Methods and systems for adjusting account terms based on purchase transaction information

• US 7,890,423 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Financial Corporation
• Inventors: Czyzewski, Nathan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norman; Samica L
• Application Number:
  US11/006,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/35, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a financial account. The disclosed systems and methods may include providing a financial account offer to a customer. The disclosed systems and methods may also include receiving an acceptance of the offer, providing the financial account, setting an account variable equal to a first account value, and monitoring the financial account. The monitoring may further comprise resetting the account variable equal to a second account value when a number of purchase transactions corresponding to a currently monitored time period are less than a threshold value. Furthermore, the account variable may be reset equal to a third account value when the number of purchase transactions corresponding to the currently monitored time period are greater than or equal to the threshold value and a number of purchase transactions corresponding to the previous time period were less than the threshold value.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing an

incentive directed toward retaining a customer associated with a first financial account, the method comprising:

providing a financial account offer of the first financial account to the customer,

the financial account offer having an account variable equal to a first account value;

receiving an acceptance of the financial account offer from the customer;

providing the first financial account to the customer with the account variable set equal to the first account value; and

monitoring, by a processor, the first financial account wherein each of a plurality of contiguous time periods has a corresponding number of purchase transactions associated with the first financial account, wherein the monitoring comprises;

determining a first number of purchase transactions corresponding to a current time period of the plurality of contiguous time periods;

resetting, by the processor, the account variable equal to a second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is less than a threshold value;

determining a second number of purchase transactions corresponding to a previous time period contiguous with the current time period after the determining of the first number of purchase transactions corresponding to the current time period; and

resetting, by the processor, the account variable equal to a third account value different from the second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is greater than the threshold value and the second number of purchase transactions is less than the threshold value;

wherein the account variable comprises at least one of a fee, a finance charge, and an interest rate; and

wherein the third account value is greater than the first account value and less than the second account value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first financial account comprises one of a credit card account and a line-of-credit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the purchase transactions associated with at least one of the plurality of contiguous time periods comprises at least one of a withdrawal from the financial account, a charge to the financial account, and a payment to the financial account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the financial account offer further comprises providing the financial account offer including an offer to accept a funds transfer from a second financial account to the first financial account when the customer accepts the financial account offer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising accepting the funds transfer to the first financial account from the second financial account.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of contiguous time periods corresponds to a billing cycle associated with the financial account.

7. A system for providing an incentive directed toward

retaining a customer associated with a first financial account, the system comprising:

a memory storage for maintaining a database; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to implement a process comprising;

providing a financial account offer of the first financial account to the customer, the financial account offer having an account variable equal to a first account value;

receiving an acceptance of the first financial account offer from the customer;

providing the first financial account to the customer with the account variable set equal to the first account value; and

monitoring the first financial account wherein each of a plurality of contiguous time periods has a corresponding number of purchase transactions associated with the first financial account, and wherein monitoring comprises;

determining a first number of purchase transactions corresponding to a current time period of the plurality of contiguous time periods;

resetting the account variable equal to a second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is less than a threshold value;

determining a second number of purchase transactions corresponding to a previous time period contiguous with the current time period after the determining of the first number of purchase transactions corresponding to the current time period; and

resetting the account variable equal to a third account value different from the second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is greater than the threshold value and the second number of purchase transactions is less than the threshold value;

wherein the account variable comprises at least one of a fee, a finance charge, and an interest rate; and

wherein the third account value is greater than the first account value and less than the second account value.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first financial account comprises one of a credit card account and a line-of-credit.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the purchase transactions associated with at least one of the plurality of contiguous time periods comprises at least one of a withdrawal from the financial account, a charge to the financial account, and a payment to the financial account.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the process implemented by the processing unit further comprises providing the financial account offer including an offer to accept a funds transfer from a second financial account to the first financial account when the customer accepts the financial account offer.

11. The system of claim 10, the process implemented by the processing unit further comprising accepting the funds transfer to the first financial account from the second financial account.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of contiguous time periods corresponds to a billing cycle associated with the financial account.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs a method for providing an incentive directed toward retaining a customer associated with a first financial account, the method comprising:

providing a financial account offer of the first financial account to the customer, the financial account offer having an account variable equal to a first account value;

receiving an acceptance of the first financial account offer from the customer;

providing the first financial account to the customer with the account variable set equal to the first account value; and

monitoring the first financial account wherein each of the plurality of contiguous time periods has a corresponding number of purchase transactions associated with the first financial account, wherein monitoring comprises;

determining a first number of purchase transactions corresponding to a current time period of the plurality of contiguous time periods;

resetting the account variable equal to a second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is less than a threshold value;

determining a second number of purchase transactions corresponding to a previous time period relative to the current time period; and

resetting the account variable equal to a third account value different from the second account value when the first number of purchase transactions is greater than the threshold value and the second number of purchase transactions is less than the threshold value;

wherein the account variable comprises at least one of a fee, a finance charge, and an interest rate; and

wherein the third account value is greater than the first account value and less than the second account value.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first financial account comprises one of a credit card account and a line-of-credit.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the purchase transactions comprises at least one of a withdrawal from the financial account, a charge to the financial account, and a payment to the financial account.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein providing the financial account offer further comprises providing the financial account offer including an offer to accept a funds transfer from a second financial account to the first financial account when the customer accepts the financial account offer.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising accepting the funds transfer to the first financial account from the second financial account.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of contiguous time periods corresponds to a billing cycle associated with the financial account.