Systems and methods for identifying financial relationships

• US 8,781,954 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Haggerty, Kathleen, Varadachary, Venkat
• Primary Examiner(s): Khattar, Rajesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEE, CAROL A
• Application Number:
  US13/403,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Improved systems and methods are provided for identifying financial relationships. In particular, financial relationships may be identified by associating tradelines with one or more people who sign or co-sign on the tradeline. In various embodiments a method is provided comprising, receiving, at a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, credit reporting data relating to a tradeline, parsing, by the computer-based system, the credit reporting data to yield primary debtor data and secondary debtor data, and linking, by the computer-based system, the tradeline with the primary debtor data and the secondary debtor data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, credit reporting data relating to a tradeline;

parsing, by the computer-based system, the credit reporting data to yield primary debtor data and secondary debtor data,

wherein the primary debtor data identifies a primary debtor and wherein the secondary debtor data identifies a secondary debtor, and

wherein a debtor entity comprises the primary debtor and the secondary debtor;

linking, by the computer-based system, the tradeline both with the primary debtor data and with the secondary debtor data,

wherein the linking comprises combining, by the computer-based system, a subset of the primary debtor data and the secondary debtor data using a fingerprinting function to yield a tradeline fingerprint,

wherein the subset comprises at least one data field of the primary debtor data and at least one data field of the secondary debtor data,

wherein the fingerprinting function is at least one of;

a hash function, a checksum function, or a randomization function;

querying, by the computer-based system, a data store for the tradeline fingerprint,

wherein the tradeline fingerprint identifies a household tradeline data set

associated both with the primary debtor and with the secondary debtor;

identifying, by the computer-based system, any balance transfers within the household tradeline data set;

discounting, by the computer-based system, an amount of the balance transfers from any spending identified in the household tradeline data set; and

determining, by the computer-based system, a purchasing ability of the debtor entity based on the household tradeline data set, the discounting, and a model of consumer spending patterns derived from individual and aggregate consumer data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising marketing to the secondary debtor based upon the purchasing ability.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising distributing marketing materials to the primary debtor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a credit score to the debtor entity based on the

purchasing ability, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of spending of the

debtor entity over a given time and wherein the indicator is a numeric score and is a positive or a

negative integer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a strategy to interact with the debtor entity based on the credit score.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining comprises developing a strategy to collect from the debtor entity an amount owed.

7. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, tradeline data associated with a primary debtor in a data store containing credit bureau data;

combining, by the computer-based system, a subset of the tradeline data using a fingerprinting function to yield a tradeline fingerprint,

wherein the subset comprises at least two data fields of the tradeline data associated with the primary debtor and wherein the fingerprinting function is at least one of;

a hash function, a checksum function, or a randomization function;

querying, by the computer-based system, the data store for the tradeline fingerprint to retrieve a secondary debtor associated with the tradeline fingerprint;

querying, by the computer-based system, the data store for primary debtor data relating to the primary debtor and secondary debtor data relating to the secondary debtor;

querying the data store for tradelines associated with the primary debtor and the secondary debtor, wherein the querying yields a household tradeline data set

associated both with the primary debtor and with the secondary debtor;

identifying, by the computer-based system, any balance transfers within the household tradeline data set;

discounting, by the computer-based system, an amount of the balance transfers from any spending identified in the household tradeline data set; and

determining, by the computer-based system, a purchasing ability of a debtor entity comprising the primary debtor and the secondary debtor based on the household tradeline data set, the discounting, and a model of consumer spending patterns derived from individual and aggregate consumer data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising marketing to the secondary debtor based upon the purchasing ability.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising distributing marketing materials to the primary debtor.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning a credit score to the debtor entity based on the purchasing ability, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of spending of the debtor entity over a given time and wherein the indicator is a numeric score and is a positive or a negative integer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a strategy to interact with the debtor entity based on the credit score.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said determining comprises developing a strategy to collect from the debtor entity an amount owed.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, credit reporting data relating to a tradeline;

parsing, by the computer-based system, the credit reporting data to yield primary debtor data and secondary debtor data,

wherein the primary debtor data identifies a primary debtor and wherein the secondary debtor data identifies a secondary debtor, and

wherein a debtor entity comprises the primary debtor and the secondary debtor;

linking, by the computer-based system, the tradeline both with the primary debtor data and with the secondary debtor data,

wherein the linking comprises combining, by the computer-based system, a subset of the primary debtor data and the secondary debtor data using a fingerprinting function to yield a tradeline fingerprint,

wherein the subset comprises at least one data field of the primary debtor data and at least one data field of the secondary debtor data, and

wherein the fingerprinting function is at least one of;

a hash function, a checksum function, or a randomization function;

querying, by the computer-based system, a data store for the tradeline fingerprint,

wherein the fingerprint identifies a household tradeline data set

associated with the primary debtor and the secondary debtor;

estimating, by the computer-based system, credit-related information of the debtor entity based on the household tradeline data set, a previous balance transfer, and a model of consumer spending patterns,

wherein the credit-related information comprises a spend amount associated with the debtor entity; and

offsetting, by the computer-based system, the previous balance transfers from the estimated credit-related information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising assigning a credit score to the debtor entity based on the estimated credit-related information, wherein the credit score includes an indicator indicating a trend of spending of the debtor entity over a given time and wherein the indicator is a numeric score and is a positive or a negative integer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a strategy to interact with at least one of the primary debtor or the secondary debtor based on the credit score.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising marketing to the secondary debtor based upon the credit-related information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising distributing marketing materials to the primary debtor.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining at least one of a familial relationship or marital relationship between the primary debtor and the secondary debtor.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that the primary debtor resides at a first physical address and the secondary debtor resides at a second physical address.