Systems and methods for administering return sweep accounts

• US 8,311,916 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Island Intellectual Property LLC (Double Rock Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Island Intellectual Property LLC (Double Rock Corporation)
• Inventors: Bent, Bruce, Bent, Bruce II
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US13/052,696
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30, 705/35, 705 38- 40, 705/42, 707/607, 707/609, 707/705, 707821-828, 902/24, 902/41
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A method, system, and program product, the method comprising: accessing one or more electronic databases, comprising: (i) aggregated transaction account information; and (ii) client account information; allocating client funds of respective client accounts among more than one of aggregated deposit accounts, so that at least a portion of these client funds are maintained in the aggregated deposit account in a first depository institution and at least a portion of the client funds are maintained in an aggregated deposit account held in a second depository institution in a different financial institution; determining client funds to be withdrawn from the aggregated deposit account held at one of the depository institutions more than six (6) times during a month while preserving an insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit account; generating one or more instructions to transfer funds to or from one or more of the respective aggregated deposit accounts in the respective depository institutions in the program through an aggregated demand deposit and making a withdrawal and/or transfer from the one aggregated deposit account more than six (6) times during the month period; and updating the one or more electronic databases.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(A) accessing, using one or more computers, one or more electronic databases, stored on one or more computers-readable media, the one or more databases comprising;

(1) aggregated account information for a plurality of government backed-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts held in a plurality of financial institutions participating in a program including a first depository institution in infrastructure of a first financial institution of the plurality of the financial institutions and a second depository institution in infrastructure of a different financial institution of the plurality of the financial institutions, wherein funds from client accounts of a plurality of clients are aggregated with funds of other client accounts in the aggregated deposit accounts held in the financial institutions, with the aggregated deposit accounts providing non-penalized liquidity for the funds held therein;

(2) client account information for funds, for each of a plurality of respective client accounts, held in one or more of the plurality of the financial institutions, with funds accepted for deposit for respective ones of the clients accounts in the names of the respective clients at the first financial institution, with the client account information comprising a respective balance of funds, from the respective client account, held in each of one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts holding funds of the respective client account; and

(B) allocating, using the one or more computers, for multiple of the client accounts, the client funds of these respective client accounts among more than one of aggregated deposit accounts, so that at least a portion of these client funds are maintained in the aggregated deposit account in the first depository institution and at least a portion of the client funds are maintained in the aggregated deposit account held in the second depository institution in the different financial institution;

(C) determining, using the one or more computers, client funds to be withdrawn from the aggregated deposit account held at one of the depository institutions of one of the financial institutions more than six (6) times during a month while preserving an insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit account held at the one depository institution;

(D) generating one or more instructions to transfer funds to or from one or more of the respective aggregated deposit accounts in the respective depository institutions in the program through an aggregated demand deposit account based at least in part on the respective allocations determined for the respective depository institutions in the program, wherein the one or more instructions comprise making a withdrawal and/or transfer from the one aggregated deposit account more than six (6) times during the month period to correspond at least with the more than six (6) of the allocations determined over the month period that are withdrawals, while maintaining an insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit account held at the one depository institution; and

(E) updating or having updated, using the one or more computers, the one or more electronic databases based at least in part on the allocation of client funds to or from the plurality of aggregated deposit accounts.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

transferring or having transferred or arranging for transfer of funds to or from one or more of the respective aggregated deposit accounts in the respective depository institutions in the program in accordance with the one or more instructions.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

processing, using the one or more computers, more than six (6) withdrawals and/or transfers from one or more of the client accounts during the month period.

5. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

withdrawing or having withdrawn or arranging for withdrawal of funds from at least one of the FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts more than six (6) times during the month period.

6. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising:

causing distribution of interest, using the one or more computers, from said FDIC-insured interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts to said client accounts; and

updating or having updated, using the one or more computers, one or more of the electronic databases with information about the interest distributed to said client accounts.

7. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the electronic database includes client preference and/or exclusion information comprising a client'"'"'s one or more preferences and/or one or more exclusions of one or more banks to hold its funds;

and further comprising;

determining, using the one or more computers, one or more of the different banks in the program for allocating a portion of the client'"'"'s funds, based at least in part on the client preference and/or exclusion information.

8. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more FDIC-insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts is a money market deposit account.

9. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the updating or having updated the one or more databases comprises performing, using the one or more computers, one or more of the following steps:

accessing electronic check deposit data;

accessing electronic Fed wire deposit data;

accessing electronic ACH deposit data;

accessing electronic debit card transaction files;

accessing electronic credit card transaction files;

accessing electronic check presentment data;

accessing electronic ACH debit data;

accessing electronic touch tone bill paying data;

accessing electronic Internet bill paying data.

10. The method as defined in claim 2, receiving, using the one or more computers, client data for deposits and/or transfers to and withdrawals and/or transfers from each of their respective client accounts from an Internet telecommunications network.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step:

on a regular, periodic, or recurring basis, calculating or having calculated, using the one or more computers, a net transaction amount as the sum of individual client deposits and/or transfers to and withdrawals and/or transfers from each of a plurality of the client accounts; and

,

determining, using the one or more computers, an amount or amounts of funds that need to be deposited into one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client deposits, or an amount or amounts of funds that needs to be withdrawn from one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts to cover client withdrawals, utilizing, the net transaction amount.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the client accounts comprise corporate client accounts.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the instruction for making a withdrawal and/or transfer from the one aggregated deposit account more than six (6) times during a month while preserving an insured and interest-bearing status of the aggregated deposit account held at the one depository institution comprises making requesting that the withdrawal and/or transfer be requested in one or more selected from the group of in person, by mail, by messenger, by telephone and distributed by mail, by automated teller machine.