Prepaid account product peer scoring

Abstract

Data from transactions conducted on prepaid accounts are accumulated for an issuer and its peers. The accumulated data is used for calculations for both the issuer and its peers to make comparison therebetween. The comparisons between the issuer and its peers are rendered graphically in a report. The issuers are in an open system payment processing network that includes merchants and their acquirers, and a transaction handler for authorizing, clearing and settling the transactions that are conducted on prepaid accounts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system for creating a computer display to render a report comprising a processor physically configured according to computer executable instructions, a memory physically configured to store the computer executable instructions and an input/output circuit, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:
 accumulating data via a computer from a plurality of transactions each of which is conducted on a corresponding issued prepaid account issued by an issuer that was activated by an account holder, wherein the issuer is within a payment processing system that includes a transaction handler processing the transaction for both a merchant and processing other said transactions for other said merchants, each said merchant submitting the corresponding said transaction to a corresponding acquirer for processing by the transaction handler who requests the issuer of the corresponding said prepaid account to obtain payment for the corresponding said transaction from the corresponding said prepaid account and for which the issuer forwards the payment from the prepaid account to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to pay the merchant for the corresponding said transaction;   calculating, via a computer, from the accumulated data for both one said issuer in a category of said issuers and for other said issuers also in the category, a Volume Power Score between the one said issuer in the category of said issuers and the other said issuers in the category;   and   rendering the report graphically depicting the Volume Power Score.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score comprises a percentage of active prepaid accounts. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score comprises a average number of payments that have been made for each active prepaid accounts. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score comprises an average dollar amount of a transaction conducted on an active prepaid account. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score comprises multiplying the percentage of active prepaid accounts by the average number of payments that have been made for each active prepaid account and the average dollar amount of the a transaction conducted on an active prepaid account. 
     
     
         6 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the rendered report graphically depicting the Volume Power Score comprises a graph depicting the Volume Power Score for each of at least two different time periods during which the data was accumulated from the plurality of the transactions that were conducted on the corresponding prepaid accounts within the payment processing system. 
     
     
         7 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise repeating the calculating for a series of pairs of matching time periods for sequential calendar years, whereby the rendered report respectively depicts the Volume Power Score for said pair of matching time periods for sequential calendar years. 
     
     
         8 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 payments for the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are offline transactions;   payments for the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are Interlink transactions; and   a combination of the foregoing.   
     
     
         9 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve cash from an Automated Teller machine (ATM);   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve manually giving cash;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that the account holder receiving cash back; and   a combination of the foregoing.   
     
     
         10 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a loss of a currency amount loaded onto the corresponding prepaid account;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a fraud charge off;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve an unrecoverable loss; and   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a negative balance of the corresponding prepaid account.   
     
     
         11 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 1 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of the transactions of the prepaid accounts that a channel selected from the group consisting of face-to-face transactions, mail order transactions, telephone transactions, Internet transactions; and recurring transactions. 
     
     
         12 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 11 , wherein, for each said channel, the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are approved, the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are partially approved, and the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are not approved. 
     
     
         12 . A computer system for creating a computer display to render a report comprising a processor physically configured according to computer executable instructions, a memory physically configured to store the computer executable instructions and an input/output circuit, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:
 accumulating data via a computer from a plurality of transactions each of which is conducted on a corresponding issued prepaid account issued by an issuer that was activated by an account holder, wherein
 the issuer is within a payment processing system that includes 
   a transaction handler processing the transaction for both a merchant and processing other said transactions for other said merchants,   each said merchant submitting the corresponding said transaction to a corresponding acquirer for processing by the transaction handler who requests the issuer of the corresponding said prepaid account to:   obtain payment for the corresponding said transaction from the corresponding said prepaid account and   for which the issuer forwards the payment from the prepaid account to the transaction handler who forwards the payment to the acquirer to pay the merchant for the corresponding said transaction;   calculating, via a computer, from the accumulated data for both one said issuer in a category of said issuers and for other said issuers also in the category, a Volume Power Score between the one said issuer in the category of said issuers and the other said issuers in the category;   and   rendering the report graphically depicting the Volume Power Score.   
     
     
         13 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the Volume Power Score comprises multiplying the percentage of active prepaid accounts by the average number of payments that have been made for each active prepaid account and the average dollar amount of the a transaction conducted on an active prepaid account. 
     
     
         14 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the rendered report graphically depicting the Volume Power Score comprises a graph depicting the Volume Power Score for each of at least two different time periods during which the data was accumulated from the plurality of the transactions that were conducted on the corresponding prepaid accounts within the payment processing system. 
     
     
         15 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise repeating the calculating for a series of pairs of matching time periods for sequential calendar years, whereby the rendered report respectively depicts the Volume Power Score for said pair of matching time periods for sequential calendar years. 
     
     
         16 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 payments for the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are offline transactions;   payments for the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are Interlink transactions; and   a combination of the foregoing.   
     
     
         17 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve cash from an Automated Teller machine (ATM);   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve manually giving cash;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that the account holder receiving cash back; and   a combination of the foregoing.   
     
     
         18 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of:
 the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a loss of a currency amount loaded onto the corresponding prepaid account;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a fraud charge off;   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve an unrecoverable loss; and   the transactions of the prepaid accounts that involve a negative balance of the corresponding prepaid account.   
     
     
         19 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 12 , wherein the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of the transactions of the prepaid accounts that a channel selected from the group consisting of face-to-face transactions, mail order transactions, telephone transactions, Internet transactions; and recurring transactions. 
     
     
         20 . The computer system for creating a computer display to render a report of  claim 19 , wherein, for each said channel, the Volume Power Score that is depicted is selected from the group consisting of the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are approved, the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are partially approved, and the transactions of the prepaid accounts that are not approved.