Creating groups of linked accounts

• US 20060036543A1
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grear, Michael B., Donlin, Gretchen L., Blagg, Lynn Holm, Kathol, Eugene F.
• Application Number:
  US11/187,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036543A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Linking accounts corresponding to different products together to create a group so that group processing can be performed at the group level while independent processing of the accounts is performed at the account level. The method links the accounts into a group by linking a financial record for each account to group master data for the group. The group master data includes information about the group, including group parameters and a group identifier. A group typically includes a key account and one or more dependent accounts. The relationship between a dependent account and the group is specified by a dependent strategy. A dependent strategy specifies group level processing options for the account. The relationships between the accounts and the group are flexible to accommodate changes in the status of the group cardholders.

Claims

1. A method for linking a plurality of financial records to create a group, the financial records corresponding to a plurality of accounts spanning a plurality of products, comprising the steps of:

providing a primary owner for the group;

providing a dependent financial record corresponding to a dependent account, the dependent financial record having a dependent strategy for controlling group processing options for the dependent account;

providing group master data that is associated with the group to facilitate group processing, the group master data including a group identifier, group control settings, and group aggregate data; and

linking the primary owner and the dependent financial record through the group master data to support group processing while retaining independent processing of the dependent account.

2-24. -24. (canceled)