Method and apparatus for development and use of a credit score based on spend capacity

• US 8,315,942 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Haggerty, Kathleen, Okoh, Benedict O., Williamson, Peter L., Yuan, Chao M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vizvary, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/984,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Share of Wallet (“SOW”) is a modeling approach that utilizes various data sources to provide outputs that describe a consumers spending capability, tradeline history including balance transfers, and balance information. These outputs can be appended to data profiles of customers and prospects and can be utilized to support decisions involving prospecting, new applicant evaluation, and customer management across the lifecycle. A SOW score focusing on a consumer'"'"'s spending capability can be used in the same manner as a credit bureau score.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modeling, by a computer-based system for developing a credit score for an individual consumer, consumer spending patterns using individual consumer data and aggregate consumer data, including tradeline data, wherein the computer-based system comprises a processor and non-transitory tangible memory;

estimating, by the computer-based system, credit-related information of the individual consumer based on tradeline data of the individual consumer, a previous balance transfer of the individual consumer, a paydown amount on an account of the individual consumer and the model of consumer spending patterns, wherein the credit-related information comprises a spend amount associated with the individual consumer; and

assigning a credit score to the individual consumer based on the estimated credit-related information, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated credit-related information includes at least one of the following data types:

spend capacity of the consumer, size of the consumer'"'"'s spending wallet over a particular time period, total number of the consumer'"'"'s revolving cards, the consumer'"'"'s revolving balance;

the consumer'"'"'s average pay-down percentage for revolving cards;

total number of the consumer'"'"'s transacting cards;

the consumer'"'"'s transacting balance, a number of balance transfers;

the consumer'"'"'s maximum revolving balance;

the consumer'"'"'s maximum transacting balance;

the consumer'"'"'s credit limit, size of the consumer'"'"'s revolving spending; and

size of the consumer'"'"'s transacting spending.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each data type is given an individual score.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the estimating comprises:

determining which data types are most indicative of the consumer'"'"'s spending patterns; and

assigning a credit score to the consumer based on a combination of scores of data types most indicative of the consumer'"'"'s spending patterns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit score is at least one of a positive integer and a negative integer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit score is indicative of the amount of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous balance transfer of the individual consumer is at least partially identified by the paydown amount on at least one of the individual consumer'"'"'s accounts.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating, by the computer-based system, a spend capacity of the individual consumer.

9. A system comprising:

a non-transitory memory communicating with a processor for developing a credit score for an individual consumer;

the non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

modeling, by the processor, consumer spending patterns using individual consumer data and aggregate consumer data, including tradeline data;

estimating, by the processor, credit-related information of the individual consumer based on tradeline data of the individual consumer, a previous balance transfer of the individual consumer, a paydown amount on an account of the individual consumer, and the model of consumer spending patterns, wherein the credit-related information comprises a spend amount associated with the individual consumer; and

assigning, by the processor, a credit score to the individual consumer based on the estimated credit-related information, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the credit score is at least one of a positive integer and a negative integer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the credit score reflects the amount of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given time period.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the previous balance transfer of the individual consumer is at least partially identified by the paydown amount on at least one of the individual consumer'"'"'s accounts.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the credit score is a range of numeric scores.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the indicator is an exponent.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the credit score is further based on at least one of the following data types:

size of the consumer'"'"'s spending wallet over a particular time period, total number of the consumer'"'"'s revolving cards, the consumer'"'"'s revolving balance, the consumer'"'"'s average pay-down percentage for revolving cards, total number of the consumer'"'"'s transacting cards, the consumer'"'"'s transacting balance, a number of balance transfers, the consumer'"'"'s maximum revolving balance, the consumer'"'"'s maximum transacting balance, the consumer'"'"'s credit limit, size of the consumer'"'"'s revolving spending, and size of the consumer'"'"'s transacting spending.

16. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device for developing a credit score, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

modeling, by the computing device, consumer spending patterns using individual consumer data and aggregate consumer data, including tradeline data;

estimating, by the computing device, credit-related information of an individual consumer based on tradeline data of the individual consumer, a previous balance transfer of the individual consumer, a paydown amount on an account of the individual consumer and the model of consumer spending patterns, wherein the credit-related information comprises a spend amount associated with the individual consumer; and

assigning, by the computing device, a credit score to the consumer based on the estimated credit-related information, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given time.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the credit-related information includes a plurality of data types.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the previous balance transfer of the individual consumer is at least partially identified by the paydown amount on at least one of the individual consumer'"'"'s accounts.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the credit score is at least one of a positive integer and a negative integer.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the credit score is indicative of the amount of the consumer'"'"'s spending over a given period of time.