Determining Change in Interchange Rate

Abstract

This document describes tools capable of auditing and/or determining changes in card-issuer interchange rates charged for credit-card transactions. The tools may do so automatically and with user interaction for large amounts of transactions.

1 . A system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to:
 build a baseline card-issuer interchange rate for a particular merchant based on dollar volumes for credit card transactions for a historical period, and card-issuer interchange fees associated with card-issuer interchange categories assigned to the credit card transactions; 
 adjust the baseline card-issuer interchange rate for the particular merchant based on interchange rate changes made after the historical period to the card-issuer interchange categories assigned to the credit card transactions, effective to provide an adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate; 
 receive credit card transaction data for credit card transactions associated with the particular merchant for a billing cycle after the historical period, the credit card transaction data being used to determine card issuer interchange categories assigned to the credit card transactions during the billing cycle after the historical period; 
 determine a card-issuer interchange rate for the billing cycle after the historical period based on the card issuer interchange categories assigned during the billing cycle after the historical period; 
 determine a rate difference between the card-issuer interchange rate for the billing cycle after the historical period and the adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate; 
 determine a fee savings or loss based on a credit card dollar volume for the credit card transactions during the billing cycle after the historical period and the determined rate difference; and 
 provide a report indicating the fee savings or loss. 
   
     
     
         2 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to build the baseline card-issuer interchange rate by:
 extracting the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from a relational database; and   transforming the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes into the baseline card-issuer interchange rate by dividing the card-issuer interchange fees by the dollar volumes.   
     
     
         3 . A system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the instructions include an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) package, and said extracting is performed by an Extract portion of the ETL package, and said transforming is performed by a transform portion of the ETL package. 
     
     
         4 . A system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said extracting utilizes a merchant identifier for the particular merchant to extract the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from the relational database. 
     
     
         5 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the dollar volumes for the credit card transactions for the historical period and the card-issuer interchange fees associated with the card-issuer interchange categories assigned to the credit card transactions are determined from multiple merchant-processor statements from the historical period. 
     
     
         6 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the billing cycle after the historical period comprises a current billing cycle for the particular merchant. 
     
     
         7 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to determine a payment due based on a percentage of the fee savings, and wherein the report further includes an indication of the payment due. 
     
     
         8 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to determine the fee savings or loss and provide the report automatically and without user interaction. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 building, automatically and without user interaction, a baseline card-issuer interchange rate for a particular merchant based on:
 card-issuer interchange fees associated with card-issuer interchange categories assigned to credit card transactions; and 
 dollar volumes on which the card-issuer interchange fees are charged, the card-issuer interchange fees and dollar volumes being from multiple historic merchant-processor statements of the particular merchant and over a historical period; 
   adjusting, automatically and without user interaction, the baseline card-issuer interchange rate for the particular merchant based on interchange rate changes made after the historical period to the card-issuer interchange categories assigned to credit card transactions of the particular merchant over the historical period, effective to provide an adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate;   receiving, automatically and without user interaction, credit card transaction data for a current billing cycle for credit card transactions associated with the particular merchant, the credit card transaction data being used to determine card issuer interchange categories currently assigned to the credit card transactions during the current billing cycle;   determining, automatically and without user interaction, a current card-issuer interchange rate for the current billing cycle based on the card issuer interchange categories assigned during the current billing cycle;   determining, automatically and without user interaction, a rate difference between the card-issuer interchange rate for the current billing cycle and the adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate;   determining, automatically and without user interaction, a fee savings or loss based on a credit card dollar volume for the credit card transactions during the current billing cycle and the determined rate difference; and   providing an indication of the fee savings or loss to an entity associated with the particular merchant.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein the method is performed for different merchants, the different merchants and the particular merchant being associated with a particular client, and wherein the method further comprises providing, in a human-readable format and for merchants of the particular client, an indication of the fees saved and a payment due, the payment due being based on a percentage of the fees saved. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein said building the baseline card-issuer interchange rate comprises:
 extracting the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from a relational database; and   transforming the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes into the baseline card-issuer interchange rate by dividing the card-issuer interchange fees by the dollar volumes.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said extracting is performed using an Extract portion of an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) package, and said transforming is performed using a transform portion of the ETL package. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said extracting utilizes a merchant identifier for the particular merchant to extract the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from the relational database, the relational database storing credit card transaction information for multiple different merchants. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein said determining the current card-issuer interchange rate for the current billing cycle is based on one or more changes to card-issuer interchange fees for the card issuer interchange categories assigned during the current billing cycle. 
     
     
         15 . One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that are executable by one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:
 build a baseline card-issuer interchange rate for a particular merchant based on:
 card-issuer interchange fees associated with card-issuer interchange categories assigned to credit card transactions; and 
 dollar volumes on which the card-issuer interchange fees are charged, the card-issuer interchange fees and dollar volumes being from multiple historic merchant-processor statements of the particular merchant and over a historical period; 
   adjust the baseline card-issuer interchange rate for the particular merchant based on interchange rate changes made after the historical period to the card-issuer interchange categories assigned to credit card transactions of the particular merchant over the historical period, effective to provide an adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate;   receive credit card transaction data for a current billing cycle for credit card transactions associated with the particular merchant, the credit card transaction data being used to determine card issuer interchange categories currently assigned to the credit card transactions during the current billing cycle;   determine a current card-issuer interchange rate for the current billing cycle based on the card issuer interchange categories assigned during the current billing cycle;   determine a rate difference between the card-issuer interchange rate for the current billing cycle and the adjusted baseline card-issuer interchange rate;   determine a fee savings or loss based on a credit card dollar volume for the credit card transactions during the current billing cycle and the determined rate difference; and   provide an indication of the fee savings or loss to an entity associated with the particular merchant.   
     
     
         16 . One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:
 extract the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from a relational database; and   transform the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes into the baseline card-issuer interchange rate by dividing the card-issuer interchange fees by the dollar volumes.   
     
     
         17 . One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to extract the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes using an Extract portion of an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) package, and transform the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes into the baseline card-issuer interchange rate using a transform portion of the ETL package. 
     
     
         18 . One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to extract the card-issuer interchange fees and the dollar volumes from the relational database utilizing a merchant identifier for the particular merchant, the relational database storing credit card transaction information for multiple different merchants. 
     
     
         19 . One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to determine a payment due based on a percentage of the fee savings, and report an indication of the payment due. 
     
     
         20 . One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to determine the fee savings or loss and provide the indication of the fee savings or loss automatically and without user interaction.