Systems and methods for providing loan management from cash or deferred income arrangements

• US 8,626,649 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACCESS CONTROL ADVANTAGE, INC.
• Original Assignee: ACCESS CONTROL ADVANTAGE, INC.
• Inventors: Bent, Bruce, Bent, Bruce II
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cranford, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/928,826
• Time in Patent Office: 2,261 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39
• US Class Current: 705/39
• 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 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A method, system and program product implemented at least in part by computer for facilitating provision of loans to a plurality of participants of one or more benefit plan accounts associated with one or more record keepers, each participant having participant assets in one or more of the benefit plan accounts, each of the benefit plan accounts comprising a plurality of investment vehicles, each of the one or more record keepers providing record keeping services for at least one of the benefit plan accounts, the method comprising: administering a first plurality of loan fund accounts; maintaining an association of each different one of the first plurality of loan fund accounts with a different investment vehicle that is part of the respective one or more benefit plan accounts; receiving a selection from a selecting entity of one or more of the loan fund accounts from among the first plurality of loan fund accounts; investing or having invested or maintaining loan fund assets comprising participant assets associated with the selecting entity in the one or more respective different investment vehicles associated with the one or more selected loan fund accounts; associating a respective loan accounting process with each of the selected one or more loan fund accounts; receiving a loan-request; initiating transfer of an amount of funds requested; and updating by computer said account information for said loan fund account to reflect said loan-request amount of funds transferred from said loan fund account using the associated respective accounting process.

Claims

1. A computer system for facilitating provision of loans to a plurality of participants of one or more employee benefit plans associated with one or more record keepers, said computer system comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more computer-readable storage media operatively connected to one or more processors in the one or more computers, comprising computer program instructions configured for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform steps comprising;

accessing, using the one or more computers, in the performance of one or more of the following steps, one or more electronic databases comprising;

(1) aggregated investment account information for a first plurality of aggregated investment accounts, each different aggregated investment account associated with a respective one or more of the employee benefit plans and comprising funds of a plurality of individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts, each of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts being associated with one or more of the employee benefit plans, each of the different aggregated investment accounts associated with a different one or more cash-equivalent investment vehicles;

(2) participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a plurality of participants, the participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a respective one of the participant asset-funded loan fund accounts comprising one or more participant loan fund amounts held in one or more of the aggregated investment accounts, wherein the individual participant asset-funded loan fund account is defined as an account which is separate from a core investment account of the participant'"'"'s benefit plan account and is funded by assets segregated by the asset-funded loan fund account from the core investment account of the participant'"'"'s benefit plan account; and

for each of multiple of the individual participants, performing the steps;

receiving or obtaining, using the one or more computers, a selection from a selecting entity on behalf of the participant, of one or more of the aggregated investment accounts from among the first plurality of aggregated investment accounts;

creating or maintaining, using the one or more computers, a respective one of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts for each of the one or more aggregated investment accounts selected by or for the individual participant;

generating investment data for respective of the individual participants, using the one or more computers, for a respective one of the individual participants, to move funds from the core investment account of the respective individual participant'"'"'s employee benefit plan account to fund or maintain funds in the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant to be held in the one or more of the aggregated investment accounts selected by or on behalf of the respective one individual participant;

funding each of the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant with assets of the individual participant segregated from the core investment account of the individual participant based at least in art on the investment data generated for the respective individual participant;

receiving redemption data and payment data for one or more of the individual participants;

generating transfer data, using the one or more computers, for transferring one or more amounts of funds associated with the one or more individual participants having the redemption data, from one or more of their respective asset-funded loan fund accounts to service the one or more redemptions, wherein the funds of the respective asset-funded loan fund accounts are held in one or more of said aggregated investment accounts; and

determining at least for each of the one or more individual participants for which redemption data and/or payment data was received, using the one or more computers, an update of the one or more balances for the one or more asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participants based at least in part on the transfer data and/or the payment data associated with the respective individual participant.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the transfer data generated to service a respective loan request from a respective one of the participants is to transfer funds from two of the respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective participant held in their respective aggregated investment accounts.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the selecting entity is one of the record keepers, and wherein the selected one or more aggregated investment accounts are funded with participant assets in one or more benefit plans for which the one record keeper provides record keeping services.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the selection received from the one record keeper is for a second plurality of the aggregated investment accounts which second plurality is less than the first plurality, and further comprising:

the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving or obtaining a selection from one or more of the participants associated with the one record keeper of at least one of the second plurality of aggregated investment accounts to invest loan fund assets associated with the one or more participant'"'"'s individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the selecting entity is a benefit plan, and wherein the one or more aggregated investment accounts are funded with participant assets from the one benefit plan.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the selection received from the benefit plan is for a second plurality of the aggregated investment accounts which second plurality is less than the first plurality, and further comprising

the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving or obtaining a selection from one or more of the participants in the one benefit plan of at least one of the second plurality of aggregated investment accounts to invest loan fund assets associated with the one or more participant'"'"'s individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of different record keepers and a plurality of benefit plans and further comprising the computer system comprising:

a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving or obtaining a selection of a respective second plurality of the aggregated investment accounts from each respective record keeper of the plurality of different record keepers, wherein one or more of the respective second pluralities are less than the first plurality; and

a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of funding or having funded the respective second plurality of the aggregated investment accounts selected by each different record keeper with participant assets associated with that respective record keeper.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of different benefit plans and further comprising the computer system comprising:

a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform step of receiving or obtaining a selection by each of the plurality of different benefit plans of a respective second plurality of the aggregated investment accounts, wherein one or more of the respective second pluralities are less than the first plurality; and

a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of funding or having funded the respective second plurality of aggregated investment accounts selected by each different respective benefit plan with participant assets associated with that different respective benefit plan.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the selecting entity is one of the participants.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the selecting entity is one of the participants and further comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving or obtaining from the participant a selection of at least two of the aggregated investment accounts.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the selection received or obtained is for a second plurality of aggregated investment accounts which second plurality is less than the first plurality, wherein there are a plurality of record keepers, and further comprising the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of distributing the loan fund assets associated with the plurality of record keepers among the second plurality of aggregated investment accounts.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the record keepers, and further comprising the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of maintaining each different aggregated investment account with one and only one record keeper.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the record keepers, and further comprising the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of maintaining for each of the different record keepers a separate sub-account in each of a plurality of the aggregated investment accounts.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the benefit plans, and further comprising the computer system comprising a computer program instruction stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of maintaining for each of the different benefit plans an associated separate sub-account in each of a plurality of the aggregated investment accounts.

15. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising computer code for accessing and communicating with a check clearinghouse network.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the receiving redemption data step computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving redemption data comprises computer instructions for receiving access vehicle redemptions to be taken from the aggregated investment account for one or more of the participants;

and

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of generating, in response to receipt of the one or more access vehicle redemptions, data for one or more requests to transfer funds associated with the respective asset-funded loan fund accounts from one or more of the aggregated investment accounts to settle the one or more redemptions.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions in the one or more computer-readable storage media for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving or obtaining access vehicle redemptions are configured to receive redemption data for at least one access vehicle selected from the group of a check, a credit card, a debit card, an ACH transfer, a wire transfer, a sweep, and an ATM.

18. The computer system of claim 1, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising:

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of providing a communication interface for exchanging data between the one or more computers and an access-vehicle-settlement computer system of a settlement system that processes uses of an access vehicle; and

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of generating data for a request to transfer funds from the aggregated investment account upon receipt of data from the access-vehicle-settlement computer system comprising a request for settlement for use of the access vehicle by one or more of the participants.

19. The computer system of claim 18, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising:

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of updating a line of credit (LOC) of the individual participant based at least in part on the redemption data and/or the payment data received; and

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of transmitting the updated LOC to the access-vehicle-settlement computer system.

20. The computer system of claim 1, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of generating an interface to the World Wide Web configured to permit access by one of the participants, and further configured to receive a signal initiating transfer of assets between the individual participant asset-funded loan fund account of the one participant and the benefit plan account of the one participant.

21. The computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more databases further comprise

(3) aggregated investment account investment vehicle association information, listing for each of the first plurality of aggregated investment accounts, an association with a different one or more cash-equivalent investment vehicles.

22. A method for facilitating provision of loans to a plurality of participants of one or more employee benefit plans associated with one or more record keepers, said computer system comprising:

accessing, using one or more computers, in the performance of one or more of the following steps, one or more electronic databases comprising;

(1) aggregated investment account information for a first plurality of aggregated investment accounts, each different aggregated investment account associated with a respective one or more of the employee benefit plans and comprising funds of a plurality of individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts, each of the different aggregated investment accounts associated with a different one or more cash-equivalent investment vehicles;

(2) participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a plurality of participants, the participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a respective one of the individual participants comprising a respective balance for each of one or more asset-funded loan funds accounts associated with a respective one or more of the aggregated investment accounts selected by or for the respective individual participant, wherein the respective one of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts is defined as an account which is separate from a core investment account of the participant'"'"'s employee benefit plan account and is funded by assets segregated by the asset-funded loan fund account from the core investment account of the individual participant'"'"'s employee benefit plan account and is associated with one of the aggregated investment accounts; and

for each of multiple of the individual participants, performing the steps;

receiving or obtaining at the one or more computers, a selection made by a selecting entity by or on behalf of the individual participant, of one or more of the aggregated investment accounts from among the first plurality of aggregated investment accounts;

creating or maintaining, using the one or more computers, a respective one of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts for each of the one or more aggregated investment accounts selected by or for the individual participant;

generating investment data for respective of the individual participants, using the one or more computers, for a respective one of the individual participants, to move funds from the core investment account of the respective individual participant'"'"'s employee benefit plan account to fund or maintain funds in the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant to be held in the one or more of the aggregated investment accounts selected by or on behalf of the respective one individual participant;

funding each of the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant with assets of the individual participant segregated from the core investment account of the individual participant based at least in part on the investment data generated for the respective individual participant;

receiving redemption data and payment data for one or more of the individual participants;

generating transfer data, using the one or more computers, for transferring one or more amounts of funds associated with the one or more individual participants having the redemption data, from one or more of their respective asset-funded loan fund accounts to service the one or more redemptions, wherein the funds of the respective asset-funded loan fund accounts are held in one or more of said aggregated investment accounts; and

determining at least for each of the one or more individual participants for which redemption data and/or payment data was received, using the one or more computers, an update of the one or more balances for the one or more asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participants based at least in part on the transfer data and/or the payment data associated with the respective individual participant.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transfer data generated to service a respective loan request from a respective one of the participants is to transfer funds from two of the respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund account of the respective participant held in their respective aggregated investment accounts.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein there are a plurality of different benefit plans and further comprising:

receiving or obtaining, by the one or more computers, a selection by each of the plurality of respective different benefit plans of a respective second plurality of aggregated investment accounts, and

funding or having funded, by the one or more computers, the respective second plurality of aggregated investment accounts selected by each different respective benefit plan with participant assets associated with that different respective benefit plan.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the selecting entity is one of the participants and further comprising:

receiving from the participant a selection of at least two of the aggregated investment accounts.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving or obtaining a selection of a second plurality of aggregated investment accounts, wherein there are a plurality of benefit plans, and

distributing, by the one or more computers, the loan fund assets associated with the plurality of benefit plans among the aggregated investment accounts in the second plurality of aggregated investment accounts.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the selection received or obtained is for a second plurality of aggregated investment accounts, which second plurality is less than the first plurality, wherein there are a plurality of record keepers, and further comprising:

distributing, by the one or more computers, the loan fund assets associated with the plurality of record keepers among the second plurality of aggregated investment accounts.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein there are a plurality of the benefit plans, and further comprising:

maintaining, by the one or more computers, for each of the different benefit plans an associated separate sub-account in each of a plurality of the aggregated investment accounts.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the receiving redemption data step comprises receiving redemption data for at least one access vehicle selected from the group of a check, a credit card, a debit card, an ACH transfer, a wire transfer, a sweep, and an ATM.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing, by the one or more computers, a communication interface for exchanging data with an access-vehicle-settlement computer system of a settlement system that processes uses of an access vehicle; and

generating, by the one or more computers, data for a request to transfer funds from one or more of the aggregated investment accounts upon receipt of data from the access-vehicle-settlement computer system comprising a request for settlement for use of the access vehicle by one or more of the participants.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

updating, using the one or more computers, a line of credit (LOC) of the individual participant based at least in part on the redemption data and/or the payment data received; and

transmitting, using the one or more computers, the updated LOC to the access-vehicle-settlement computer system.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing, by the one or more computers, an interface to the World Wide Web configured to permit access by one of the participants, and further configured to receive a signal initiating transfer of assets between the individual participant asset-funded loan fund account of the one participant and the benefit plan account of the one participant.

33. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the one or more databases further comprise

(3) aggregated investment account investment vehicle association information, listing for each of the first plurality of aggregated investment accounts, an association with a different one or more cash-equivalent investment vehicles.

34. A program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media having encoded program instructions capable of, when executed, causing a computer to perform a method for facilitating provision of loans to a plurality of participants of one or more benefit plans associated with one or more record keepers, each of the one or more record keepers providing record keeping services for at least one of the benefit plans, comprising;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for accessing, using one or more computers, in the performance of one or more of the following steps, one or more electronic databases comprising;

(1) aggregated investment account information for a first plurality of aggregated investment accounts, each different aggregated investment account associated with a respective one or more of the employee benefit plans and comprising funds of a plurality of individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts, each of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts being associated with one or more of the employee benefit plans, each of the different aggregated investment accounts associated with a different one or more cash-equivalent investment vehicles;

(2) participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a plurality of participants, the participant asset-funded loan fund account information for a respective one of the participant asset-funded loan fund accounts comprising one or more participant loan fund amounts held in one or more of the aggregated investment accounts, wherein the individual participant asset-funded loan fund account is defined as an account which is separate from a core investment account of the participant'"'"'s benefit plan account and is funded by assets segregated by the asset-funded loan fund account from the core investment account of the participant'"'"'s benefit plan account; and

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for receiving or obtaining, using the one or more computers, a selection from a selecting entity on behalf of the participant, of one or more of the aggregated investment accounts from among the first plurality of aggregated investment accounts;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for creating or maintaining, using the one or more computers, a respective one of the individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts for each of the one or more aggregated investment accounts selected by or for the individual participant;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for generating investment data for respective of the individual participants, using the one or more computers, for a respective one of the individual participants, to move funds from the core investment account of the respective individual participant'"'"'s employee benefit plan account to fund or maintain funds in the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant to be held in the one or more of the aggregated investment accounts selected by or on behalf of the respective one individual participant;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for funding each of the one or more respective individual participant asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participant with assets of the individual participant segregated from the core investment account of the individual participant based at least in part on the investment data generated for the respective individual participant;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for receiving redemption data and payment data for one or more of the individual participants;

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for generating transfer data, using the one or more computers, for transferring one or more amounts of funds associated with the one or more individual participants having the redemption data, from one or more of their respective asset-funded loan fund accounts to service the one or more redemptions, wherein the funds of the respective asset-funded loan fund accounts are held in one or more of said aggregated investment accounts; and

computer program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media for determining at least for each of the one or more individual participants for which redemption data and/or payment data was received, using the one or more computers, an update of the one or more balances for the one or more asset-funded loan fund accounts of the respective individual participants based at least in part on the transfer data and/or the payment data associated with the respective individual participant.

35. The program product of claim 34, wherein the program instructions for the receiving redemption data step is configured for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of receiving redemption data for at least one access vehicle selected from the group of a check, a credit card, a debit card, an ACH transfer, a wire transfer, a sweep, and an ATM.

36. The program product of claim 34, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising:

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of providing, using the one or more computers, a communication interface for exchanging data with an access-vehicle-settlement computer system of a settlement system that processes uses of an access vehicle; and

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of generating, using the one or more computers, data for a request to transfer funds from one or more of the aggregated investment accounts upon receipt of data from the access-vehicle-settlement computer system comprising a request for settlement for use of the access vehicle by one or more of the participants.

37. The program product of claim 36, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising:

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of updating a line of credit (LOC) of the individual participant based at least in part on the redemption data and/or the payment data received; and

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of transmitting the updated LOC to the access-vehicle-settlement computer system.

38. The program product of claim 34, the one or more computer-readable storage media further comprising:

program instructions for causing, when executed, the one or more computers to perform a step of providing an interface, by the one or more computers, to the World Wide Web configured to permit access by one of the participants, and further configured to receive a signal initiating transfer of assets between the individual participant asset-funded loan fund account of the one participant and the benefit plan account of the one participant.