an interest bearing deposit account type selection, as one of a plurality of profile listings;

a second executable portion for assigning a profile number to each of the profile listings;

a third executable portion for generating a random number within a range of the assigned profile numbers;

a fourth executable portion for auditing the profile listing having the profile number corresponding to the randomly generated number;

a fifth executable portion for prompting and recording entry of an application date, a rate lock code, a term, a receipt date and a deposit amount and using the application date, the rate lock code, term, receipt date, deposit amount and account type selection as criteria to consult a plurality of electronic rate tables in order to determine an interest rate for the account, wherein the interest rate is determined from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date; and

a sixth executable portion for tagging the account to identify a progress status of opening the account and store comments.

18. A computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second executable portion assigns a profile number that is an integer between lower and upper limits and the third executable portion generates a random number that is an integer between the lower and upper limits.

19. A computer program product of claim 17 further comprising a sixth executable portion for re-recording the customer and account information and comparing the re-recorded customer and account information to the customer and account information originally recorded.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the fifth executable portion prompts a customer to enter the rate lock code through a customer computer communicating through the Internet.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the fifth executable portion prompts a bank employee to enter the rate lock code.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the interest rate is the highest interest rate from the plurality of electronic rate tables available between the application date and the receipt date.