Account opening computer system architecture and process for implementing same

• US 8,468,090 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HSBC Technology & Services Incorporated (HSBC Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: HSBC Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Roselli, Paris F., Flood, John P., Brooks, Darrick R., Johnson, Trevor, Gupta, Sonu, Lesandro, Ronald M., Sullivan, Michael J., Loveday, Darren P., Antognoli, Michael R., He, Yilu, Lakshman, Srinivas, Gemma, Richard A., Hayes, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M
• Application Number:
  US13/293,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705 38- 39, 705/42, 235379-381
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

The present invention provides, in alternative embodiments, a computer architecture and/or computer implemented methods for account opening. In some embodiments, the invention provides an integrated, component-based technology platform in which globally standardized, business configurable account opening processes are separate and decoupled from the user interface screens and are directly manageable by business functionality and/or personnel. In various embodiments, the invention provides pause and resume, save and retrieve, cross-channel, metrics, audit tracking, data logging, and/or straight-through processing capabilities for account opening.

Claims

1. A computer system architecture decoupling the user interface from an underlying computer executed process for opening an account for a customer, comprising:

at least one computer system including at least one computer processor and at least one memory storing instructions executed by the computer system, the at least one computer system configured to include;

a front end user interface platform capturing application data, implemented by the at least one computer system and including at least one business interface receiving local business specifications for at least one of application data elements and account opening processes performed by predetermined application specific core systems and decoupled from the business interface;

an application processing platform implemented by the at least one computer system and accessing configurable business rules and comprising an application processing engine performing straight-through processing of the application data including managing the validation of the user, managing the configuring of at least one product, managing the assembling of terms and conditions relevant to the at least one product selected, managing the decisioning of the application, and transmitting the processed application data;

a customer communications module implemented by the at least one computer system and managing the generating and sending of customer communications documents;

a queue management system implemented by the at least one computer system and supporting queues on the application data outside of the straight-through processing;

a funding module comprising a payment processing engine executing at least one of an account funding instruction and a fee instruction; and

a plurality of core systems comprising a customer data management system storing customer data, a decision engine decisioning the application, a cards product system supporting one or more card products, a core banking product system supporting deposit accounts, and a sales services system managing customer interactions, said plurality of core systems operatively communicating with said customer communications module via at least one core system interface protocol.

2. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture decoupling the user interface from an underlying computer executed process, comprising:

at least one computer system including at least one computer processor and at least one memory storing instructions executed by the computer system, the at least one computer system configured to include;

a globally consistent front end user interface platform implemented by the at least one computer system and capturing application data and including at least one processing module defining at least one of application data elements and process flow instructions responsive to predetermined application specific core systems, and said globally consistent front end user interface platform decoupled from the predetermined application specific core systems;

a globally consistent application processing platform implemented by the at least one computer system and accessing configurable business rules and comprising an application processing engine processing the application data including managing the validation of the user, managing the configuring of at least one product, managing the assembling of terms and conditions relevant to the at least one product selected, managing the decisioning of the application, and transmitting the processed application data;

a globally consistent customer communications module implemented by the at least one computer system and managing the generating and sending of customer communications documents;

a globally consistent queue management system implemented by the at least one computer system and supporting queues processes that utilize the application data;

a globally consistent funding module comprising a payment processing engine executing at least one of an account funding instruction and a fee instruction; and

a plurality of core systems comprising a customer data management system storing customer data, a decision engine decisioning the application, a cards product system supporting one or more card products, a core banking product system supporting deposit accounts, and a sales services system managing customer interactions, said plurality of core systems operatively communicating with said globally consistent customer communications module via at least one core system interface protocol.

3. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent front end user interface platform provides the same process flow instructions responsive to the predetermined application specific core systems for the life of the application.

4. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent front end user interface platform is segmented into multiple portlets that are chained together to create a configurable journey with respect to a predetermined application of at least one of the application specific core systems.

5. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent front end user interface platform executes, in cooperation with said globally consistent application processing platform, the following use-cases comprising:

present product;

request statements;

request ATM card;

maintain involved party;

validate identity through third party systems;

validate identity;

accept terms and conditions;

execute funding;

retrieve and action decision;

save application;

retrieve application;

search application;

open account;

activate account;

archive application; and

maintain application.

6. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, further comprising user interfaces including components, content, and links,

wherein the components are further broken down into data structures, layout including attributes, view components, links and validation rules for individual fields within the component, and

wherein the content provides defined content, the links enable the user to perform actions, and the view components are deployable as the content, and

wherein said globally consistent front end user interface platform provides flexibility when interfacing with the user interface.

7. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine processes application data received from both internal and external sources, packages at least a part of the application data and transmits the packaged data to a decisioning system, and analyzes the application data to generate a set of decisions.

8. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine tracks the application processes, provides a status of all applications, and tracks historic activity.

9. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine executes the following processes:

saves the applications each time the application processing engine is called;

enables the applications to be retrieved using predetermined application data;

enables a search operation to be initiated to search for existing applications to continue the application process;

enables the suspending of the applications and restarting of the applications; and

interfaces with the applications without being dependent on application specific interfaces.

10. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform controls the application processes, centrally tracks the application processes, centrally stores the application data, and interfaces with supporting systems and queue management.

11. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform centrally stores the application data including reference data comprising static values used by at least one of said plurality of core systems.

12. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said application processing engine interacts with sub-system applications in their native form, without being dependent on application-specific interfaces.

13. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine performs at least one of the following functions comprising:

duplicate data at point of application from one or more sub-systems to maintain an enduring application system of record;

call other systems using fixed format messaging or service contracts;

perform business configurable actions as part of a macro service operation;

perform macro services based on one or more of entity ID, channel ID, product group ID, and business process ID;

transmit an application ID, reason code, and entity ID to the queue management system; and

initiate request to add one or more customer, account, or embosser records in the cards product system.

14. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine comprises one or more of the following capabilities:

application and product breakdown;

determine or designate statuses;

at least one of up sell, down sell, and cross sell;

bundle product applications;

multi-product applications;

multi-party applications;

single applications;

service configuration;

entity extension;

progress logging;

support;

reports; and

system maintenance.

15. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said globally consistent application processing platform including the application processing engine:

automatically maintains the state of the application and products within the application;

enables the application process to be paused and resumed; and

enables the application to be saved and retrieved in the same or a different channel to continue the application process.

16. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein customer communications histories and pointers to application data including document ID, timestamp, and basic data elements are stored in the application processing platform, and templates are stored in a business development environment, for at least one of assembling and generating a customer communications document by the customer communications module.

17. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, further comprising business processes separate from screens and manageable by business staff, said business processes and screens configurable by the business in any order.

18. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, further comprising an automated agent running using background processes and interrogating systems enabling at least one of aging of applications off the global computer system and the queues, sending one or more customer communications, and escalating problems.

19. An end-to-end component based global computer system architecture according to claim 2, wherein said application processing engine further enables cross channel capability, enabling the application processes to be started, paused and restarted by a plurality of at least one of different users and processes.

20. A global computer system architecture decoupling the user interface from underlying business configurable computer executed processes, comprising:

at least one computer system including at least one computer processor and at least one memory storing instructions executed by the computer system, the at least one computer system configured to include;

a front end user interface platform implemented by the at least one computer system and capturing application data and providing a flexible and dynamic sequence of screens responsive to configurable business rules coded in application specific core systems separate from the screens and manageable by business staff, and said front end user interface platform decoupled from the application specific core systems;

an application processing platform implemented by the at least one computer system and containing the configurable business rules and comprising an application processing engine controlling the application processes, centrally tracking the application processes, centrally storing the application data, and coordinating the interaction of a plurality of core supporting systems including;

a customer communications module implemented by the at least one computer system and generating, managing, and delivering customer communications documents based on the application data and business configurable templates;

a customer data management system storing customer data;

a cards product system supporting one or more card products;

a core banking product system supporting deposit accounts;

a sales services system managing customer interactions; and

a decision engine decisioning the application,

said plurality of core systems operatively communicating with the application processing platform via at least one core system interface protocol without being dependent on application specific interfaces;

a queue management system supporting queues for exception processing; and

a funding module comprising a payment processing engine executing at least one account funding, fee, or balance transfer instruction.