Data processing technique for scoring bank customer relationships and awarding incentive rewards

• US 6,424,951 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harrison & Co. LLC (Omnicom Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Harrison & Co. LLC (Omnicom Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hansen, Wayne P., Nimis, Gregory R., Shurling, Larry W., Reagle, Granville S., Motschenbacher, Darlene M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myhre, James W.
• Application Number:
  US09/406,388
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/35, 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• 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 Relationship scoring and Incentive Reward awarding process determines a Relationship score for the Relationships between a Bank and each of its customers. Such Relationships may include deposit accounts, loan accounts, and customer referrals. Customer data describing the Relationship between the Bank and its customers is furnished by the customers and extracted from a Bank customer information file. Incentive Rewards, such as reduced loan rates or increased deposit account interest, are awarded to customers based on the Relationship scores. Management reports summarize the Relationships between the Bank and its customers and provide marketing information.

Claims

1. A process for scoring a Relationship that a customer has with a Financial Institution and awarding an Incentive Reward to the customer based on a Relationship score using a computer having a memory, comprising:

maintaining a customer information file in memory of the computer which contains data identifying a plurality of customers of the Financial Institution and identifying a plurality of different Relationships each of the customers has with the Financial Institution;

storing data in the memory of the computer which represents a point value assigned to each of the plurality of different Relationships that are offered to customers by the Financial Institution;

storing data in the memory of the computer which specifies the Relationships that the customer has with the Financial Institution;

correlating the Relationships that the customer has with the Financial Institution and the point value assigned to that Relationship by using the computer to access the data stored in the memory;

computing a Relationship score for the customer by using the computer to total the point values correlated with the Relationships that the customer has with the Financial Institution;

comparing the Relationship score to value in a vesting scale to determine an amount of vesting;

awarding an Incentive Reward to the customer based on the Relationship score;

creating a customer database file in memory of the computer which contains a customer record for each customer and a plurality of fields;

creating a master dictionary file in memory of the computer which contains a plurality of attributes which describe the information contained in the fields of the customer record; and

computing the Relationship score by making a computation using the information in the fields of the customer record of the customer database file and an attribute of the master dictionary file.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein in said creating the master dictionary step, at least one attribute describes at least one field to be used in computing the Relationship score and another attribute describes the information in the field as a point value associated with each Relationship.