US20140297513A1

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Publication number: US20140297513A1
Application number: US14/216,316
Authority: US
Inventors: Kim Marie Fish; Brian Edwin Allison; Carole Ann Simpson; Anne Marie Fischer
Original assignee: United Student Aid Funds Inc
Current assignee: Student Connections LLC
Priority date: 2013-03-15
Filing date: 2014-03-17
Publication date: 2014-10-02
Also published as: US9495704B2; US20140310154A1; US20140297515A1; US20140297514A1; US20140304185A1

Abstract

A system is disclosed that makes it easy for educational institutions to contact and counsel student loan borrowers to promote successful loan repayment. The system is a web-based tool that automates borrower communication through telephone, letter and email campaigns, using loan information that is obtained through third-party loan servicers by the educational institution and then uploaded into the system. The self-service default prevention tool aggregates loan data form multiple sources in one place to perform borrower outreach, offers targeted communication campaigns to address borrowers in repayment, displays real-time estimated default rate trends, and provides on-demand reports. A dashboard is generated that provides a snapshot of the educational institution's entire portfolio, projected cohort default rates, trending analysis charts, important messages and a history of file imports.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claim priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/789,904, filed Mar. 15, 2013, entitled System and Method for Managing Educational Institution Borrower Debt.

BACKGROUND

Educational institutions must consistently monitor student loan data to determine how many of the school's borrowers who enter repayment on school loans during a fiscal year default prior to the end of the next two to three fiscal years. The cohort default rate (“CDR”) is what educational institutions use to define this statistic and it is based on the percentage of borrowers who are in default. Currently, the Department of Education (“DOE”) monitors the CDR by looking at the first two years of repayment. Recently, congress passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (“HEOA”) to change this to a three-year CDR. As offiscal year 2014, the DOE will only determine the CDR based on the percentage of borrowers who enter default within this three-year period. If the CDR for a particular educational institution reaches a certain threshold level, the DOE can impose penalties on the educational institution. In some instances, this could mean the loss of the educational institution's ability to make federal student loans available to students, which could have a major impact on the ongoing viability of the educational institution. Educational institutions also have a desire to keep borrowers current on private loans as well as loans funded by the federal government.

Thus, a need exists for a system and method of, amongst other things, monitoring and tracking the projected CDR of a school's student borrowers, to keep borrowing data current, and to create campaigns specifically targeted to borrowers who are entering repayment, are delinquent and/or at a high risk of defaulting to ensure that they get current on payments or remain in good standing. Although schools do not typically collect payments from student loan borrowers, schools have an interest in counseling their students and former students about which entities are servicing their student loans, repayment options that may be available, and any other assistance that a school can provide to prevent them from defaulting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 discloses a borrower connect system.

FIG. 2 discloses a security flow of the borrower connect system.

FIG. 3 shows a representative example of a login page.

FIG. 4 discloses a flow chart of software applications available to external users of the borrower connect system.

FIG. 5 shows a representative example of an organizational dashboard page.

FIG. 6 shows a representative example of a manage organization page.

FIG. 7 shows a representative example of a campaign group list page.

FIG. 8 shows a representative example of a create campaign group list page.

FIG. 9 shows a representative example of a campus list page.

FIG. 10 shows a representative example of a create campus list page.

FIG. 11 shows a representative example of a user search page.

FIG. 12 shows a representative example of a create user page.

FIG. 13 shows a representative example of an organization message page.

FIG. 14 shows a representative example of a communication code page.

FIG. 15 shows a representative example of a file import dashboard page.

FIG. 16 shows a representative example of a file import page.

FIG. 17 shows a representative example of a find my borrower page.

FIG. 17ashows search results from the find my borrower page.

FIG. 17bshows a borrower details page illustrating a loan summary.

FIG. 17cshows a pop-up window generated to display loan details.

FIG. 17dshows a borrower details page illustrating a communication history.

FIG. 17eshows a record communication with borrower window.

FIG. 18 shows a representative example of a configure campaign page.

FIG. 18ashows a representative example of a new campaign configuration page.

FIG. 18bshows a representative example of a new phone campaign configuration page.

FIG. 18cshows a representative example of a new email campaign configuration.

FIG. 19 shows a representative example of a generate campaign page.

FIG. 20 shows a representative example of a view/export campaign page.

FIG. 21 shows a representative example of a campaign history page.

FIG. 22 shows a representative example of a campaign logos page.

FIG. 23 shows a representative example of a my reports page.

FIG. 24 discloses a flow chart of additional software applications available to internal users of the borrower connect system in addition to those set forth inFIG. 4.

FIG. 25 shows a representative example of an organization search page.

FIG. 26 shows a representative example of an organization setup page.

FIG. 27 shows a representative example of a system messages page.

FIG. 28 shows a representative example of an organization type page.

FIG. 29 shows a representative example of a data source sort page.

FIG. 30 shows a representative example of a servicer page.

FIG. 31 illustrates a representative borrower connect system.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart of processes performed by the borrower connect processing services application.

FIG. 33 shows a representative example of an organizational dashboard page.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring toFIG. 1, a borrower connectsystem100 is disclosed that assists educational institutions/organizations improve their CDRs/default rates by connecting with borrowers through communication devices (e.g., mobile phones, telephones, etc.), text messages, letters, and emails (collectively “communication methods”). In one form, the borrower connectsystem100 is operable to help educational institutions create contact campaigns that are targeted to student borrowers that utilize the communication methods set forth above. Using loan information that is uploaded by the educational institution from various loan servicers (private and government), guarantors, and the National Student Loan Data System (“NSLDS”), the borrower connectsystem100 helps the educational institution perform borrower outreach regardless of the loan program. The NSLDS is the national database of information about student loans and grants awarded to students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (“HEA”) of 1965. NSLDS provides a centralized, integrated view of Title IV loans and grants during their complete life cycle, from aid approval through disbursement, repayment, deferment, delinquency, and closure.

The borrower connectsystem100 allows the educational institution, preferably through a web browser based user interface provided over the Internet, to 1) create borrower communication campaigns that can be targeted to address borrowers at various stages of repayment; 2) view real-time projected and actual CDR trends to address borrowers who need immediate attention; 3) accommodate Federal Family Education Loan Program, Direct Loan, and “put” loan data to address both two-year and three-year CDRs; and 4) generate on-demand reports to capture borrower loan details, delinquency aging statistics, campaign and portfolio information, and view reports online via a web browser based interface or export them as a Microsoft® Excel, XML or CSV file. In other forms, various other file formats could be used to export data concerning borrowers.

The borrower connectsystem100 is a self-service tool that makes it easy to contact and counsel student loan borrowers to promote successful loan repayment. Thesystem100 comprises a web-based tool that educational institutions can use to automate borrower communication through telephone, letter and email campaigns, using loan information that the educational institution uploads from various third-party loan servicers and NSLDS. The borrower connectsystem100 is a default prevention tool that aggregates loan data from multiple sources in one place to allow the educational institution to perform borrower outreach regardless of loan program. It offers targeted communication campaigns to address borrowers at any stage of repayment. It displays real-time estimated default rate trends so that educational institutions can pinpoint borrowers who need immediate attention. Further, it provides on-demand reports to capture cohort default rate, effectiveness, trending and analytics.

In one form, the borrower connectsystem100 includes an external system102 and aninternal system104. The external system102 includes a borrower connect end user terminal ordevice106 that allows the end user to access theinternal system104. In one form, the borrower connectend user device106 comprises any type of computing device that includes web browser software that allows the user to access theinternal system104 such as, for example, Internet Explorer®, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and so forth. The borrower connectend user device106 allows users at educational institutions to access theinternal system104 and portions of its functionality as set forth in greater detail below. In other forms, theend user device106 allows internal users to access the borrower connectsystem100.

Theend user device106 thus includes a web browser that allows the user to access theinternal system104 via a web-based user interface. Theend user device106 may comprise, to name a few, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile device, a smart-phone, a tablet, and so forth. In one form, theend user device106 accesses theinternal system104 via an Internet-basednetwork108 that uses the IP protocol to send and receive data. It should be appreciated that other types of networks may be utilized to provide theend user device106 with access to theinternal system104.

As further illustrated inFIG. 1, the external system102 of the borrower connectsystem100 may include anelectronic campaign server110 that is connected to theinternal system104 via an Internet-basednetwork108. As described in greater detail below, theelectronic campaign server110 may be responsible for generating letters, emails, electronic automated calls, and text messages that are targeted to borrowers that are either delinquent or default on repayment of one or more student loans or are at a high risk of becoming delinquent or defaulting with respect to the repayment of one or more student loans. The communication methods used to communicate with borrowers may be collectively referred to as communication campaigns. Measures are taken by the borrower connectsystem100 to ensure that the campaign messages that are sent to the borrower are private in nature and not made generally available to the public, friends, or relatives of the borrower. In one form, theelectronic campaign server110 and applications and processes associated therewith are provided by ExactTarget®. In yet another form, the communication campaigns can be accessed by anexternal user106 using a web-browser that is configured to allow the user to set up communication campaigns.

In other forms, theelectronic campaign server110 could be part of theinternal system104 and operated by the owner of the borrower connectsystem100 or the software used to generate communication campaigns could be located on servers located in theinternal system104 such as the file andprocessing server130. The external system102 and its related hardware components and software applications may be referred to herein as theTier 1 level of the borrower connectsystem100.

Theinternal system104 may include aprimary firewall112 to secure theinternal system104 from unwanted traffic and attacks. Theprimary firewall112 can be either software-based or hardware-based or a combination of both. In one form, theprimary firewall112 controls incoming and outgoing network traffic by analyzing the data packets and determining whether the data packets should be allowed through or not based on a predetermined set of rules. Theprimary firewall112 of theinternal system104 creates a bridge between the internal network defined by theinternal system104 and another network (e.g., Internet-based network108) to which theinternal system104 is connected that is assumed not to be secure and/or trusted.

The lines illustrated inFIG. 1 that interconnect the various hardware components of theinternal system104 disclose aninternal network114 that allows the hardware devices or servers to communicate with one another. In one form, theinternal network114 can comprise a LAN, WAN, WLAN, SAN or a combination of one or more of these types of networks in addition to other network types. Although various hardware devices or servers are illustrated inFIG. 1, it should be appreciated that multiple hardware devices or servers could be used with respect to each hardware device or server disclosed inFIG. 1. In illustrative embodiments in which multiple hardware devices or servers are utilized, theinternal system104 of the borrower connectsystem100 is configured to route the tasks to be performed by the respective hardware device or server to the least loaded hardware device or server. It should also be appreciated that in smaller scaled versions of the borrower connectsystem100, theinternal system104 may comprise a single hardware device or server. The borrower connectsystem100 is designed to be readily scalable to handle increasing system loads.

Theinternal system104 includes one ormore web servers115. As known to those skilled in the art,web servers115 refer to software and/or hardware that delivers Web content that can be accessed through the Internet-basednetwork108. As it relates to the present invention, theweb servers115 are configured to deliver web pages in response to requests from theend user devices106. In one form, web pages are delivered to theend user devices106 over the Internet-basednetwork108 using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”). As set forth in greater detail below, theweb servers115 are configured to deliver HTML documents and any additional content that may be included in a document, such as images, style sheets and scripts. It should also be appreciated thatend user devices106 may also include devices that are used to access thesystem100 by internal users of thesystem100 as opposed to external users at educational institutions. Thesedevices106 may connect to thesystem100 via the Internet-basednetwork108 or theinternal network114.

In one form, theweb servers115 are configured to deliver content to the web browser on theend user device106 via the HTML application framework. HTML is an application framework for writing and running rich Internet applications. At initial login, theweb server115 compares the existing version of HTML on theend user device115 to the current version being used by theweb server115. If it is different, theweb server115 causes theend user device106 to download and execute the latest version. If HTML is not installed, theweb server115 causes the latest version to be uploaded and executed by theend user device106. This is all done in the context of the web browser installed on theend user device106. In other forms, theweb servers115 are configured to deliver content using HTML5 and any further add-ons thereto.

The applications and features of the borrower connectsystem100 discussed below that are delivered to and executed by theend user devices106 may be developed using Microsoft's ASP.NET Web application framework. This framework allows programmers to build dynamic web sites, web applications, and web services. ASP.NET is built on the Common Language Runtime (“CLR”), allowing programmers to write ASP.NET code using any supported .NET language. In yet another form, the Windows Communication Foundation (“WCF”) is also utilized to provide some of the applications to theend user devices106. Other frameworks, languages, and applications can be used in other forms of the invention and those listed above should be viewed as illustrative unless otherwise specifically claimed in the claims set forth below.

Theinternal system104 may also include a SQL server reporting services (“SSRS”)server116. TheSSRS server116 includes a server-based report generation software application. The server-based report generation software application is operable to deliver a variety of interactive and printed reports, which may be in the form of preformatted letters. Reports and letters are typically defined in the Report Definition Language (“RDL”), which is an XML markup language. Reports and letters defined by RDL can be generated in a variety of formats including Excel, PDF, CSV, XML, and TIFF (and other image formats). The server-based report generation software application can also prepare reports and letters in Microsoft Word format (“DOC” or “DOCX”) or other word processing formats.

Theinternal system104 may also include a secure file transfer server or File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”)server118. In one form, the securefile transfer server118 uses the FTP to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet-basednetwork108. Other file transfer protocols may be used to transfer files in other embodiments of the present invention. TheFTP server118 functions as a secure landing zone for imported files from educational institutions, such as files received fromeducational institution server120 or from theend user device106. Theweb servers115,SSRS server116, and securefile transfer server118 may be collectively referred to hereinafter as theTier 2 level.

In one form and as set forth in greater detail below, a user ofterminal106 associated with an educational institution may access a web page interface generated by theweb servers115 to import loan data files into the borrower connectsystem100. In this form, the loan data files are imported via the web based interface to thesecure FTP server118. Theeducational institution server120 may include a borrower database122 or have access or be connected with a borrower database122 that contains data related to borrowers such as, for example, the borrower's name, address, telephone numbers (e.g., home, mobile, work), email addresses (e.g., work or personal), social security number, date of birth, one or more loan records, original loan amounts or disbursements, current loan balances, loan repayment schedules, repayment status (e.g., deferment, repayment, delinquent (1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, 91-120 days, 121-180 days, 181-270 days, 271-360+ days), forbearance, grace all, grace graduated, grace less than half time, grace withdrawn, grace other and defaulted), payoff data, and closure data (collectively referred to herein as “borrower loan data”). As such, theFTP server118 is configured to securely import borrower loan data files that contain borrower loan data associated with one or more borrowers that are associated with the educational institution. The borrower loan data files may also be stored locally on theend user device106 and uploaded directly from theend user device106. The borrower loan data files are obtained by the schools from various student loan servicers in various file formats as set forth below. The borrower loan data files may also be obtained by the schools through the NSLDS.

Referring toFIG. 1, theinternal system104 of the borrower connectsystem100 may also include several components that are internally separated from theTier 2 level. In this form, aDMZ boundary router124 separates theTier 2 level from adomain server126, adatabase server128, and a file andprocessing server130, which may be collectively referred to herein as theTier 3 level. TheDMZ boundary router124 provides an additional layer of security for theTier 3 level. The hosts most vulnerable to attack are those that provide services to users outside of theinternal network114. In this case, theTier 2 level represents hosts that provide services to users outside of theinternal network114. As such, an external attacker who is able to penetrate theprimary firewall112 would have to penetrate an additional layer of security to gain access to the devices and information or data contained in theTier 3 level.

Thedomain server126 is responsible for validating users, both internal and external, of the borrower connectsystem100. External users are validated through a SQL membership provider that operates under the same principles as thedomain server126.

As set forth in greater detail below, thedatabase server128 includes software applications that provide database services to the various software applications utilized by the borrower connectsystem100. Thedatabase server128 also includes one or more databases that store various data files such as the loan data files imported to thesystem100. The database services provided by thedatabase server128 allow users to enter, edit, modify, delete and perform various other database related tasks and functions.

The file andprocessing server130 is responsible for converting the borrower loan data files imported by theFTP server118 into a format that is usable by the borrower connectsystem100. Once the data conversion process is complete, the borrower loan data is uploaded or imported into a primary borrower connect database stored on thedatabase server128. During the import process, the individual data types contained in the loan database files are mapped to a borrower connect database table. Records contained in the table can then be selected to calculate the 3-year CDR that is then used to manage borrower loan records and contact campaigns. As set forth in detail below, the data is made available to the educational institutions via a web-browser based user interface through a secure network connection.

Referring toFIG. 2, the borrower connectsystem100 includes sensitive information in the form of borrower data that should not be exposed to individuals not authorized to access thesystem100. The borrower connectsystem100 supports two classes of users, internal users and external users. Internal users are employees of a company that manages and supports the borrower connectsystem100. Internal users are authenticated via thedomain server126 and the borrower connectsystem100, which provides for a two level authentication process (i.e., an internal user must be valid and enabled) by thedomain server126 and also exist in an internal user database maintained on thedatabase server128.External users106 are authenticated via the borrower connectsystem100. Each user has a user ID that is used to access functionality within the borrower connect application, access to external resources (such as saving import files to disk or updating information in the database server128), and uses a specific domain ID that has been created for the borrower connect application and only grants access to the minimal set of resources necessary for the application.

Asecurity application200 is set forth inFIG. 2 that allows internal and external users to gain access to the borrower connectsystem100. Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, thesecurity application200 includes alogin application202 that is operable to generate alogin browser page300 on aweb browser302. Thelogin browser page300 includes a useridentification entry field304 and apassword entry field306. Once these items are entered by the user, the user selects a login icon308 that causes thelogin browser page300 to transmit these entries to a borrowerconnect login application204. The borrower connectlogin application204 then is operable to authenticate the user by accessing a membership database206 (in the case of external users) and an active directory208 (in the case of internal users) that may be located on thedomain server126 to determine what applications and data of the borrower connectsystem100 to which the user has access.

Themembership database206 andactive directory208 is used to determine the set of resources that are necessary for the user to have access to in order to use the borrower connect application. Each user is assigned an access level that is identified in themembership database206 oractive directory208 that grants access to certain applications and data provided by the borrower connect application. After the determination is made as to what level of access the user is entitled, the borrower connectlogin application204 authenticates that user by generating a session token that is sent to the terminal106 that the user is utilizing to access the borrower connect application. The session token is a unique identifier that is sent to the user's terminal106 to identify the current interaction session. The user's terminal stores and sends the session token as a cookie and/or sends it as a parameter in queries or data requests to thesystem100.

As further illustrated inFIG. 2, after being authenticated and receiving the session token, the user is ready to access the borrower connectapplication210. As set forth in detail below, the user preferentially accesses the borrower connectapplication210 via a web browser based user interface by sending data requests to theweb server115. As set forth above, in some embodiments, theinternal system104 of the borrower connectsystem100 may be located on one or more servers and as such, unless the claims set forth otherwise, it should be appreciated that theinternal system104 can be located on one or more servers. For example, one server could act as both the web server, the database server, and the domain server.

The borrower connectapplication210 can include anapplication layer212 and adata services layer214. In one form, theapplication layer212 is provided to end users via theweb servers115. The data serviceslayer214 provides users with access to thedatabases216 stored on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 4,external users400 of thesystem100 may be provided access to various functionality provided by thesystem100. After being presented with thelogin browser page300, the borrower connectapplication210 uses anorganization dashboard application402 that is operable to generate anorganization dashboard page500, which is illustrated inFIG. 5. In one form, all of the pages disclosed herein are generated in a web browser. It should also be appreciated that the borrower connectapplication210 could be a stand-alone software application. Theorganization dashboard page500 provides a snapshot of the educational institution's entire portfolio, projected cohort default rates, trending analysis charts, important messages and a history of file imports.

Theorganization dashboard application402 accessesdatabase server128 to generate data outputs that are relevant to the university associated with theexternal user400. In the illustrated form, theorganization dashboard page500 includes a delinquency aging chart502 (default view), a borrower by status table504, a borrower portfolio count for active cohort years display506, a percentage delinquent display508 (based on the cohort year highlighted in503), a fileimport history display510, and adashboard explorer display512. Selecting a cohortyear selection item503 will cause the dashboard to automatically update to borrower loan data for the selected year. As set forth below in the discussion on the file import application, theorganization dashboard page500 gives the educational institution a collective snapshot of all borrower loan data associated with the educational institution from multiple loan service providers and data sources thereby aggregating borrower data from multiple sources into a single location.

Thedelinquency aging chart502 is broken up into at least nine categories based on data obtained from thedatabase server128. In the illustrated form, thedelinquency aging chart502 is a pie chart, but it should be appreciated that other types of charts could be generated and used as well. The first category is acurrent category514, the second category is 91-120 days delinquent category516 (additional categories did not display due to lack of borrowers in these categories: 1-30 days delinquent category; 31-60 days delinquent category; and 61-90 days delinquent category), the third category is a 121-270 daysdelinquent category518, the fourth category is a 271-360 daysdelinquent category520, and the fifth category is a defaultedcategory522. As such, thedelinquency aging chart502 provides theexternal user400 with a quick and simple view of the percentage of borrowers that are current in payment, delinquent in payment from a range of a number of days standpoint, and borrowers in a state of default.

A plurality of cohortyear selection items503 are provided that allow the user to switch to different cohort years as well thereby automatically updating thedelinquency aging chart502 for the cohort year selected, the borrower status table504, and the percentagedelinquent display508. Once a borrower enters into default status, that defaulted borrower counts as part of the numerator in calculating the institution's portfolio total. Schools with student loan defaults by borrower that exceed 30 percent of the school's total portfolio will be required to create a default management plan. Schools that exceed 30 percent for three consecutive years or 45 percent in a single year lose eligibility for student attending that school to obtain Title IV student loans. All of the data displayed in the various charts and tables disclosed herein allow the educational institution to project the number of student borrowers who may be at risk of entering into default thereby counting against the educational institution. It counts against an educational institution's cohort default rate even if a borrower is current on three loans and in default on one loan. As such, it is important for educational institutions to be able to see trends in data by monitoring the number of borrowers who are at various stages toward entering a default status.

The borrower status table504 lists the actual number of borrowers that are current, the number of borrowers that are delinquent for certain ranges of time, and the number of borrowers that are defaulted. In this illustrative form, the periods of time for delinquent borrowers is broken down from 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, 91-120 days, 121-180 days, 181-270 days, and 271-359 days and defaulted. It should be appreciated that other time frames could be used in other forms. Various types of tables could be used and the term table should be construed broadly to include standard tables, bar graph tables, and so forth. In addition, aview selection item505 is provided that when selected, causes theorganization dashboard application402 to generate a report that shows each borrower's information that falls within a particular category. Theyearly borrower display506 lists the total number of borrowers (cohort base denominator) associated with the university for a set of active cohort years. In this form, the number of borrowers in each of the active three cohort years is listed individually.

The percentagedelinquent display508 lists the percentage of borrowers delinquent, for the active cohort year selected in503, over given time periods. In this form, the percentage of delinquent borrowers is listed in a gauge format and includes two gauge displays and also lists the number of delinquent borrowers. The first gauge lists the number and percentage of delinquent borrowers between 181-270 days and the second gauge lists the number and percentage of delinquent borrowers between 271-359 days. It should be appreciated that other ranges of days could be used in other forms and that other displays could be used other than gauges (e.g.—graphs, numbers, and so forth). Theorganization dashboard application402 is also operable to generate a fileimport history display510. As set forth in greater detail below, thesystem100 is operable to import records about borrowers from various resources or loan servicers. The fileimport history display510 informs the user of the dates in which borrower loan data files were last collected or imported from these loan data resources (loan service providers and NSLDS).

Thedashboard explorer display512 contains links to various features. In one form, thedashboard explorer display512 includes a link to a System Messages view524 and a link to a My Messages view526. The System Messages view524 is an area in which information or messages about thesystem100, posted by an internal user, are placed to be viewed by all internal and external users. The My Messages view526 allows individuals associated with an educational institution to view messages or information posted by the educational institution. A Delinquency Aging Summary link528 is included that allows external users associated with a respective organization to toggle the dashboard view by different school organization levels, for example, an institutional level or an individual campus level. As a user selects respective links displayed in the Delinquency Aging Summary link528, theorganization dashboard application402 will update the dashboard to display the selected institution's or campus's data in502,504,506, and508 (based on the cohort year selected in503). A Portfolio Summary link530 is included that allows an organization's borrower loan data to be viewed by loan status in thedelinquency aging chart502 and borrower status table504 (based on the cohort year selected in503), by institution or campus level for that organization.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, theorganization dashboard page500 also includes links to aMy Home application404, aMy Files application406, a Find MyBorrowers application408, a My Campaigns application,410, aMy Reports application412, a MyResource Center application414, and anAdministration application416. Although not specifically illustrated, selection of the link to theMy Home application404 causes the borrower connectapplication210 to generate a menu in the web browser that provides links to theorganization dashboard application402, a manageorganization application420, a campaigngroup list application422, a createcampaign group application424, acampus list application426, a createcampus application427, auser search application428, a createuser application430, anorganization message application432, and acommunication code application434. SeeFIG. 4. Each of these respective applications will be discussed in further detail below.

Referring toFIG. 6, selection of the manageorganization application420 generates a manageorganization page600 in theweb browser302. As illustrated, the manageorganization page600 contains various types of data about the organization that can be updated from time to time as necessary. As illustrated, the data may include the name of the organization, Office of Postsecondary Education Identifier (OPEID), address, contact information, and number of licensed users the organization has paid for to access thesystem100. A disable selection item602 is also included that provides the ability to disable the organization from thesystem100. Other types of data may be entered about the organization as well.

Referring toFIG. 7, selection of the campaigngroup list application422 generates a campaigngroup list page700 in theweb browser302. The campaigngroup list page700 contains various types of data about a campaign group list that can be updated from time to time as necessary. As illustrated, the data may include the name of the campaign group, contact information, associated campuses related to the campaign group, and a sort option for servicer applied information. Selecting the edit selection item702 allows the user to edit information contained in the campaigngroup list page700. Selecting the enable/disable selection item704 will temporarily disable a campaign group.

Referring toFIG. 8, selection of the createcampaign group application424 generates a createcampaign group page800 in theweb browser302. Several educational institutions have campuses located in various locations and thecampaign group page800 provides theuser400 with the ability to group campuses together in different campaign groups to centralize work efforts for each campus that is entered in the borrower connectapplication210. For example, if an educational institution has campuses located in different states and several campuses within each state, theuser400 may create a campaign group for each state (e.g.—Indiana, Ohio, and so forth). The createcampaign group page800 includes a Campaign GroupName entry field802, a plurality of contact entry fields804, and a ServicerOrder Preference field806. Theuser400 can create a campaign group name by entering it into the Campaign GroupName entry field802. A contact can be assigned to the campaign group and their relevant contact information is entered into the plurality of contact entry fields804.

The ServicerOrder Preference field806 allows theuser400 to determine a servicer (entity that services student loans) preference for collecting primary contact data, such that certain servicers have a higher preference than others based on their ability to provide valid contact data. To set preference orders, the user selects a loan servicer selection item808 and then either selects a move up selection item810 or a move down selection item812. Since the university will be loading borrower data files from multiple loan servicers and each loan servicer will have its own unique set of contact information for borrowers (e.g.—address, phone number, and email address), the university can prioritize which contact information for borrowers takes priority over others. For example, if a servicer is ranked higher than another servicer, yet both have contact information for the same borrower, the borrower connectapplication210 is configured to use the contact information for the borrower from the servicer that has a higher ranking instead of the contact information for the borrower from a servicer having a lower ranking Selection of a save changes selection item814 will save the information entered into the createcampaign group page800 to thedatabase128.

Referring toFIG. 9, selection of thecampus list application426 generates acampus list page900 in theweb browser302. Several universities have many campuses and thecampus list page900 allows theuser400 to view each campus that has been entered and stored in thesystem100. As illustrated, thecampus list page900 includes acampus name field902, acampaign group field904, aview icon906, and an enable/disableselection item908. Each of these items are associated with each campaign group. Thecampaign group field904 displays the campaign group to which each respective campus belongs. Selection of theview selection item906 associated with each respective campus will generate the createcampus page1000 associated with that respective campus thus allowing the user to view and edit information related to that particular campus. Selecting the enable/disableselection item908 will temporarily remove a respective campus from a campaign group. It should be appreciated that all data entered into the system by theuser400 is stored in one or more database files associated with the campus on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 10, selection of thecreate campus application427 generates a createcampus page1000 in theweb browser302. The createcampus page1000 allows theuser400 to enter data associated with the educational institution. In the event that the educational institution has more than one campus, theuser400 may perform this task for each respective campus. As illustrated, in this representative page, theuser400 can enter a name of the campus in aCampus Name field1002, enter an OPEID associated with the campus in aOPEID field1004, enter an organization name associated with the campus in anOrganization field1006, and select what Campaign Group the campus will belong to by selecting a Campaign Groupmenu selection item1008. Other data associated with the campus (e.g.—contact information, email address(es), and so forth) can be entered in subsequent pages generated by thecreate campus application427 and once all information has been entered selection of theFinish icon1010 causes the createcampus application427 to store the data on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 11, selection of theuser search application428 generates auser search page1100 in theweb browser302. Theuser search page1100 allows theuser400 to locate other users of thesystem100. Theuser search page1100 includes a UserID entry field1102 and a fullname entry field1104. The search criteria may also allow an implied wildcard or allow theuser400 to search by selection of aRole selection item1106, a CampaignGroup selection item1108, and aCampus selection item1110. Further, theuser400, if the user is an internal user, may also narrow the search by only searching for only internal users of thesystem100 by selecting an InternalUsers selection item1112. Selection by theuser400 of theSearch icon1114 causes theuser search application428 to query the database on thedatabase server128 to obtain search results. The search results are then displayed to theuser400 in a search resultsdisplay area1116 located on theuser search page1100.

Referring toFIG. 12, selection of the createuser application430 generates a createuser page1200 in theweb browser302. The createuser page1200 includes a plurality of userdata entry fields1202 that allow the user to be identified in thesystem100. Thesedata entry fields1202 include, but are not limited to, User ID, Full Name, Country, Time Zone, Address fields, Phone Number fields, email address fields, and so forth. ARole selection item1204 is included that determines the amount of access any given user is provided to the system. Certain users may only be allowed access to certain features and this item determines the security level of the user. Once all relevant information is entered, the createuser application430 saves the entered data in the database on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 13, selection of theorganization message application432 generates anorganization message page1300 in theweb browser302. Theorganization message page1300 allows theuser400 to generate messages that the My Messages view526 allows individuals associated with an educational institution to view messages or information posted by the educational institution for each user of the organization that has access to thesystem100. In one form, theorganization message page1300 includes amessage entry field1302 that allows theuser400 to enter the message to be delivered. This is a form of mass communication for users of thesystem100 at a respective campus or organization. Theorganization message page1300 includes an expirationdate entry field1304 that allows theuser400 to determine when the message will no longer be available for viewing. Once asave icon1306 is selected by theuser400, the message becomes posted for viewing and stored in the database on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 14, selection of thecommunication code application434 generates acommunication code page1400 in theweb browser302. Thecommunication code page1400 allows theuser400 to review, update or create communication codes for the university to be applied when logging communications in the Log Communication page1790. The communication codes allow schools to create a unique set of communication codes for their institution. This allows standardized application of communication history comments. This includes the name, descriptions and communication type (outgoing, incoming and other) to log against the borrower account. These activities could include telephone calls both to and from the borrower, letters and emails sent to and received from the borrower, payments made by the borrower to the servicer, communications about the loan servicer, personal visits from the borrower, and so on.

Selection of a New Communication Code selection item oricon1402 pulls up an entry page that allows theuser400 to define a communication code for their institution. This includes the short name (code), description and type and relevant information as it relates to communications, which will be discussed below. Selection of a Sort MyCodes selection item1404 allows theuser400 to determine the sort order that communication codes are displayed in the Log Communication page1790 for each borrower. SeeFIG. 17d. This allows theuser400 to present the most frequently used code to the least frequent, and so on. As illustrated, several different categories are listed for theuser400 to enter information about or determine when and who a communication code was created or updated. These include aCategory entry field1406, aName entry field1408, aDescription entry field1410, a Follow-UpDays entry field1412, an ExcludeDays entry field1414, aStatus display field1416, a Date LastUpdated display field1418, and a Last UpdatedBy display field1420. TheCategory entry field1406 allows theuser400 to select a type of communication code to be created for future use in a Log Communication page1790. These could include, by way of example, an incoming call, outgoing call, payment made, incoming email, outgoing email, incoming letter, outgoing letter, borrower walk-in, and so forth.

TheName entry field1408 allows theuser400 to define a general type of activity to be defined by the school (user defined field or short name for the description). This is used to provide a short description to define the communication code. These could include, by way of example, a form being sent to the borrower, the borrower didn't answer the phone, left a voicemail, incoming call, outgoing call, incoming fax, outgoing fax, payment made, incoming email, outgoing email, incoming letter, outgoing letter, borrower walk-in, and so forth. Basically, these codes can be created to document any type of activity for a borrower account. TheDescription entry field1410 allows theuser400 to create a long description of the communication code defined in theName entry field1408. The Follow-UpDays entry field1412 allows theuser400 to define a predetermined time frame in which a follow-up communication needs to be made with the borrower for this particular code. This allows theuser400 to define that this particular communication code requires a standard follow up period that will be universally applied to borrower accounts when the code is selected in the Log Communication page1790.

The ExcludeDays entry field1404 allows theuser400 to define an amount of days in which the borrower is not to be contacted based on the communication code selected. For example, this would disable the borrower from appearing in a calling, letter or email campaign for the duration indicated. This allows theuser400 to define that this particular activity code requires a standard exclude period that will be universally applied to borrower accounts when the code is selected in the Log Communication page1790. AStatus display field1416 is provided so that theuser400 is provided so that theuser400 knows the current status of the communication code (Active/Deactivated).

A DateLast Updated field1418 is displayed that shows the last time the communication code was updated. A LastUpdated By field1420 is included that displays the last user that updated the communication code. All of this information is stored in the database on thedatabase server128. AnEdit selection item1422 is included that allows theuser400 to edit each communication code (Category, Name, Description, Follow-Up Days and Exclude Days). A Disableselection item1424 is included that allows theuser400 to disable or enable the communication code. The functions described above allow the school to create a unique set of communication codes that can be used to manage borrower accounts. These codes are then displayed in the borrower loan detail screen within the Log Communication page1790 to be selected as appropriate. The purpose is to create a common set of communication codes for borrower history comments. This saves time forend users400 since they only need to select the communication code and not manually type the additional information and provides a method for the school to update records with standard text and a standard set of language and rules.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 15, selection of the My Files selection item oricon406 starts the myfiles application406. The myfiles application406 generates a page in theweb browser302 that allows theuser400 to select between launching a fileimport dashboard application436 or afile import application438.

Referring toFIG. 15, selection of the fileimport dashboard application436 generates a fileimport dashboard page1500 in theweb browser302. The fileimport dashboard page1500 is operable to display details of file imports in progress and details of past file imports. As illustrated, the fileimport dashboard page1500 includes a File Imports InProgress display area1502 and a File ImportHistory display area1504. Each of these

display areas

1502,1504 display the same type of data, the first displaying data about the progress of current file imports and the second displaying historical data about file imports. The data that is displayed is generated from data contained in the database located on thedatabase server128. The files that are imported are files that are generated from lending institutions and governmental agencies. The files contain data about a borrower's respective student loans. The exact nature of how the files are imported into thesystem100 is set forth in greater detail below.

The

display areas

1502,1504 are operable to display various data values to theuser400. These data values include: aFile Name display1506, aStatus display1508, aData Source display1510, aUser display1512, anImport Date display1514, anUpdate Date display1516, aStart Time display1518, anEnd Time display1520, a Total Time(s)display1522, a Total Rows display1524, an Imported Rows display1526, and a PercentImported display1528. TheFile Name display1506 shows the name of the file that is imported into thesystem100. TheStatus display1508 shows the current status of the file that is imported into thesystem100. TheData Source display1510 shows the name of the institution from which the data that is being imported is received (e.g.—NSLDS, Great Lakes, and so forth). TheUser display1512 shows the name of theuser400 that uploaded or imported the data file into thesystem100 and theImport Date display1514 shows the date in which the file was imported. TheUpdate Date display1516 shows the date and time that the borrower connect application last updated theStatus display1508.

TheStart Time display1518 shows the time that the file being imported was first started to be uploaded into thesystem10 and theEnd Time display1520 shows the time in which the import process was completed. The Total Time(s)display1522 shows the total time it took to import the file. The Total Rows display1524 shows the total number of rows of data that were contained in the file. The Imported Rows display1526 shows the actual number of rows that were imported into the system from the total number of rows of data that were contained in the file. ThePercent Imported display1528 shows the percentage of the file that was actually imported into thesystem100 so that theuser400 knows if data might be missing or what percentage was valid data based on predefined parameters.

Referring toFIG. 16, selection of thefile import application438 generates afile import page1600 in theweb browser302. Thefile import page1600 allows theuser400 to import files that contain borrower data into thesystem100. The loan data files that are imported may be stored in a local storage medium associated with theremote terminal106 or in a database to which theremote terminal106 has access. Thefile import page1600 includes an AddFiles selection item1602 that allows theuser400 to add files to be imported into thesystem100. Thefile import page1600 also includes a RemoveFiles selection item1604 that allows theuser400 to remove files to be imported. Once all of the files to be imported have been added, theuser400 selects an ImportFiles selection item1606 that causes the borrower connect application to begin importing the respective borrower data files into thesystem100.

The borrower loan data files that can be imported are student loan borrower data files that are obtained by the educational institution from a plurality of loan service providers or the NSLDS. Within each of these student loan borrower data files are a plurality of records associated with students of the educational institution. As set forth in greater detail below, once the student loan borrower data files are uploaded to one of the servers a data processing application aggregates the loan records contained in each borrower data file uploaded into a single loan database record associated with the educational institution. This is a key feature of thesystem100 because it provides the educational institution with a single source to view and manage information associated with student loans. Prior to this, educational institutions had to manage the information by viewing loan records contained in multiple files using various different applications to view the data.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 17, selection of the Find MyBorrowers application408 generates a find myborrowers page1700 in theweb browser302. The find myborrowers page1700 allows theuser400 to search for borrowers. The find myborrowers page1700 includes a social securitynumber entry field1702, a lastname entry field1704, a firstname entry field1706, a date ofbirth entry field1708, a campaigngroup scroll bar1710, and acampus scroll bar1712. These entry fields1702-1708 and scroll bars1712-1714 allow the user to search for borrowers through the entry of relevant information about the borrower. Once the relevant information is entered, which does not require entry of information in each field, aSearch selection item1714 is selected and the relevant results are shown in aborrower display1716 as illustrated inFIG. 17a.

Selection of a View selection item1718 in theborrower display1716 next to a respective borrower causes the Find MyBorrowers application408 to generate a Borrower Details page1720. The Borrower Details page1720 includes an informational header1721 that displays the borrower's name, social security number, and date of birth. As further illustrated, the Borrower Details page1720 includes an address information field1722, a phone and email information field1724, a call queue information field1726, a loan summary information field/tab1728, and a communication history field/tab1730. The address information field1722 displays the address of the borrower and the phone and email information field1724 displays telephone numbers and email addresses associated with the borrower. The call queue information field1726 includes an exclude until date selection item1732 and entry field1734 that allows theuser400 to enter in a date range in which the borrower will not be contacted. A follow-up date selection item1736 is included that allows theuser400 to enter a date to follow-up with the borrower in a follow-up date enter field1738.

The Borrower Details page1720 includes a loan summary tab1728 that when selected displays all of the loan details for a respective borrower. A loan summary display field1740 is included that displays details about respective loans of the borrower. The information displayed includes a loan type display field1742, an outstanding principal display field1744, a status display field1746, a cohort year display field1748, a days delinquent display field1750, an OPEID display field1752, and an update date display field1754. Referring toFIG. 17c, selecting a view icon1756 in the loan summary display field1740 will cause a borrower display window1760 to be generated and displayed to theuser400. The information listed in the loan display window1760 may include, a Loan Identifier, a Data Source, a Loan Type, a Cohort Year, a Guarantor/Federal Servicer ID, a Current Lender ID, a Loan Period Begin Date, a Loan Period End Date, a Loan Status, a Loan Status Effective Date, a Loan Status End Date, a Claim Type, an Enrollment Status, an Enrollment Effective Date, a Date Entered Repayment, a Days Delinquent, a Delinquency Effective Date, a Total Disbursed Amount, and an Outstanding Principal Balance.

Referring toFIG. 17d, selecting the communication history tab1730 causes the Find MyBorrowers application408 to generate a communication history display field1770. The communication history display field1770 includes a date display field1772, a communication category display field1774, a communication code display field1776, a description display field1778, a notes display field1780, and a user ID display field1782. The date display field1772 displays the dates in which the borrower was contacted by the school. The communication category display field1774 displays the type of communication that was made to the borrower. The communication code display field1776 displays the communication code associated with the type of communication that was made to the borrower. These communication codes were described above and constitute the custom codes created by the school. The description display field1778 displays an optional description of the communication. The notes display field1780 displays notes that are entered by theuser400 about the communication that is made with the borrower. A Log Communication selection item1784 is contained in the Borrowers Details page1720 that when selected generates a pop-up window or page that allows the user to log a communication with the borrower.

Referring toFIG. 17e, when the Log Communication selection item is selected, a Log Communication page1790 is generated that allows theuser400 to log a communication with a borrower. As illustrated, the Log Communication page1790 includes a Communication Categories selection item1792, a Communication Name selection item1793, a Notes entry field1794, a Follow-Up Days action item1795, and an Exclude Days action item1796. The Communication Categories selection item1792 allows the user to designate the general type of communication that took place between the educational institution and the borrower (e.g.—incoming call, outgoing call, email sent, borrower walk-in, letter sent, and so forth). The Communication Name selection item1793 allows the user to select a name for the communication. The Notes entry field1794 allows the user to enter notes about the communication. The Follow-Up Days action item1795 allows the user to designate the number of days in which a follow-up communication should occur with the borrower. The Exclude-Days action item1796 allows the user to designate an amount of days that the borrower should not be contacted. After this information is entered, it is stored in database122 and data associated with the borrower is updated accordingly.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 18, selection of the MyCampaign application410 generates a campaign page or menu (not illustrated) that allows the user to select from a configurecampaign application440, a generatecampaign application442, a view/export campaign application444, acampaign history application446, and acampaign logos application448. The configurecampaign application440 allows theuser400 to create and maintain campaigns (e.g.—letters, phone calls, and emails). The generate campaignsapplication442 allows theuser400 to generate campaigns that have been configured by theconfigure campaign application440. The view/export campaign application444 displays, and allows export or execution of the campaigns that have been generated for the organization. Thecampaign history application446 displays the history of campaigns that have been configured, generated, updated, and completed for the organization. Thecampaign logos application448 allows the user to add and maintain logos used by letter and email campaigns.

As illustrated inFIG. 18, selection of the configurecampaign application440 generates a configurecampaign page1800 in theweb browser302 on theremote terminal106. The configurecampaign page1800 displays a list of campaigns that have been created by the educational institution, which includes letter campaigns, phone campaigns, and email campaigns. The configurecampaign page1800 also allows the organization to configure or modify various types of communications campaigns to borrowers in various states of repayment. As illustrated, three categories of campaigns are illustrated inFIG. 18, which include a letter campaigncategory selection item1802, a phone campaigncategory selection item1804, and an email campaigncategory selection item1806. The configurecampaign page1800 also includes a Configure NewCampaign selection item1808 that allows theuser400 to add a new campaign from an existing list of campaign types to the list of campaigns set forth inFIG. 18. For example, theuser400 may add a new letter that can be sent to borrowers that are in default or delinquent. Selection of a

respective selection item

1802,1804,1806, will cause the configurecampaign page1800 to update to that respective campaign type (e.g.—letter, phone, email) and display the current campaigns that have been configured for the educational institution. In alternative forms, all campaigns that have been created by the educational institution could be listed in the configurecampaign page1800.

Referring toFIG. 18, six types of campaigns are illustrated, but up to 15 types of campaigns can be created for borrowers in various states of repayment status. The configurecampaign page1800 includes aCampaign Type category1810, a Status category1812, a DateLast Updated category1814, a LastUpdated By category1816, a Date Last Generatedcategory1818, and a Last Generated Bycategory1820. TheCampaign Type category1810 lists the type of campaigns that have been created and can be used for borrowers in various states of repayment. As illustrated in this example, which relates to letter campaigns, a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are defaulted, a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are in deferment, a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are delinquent from 1-30 days, a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are delinquent from 31-60 days, a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are delinquent from 61-120 days, and a letter has been generated that can be sent to borrowers who are in forbearance. This page only lists campaigns that have already been configured.

Referring toFIG. 18a, if the letter campaigncategory selection item1802 has been selected and the Configure NewCampaign selection item1808 is selected, the configurecampaign application440 will generate a new letter campaign configuration page1830 that is displayed on theremote terminal106. The new letter campaign configuration page1830 includes a Campaign Type selection item1832, a Content entry field1834, a Logo selection item1836, a Signatory Definition entry field1838, and a Save selection item1840. Selection of the Campaign Type selection item1832 will generate a drop-down menu that allows theuser400 to select a campaign type from one of fifteen different campaign types, but it should be appreciated that other campaign types may be added from time to time. In one form, the fifteen campaign types that may be selected include:

1) Grace All (borrower with a grace status);

2) Grace Graduated (borrower with a grace status and enrollment status of graduated);

3) Grace less than half-time (borrower with a grace status and enrollment status of less than half-time);

4) Grace Withdrawn (borrower with grace status and enrollment status of withdrawn);

5) Grace Other (borrower with grace status and enrollment status does not equal graduated, less-than-half-time, or withdrawn);

6) Deferment (borrower in some type of deferment);

7) Forbearance (borrower in some type of forbearance);

8) Delinquent 1-30 (borrower reported delinquent up to 30 days);

9) Delinquent 31-60 (borrower reported delinquent between 31-60 days);

10) Delinquent 61-90 (borrower reported delinquent between 61-90 days);

11) Delinquent 91-120 (borrower reported delinquent between 91-120 days);

12) Delinquent 121-180 (borrower reported delinquent between 121-180 days);

13) Delinquent 181-270 (borrower reported delinquent between 181-270 days);

14) Delinquent 271-360 (borrower reported delinquent between 271-360 days); and

15) Default (borrower reported as defaulted).

The type of campaign selected by theuser400 serves several different purposes for the purpose of the present invention. First, in one form the campaign type that is designated by theuser400 will cause the configurecampaign application440 to automatically fill in a preconfigured written communication in the Content entry field1834 that has been specifically written to cover situations related to the selected campaign type in the case of letter and email campaigns. For example, different statements would be used to deal with different stages of delinquency as well as for borrowers who were in a grace period, deferment period, or default status. Theuser400 may or may not elect to use these preconfigured written communications or may choose to edit them.

The campaign type that is selected by theuser400 is also used by the generatecampaigns application442 to determine what borrowers will be targeted by the campaign. As such, the borrowers that will be targeted by a respective campaign are determined as a function of thecampaign type1810 that is selected by theuser400. For example, the generatecampaigns application442 will know that if a default campaign type is selected, it will only obtain borrowers who are in a defaulted status to add to the campaign. The same holds true for all of theother campaign types1802 that are listed above. As such, the generatecampaigns application442 queries the aggregated loan database record in the borrower database122 to obtain borrowers that satisfy predetermined criteria associated with a respective campaign type. A borrower list is then generated by the generatecampaigns application442 that includes borrowers that satisfy the criteria for that particular campaign type.

As generally set forth above, the new letter campaign configuration page1830 also includes a Content entry field1834 that in one form is automatically populated or filled with written text as a function of thecampaign type1810 selected by theuser400. Theuser400 may then go in and edit the text or may simply accept the text that is provided by the generatecampaign application422. The Logo selection item1836 allows theuser400 to select a logo (e.g.—educational institution logo) to be used in the letter that will be sent to the borrower. As discussed below, theuser400 can upload educational institution logos to the borrower database122 associated with the educational institution. The Signatory Definition entry field1838 allows theuser400 to enter contact information for the person that will be designated as sending the letter. After entering all of the desired information and selections, selection of the Save selection item1840 will cause the configurecampaign application440 to store the campaign that has been created in the borrower database122. The newly created campaign will now appear in the configurecampaign page1800 illustrated inFIG. 18 when the letter campaigncategory selection item1802 is selected by theuser400.

Referring toFIG. 18, if the phone campaigncategory selection item1804 has been selected by theuser400, all phone campaigns that have been created for the educational institution will appear in the configurecampaign page1800. Items1810-1824 will remain the same except that each campaign type illustrated in theCampaign Type category1810 will be associated with a phone campaign. All fifteen campaign types are available for use in connection with phone campaigns just the same as letter campaigns. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the same holds true for selection of the Email campaigncategory selection item1806.

Referring toFIG. 18b, if the configure newcampaign selection item1808 is selected by theuser400 when the phone campaigncategory selection item1804 is active or selected, the configurecampaign application440 will generate a new phone campaign configuration page1850 on theremote terminal106. The new phone campaign configuration page1850 includes a Campaign Type selection item1852, a Sort by Field Name selection item1854, a Sort Direction selection item1856, and a Save selection item1858. The Campaign Type selection item1852 allows theuser400 to select the type of campaign that is being created from the list of campaign types set forth above with respect to letter campaigns. The Sort by Field Name selection item1854 allows theuser400 to determine the order that information will be displayed in the call queue. The options for this selection item1854 include: by name, by social security number, or by days delinquent. The Sort Direction selection item1856 allows theuser400 to indicate a sort order for the value selected using the Sort by Field Name selection item1854 and includes ascending or descending.

As with letter campaigns, the Save selection item1858 will cause the configurecampaign application440 to store the phone campaign that has been created in the borrower database122. The newly created phone campaign will now appear in the configurecampaign page1800 illustrated inFIG. 18 when the phone campaigncategory selection item1802 is selected by theuser400. Those skilled in the art would recognize that as with letter campaigns all borrowers included in a respective phone campaign would be determined by the type of campaign that is created and as such, a detailed discussion of this does not need repeated.

Referring toFIG. 18c, if the configure newcampaign selection item1808 is selected by theuser400 when the email campaigncategory selection item1806 is active or selected, the configurecampaign application440 will generate a new email campaign configuration page1880 on theremote terminal106. Other than Subject entry field1884, items1882 and1886-1892 are the same as those discussed above with respect to the creation of a new letter campaign. The Subject entry field1884 allows theuser400 to enter a subject that will be included in the subject line of a standard email. It should be appreciated that a Subject entry field could also be included in letter campaigns as well. For the sake of brevity, all of the discussion of creating a new letter campaign is incorporated herein by reference except that instead of a letter, this campaign is for an email that is sent electronically to the borrower instead of being mailed.

Referring back toFIG. 18, anEdit selection item1822 is included that allows theuser400 to edit each campaign (letter, phone, email) that is created for an educational institution. A Disableselection item1824 allows auser400 to temporarily disable a respective campaign (letter, phone, email) from being used by the educational institution. TheEdit selection item1822 and Disableselection item1824 appear in each display regardless of what

campaign category

1802,1804 or1806 is selected.

As illustrated inFIG. 19, selection of the generatecampaigns application442 generates a generatecampaigns page1900 in theweb browser302 on theremote terminal106. The generate campaignspage1900 displays a list of active campaigns that have been created by the educational institution. In this form, the list of active campaigns are sorted by letter campaigns, phone campaigns, and email campaigns. Campaigns that have been created, but disabled in the configure campaignspage1800, do not appear in the list of active campaigns. As with the configure campaignspage1800, the user can switch between campaigns that are displayed by selected the letter campaigncategory selection item1802, the phone campaigncategory selection item1804, and the email campaigncategory selection item1806. In alternative forms, all active campaigns could be listed in the generatecampaigns page1900.

The generate campaignspage1900 allows auser400 to put into action or implement campaigns (letter, phone, email) that have been created using the configure campaignsapplication440 set forth above. Each of the campaigns created using the configure campaignsapplication440 under theCampaign Type category1810 are listed in the generatecampaign page1900 under each selection item (letter, phone, email) as discussed above. A Generateselection item1902 is included that once selected by auser400 causes the generatecampaigns application442 to set into action or implement the particular campaign. For example, if the Generateselection item1902 associated with the “defaulted”Campaign Type category1810 illustrated inFIG. 19 is selected by theuser400, the generatecampaign application442 will cause letters to be generated for each borrower that is in a default status. A similar page would be generated upon selection of either the phone campaigncategory selection item1804 or the email campaigncategory selection item1806.

As previously set forth, the generatecampaigns application442 uses the campaign type to determine what borrowers should be included or excluded from each respective campaign as a function of data contained in the borrower loan data files with respect to each borrower. Only borrowers that fit predefined criteria for a particular campaign type (e.g.—defaulted, delinquent, and so forth) will be included in the selected campaign. The generate campaignsapplication442 uses these criteria to generate a borrower list that includes borrowers that satisfy the predetermined criteria associated with a respective campaign type. The borrower list contains contact information (e.g.—address, phone number, email address, loan status, and so forth) related to the borrowers that the generatecampaigns application442 uses to implement the respective selected campaign.

In one form, the borrower connectapplication210 sends an electronic file to theelectronic campaign server110 that causes the organization associated with theelectronic campaign server110 to take the desired action associated with the campaign (e.g.—letters, emails, phone calls). In this example, the organization associated with theelectronic campaign server110 would print and mail the letters to the borrowers that are in default, for example. In the case of email campaigns, the system will automatically send the emails on behalf of the organization associated with theelectronic campaign server110. In other forms, the organization associated with theelectronic campaign server110 would conduct telephone calls to the borrowers in the case of phone campaigns. In other forms, the educational institution itself can print and send the letters, conduct the phone calls, and send the emails. In one form, the phone call campaigns are live calls or messages left to inform borrowers of the relevant information. Various different methods exist to implement the campaigns once they are selected to be generated.

Referring toFIG. 19, the generatecampaign page1900 includes a View BorrowerList selection item1904 that when selected queries the database on thedatabase server128 and obtains a list of the borrowers to be included and excluded (excluded if valid contact information is not available) in a particularCampaign Type category1810. The generate campaignsapplication442 is operable to display a pop-up window or new page that displays the borrowers and their applicable data related to a given campaign. The generate campaignsapplication442 generates the borrowers list that contains contact data (i.e.—name, address, phone number, email address) applicable to each borrower with respect to a given campaign that is created and implemented. The borrowers list is created as a function of the campaign type and a search of the aggregated loan database that is contained in the borrower database122.

The generatecampaign page1900 includes a PreviewContent selection item1906 that displays the communication that will be sent to the borrowers that fall into a particularCampaign Type category1810. If the PreviewContent selection item1906 is selected, a pop-up window or new page is generated by the generatecampaigns application442 that shows the content of the particular communication that has been generated. The generatecampaign page1900 also includes a Date Last Generatedcategory1908, a Last Generated Bycategory1910, a Last Completed Bycategory1912, and a Date Last Completedcategory1914. The Date Last Generatedcategory1908 displays to theuser400 the last time a campaign was initiated or set into action. The Last Generated Bycategory1910 displays the user that generated the last campaign. The Last Completed Bycategory1912 displays the user who last completed the relevant campaign. The Date Last Completedcategory1914 displays the date in which the relevant campaign was completed.

As illustrated inFIG. 20, selection of the view/export campaign application444 generates a view/export campaign page2000 in theweb browser302 on theremote terminal106. The view/export campaign page2000 allows theuser400 to print letters, download letters, and view phone call campaigns fromFIG. 19. Once the generatecampaigns selection item1902 is selected, the generatecampaigns application442 is configured to automatically generate the correspondence that is associated with a given campaign. For example, in the case of a letter campaign, the generatecampaigns application442 will generate a plurality of letters addressed to borrowers who fall within the campaign type designated by the campaign. One or more files are generated that are accessible through the view/export campaign page2000. In the case of email campaigns, only email campaigns that failed to send successfully will be displayed. Email campaigns complete in the Generateselection page1900.

As illustrated inFIG. 21, selection of thecampaign history application446 generates acampaign history page2100 in theweb browser302. As with the other campaign related pages, thecampaign history page2100 includes aLetter selection item1802, aPhone selection item1804, and anEmail selection item1806. As should be appreciated, selection by theuser400 of each of these selection items1802-1806 causes thecampaign history application446 to generate a report detailing what types of campaigns have been conducted by the organization in the past as it relates to each of these categories. Thecampaign history page2100 includes ahistory display area2101 that displays various categories of historical data about each individual campaign.

As illustrated inFIG. 21, thehistory display area2101 includes aDate category2102, theCampaign Type category1810, aUser ID category2104, aBorrower Count category2106, and anAction category2108. TheDate category2102 provides the date and time that the relevant campaign was completed. TheCampaign Type category1810 lists the type of campaign that was conducted or completed. TheUser ID category2104 lists theuser400 that initiated and conducted the campaign. TheBorrower Count category2106 lists the number of borrowers that fell under or were contacted by the particular campaign. TheAction category2108 shows the status of a given campaign such as completed, removed, generated, configured, and so forth.

Thecampaign history page2100 includes a View selection item2110 next to each respective campaign. Selection of the View selection item2110 causes thecampaign history application446 to display additional information about the respective campaign. For example, if a View selection item2110 next to a respective letter campaign is selected, a pop-up window or page will be displayed that includes a copy of the letter. In addition, the user can look at all of the borrowers that were included in the campaign as a list of borrowers will also be displayed. All of the historical data relative to campaigns is stored in the database on thedatabase server128.

As illustrated inFIG. 22, selection of thecampaign logo application448 generates acampaign logo page2200 in theweb browser302. Thecampaign logo application448 allows theuser400 to upload organization logos that can be applied to various letter and email campaigns during the campaign configuration process. An uploadimage selection item2202 is included that allows theuser400 to upload logo files into the borrower connectapplication210. The uploaded logos are displayed in alogo display area2204 in thecampaign logo page2200. Selection of a logo in thelogo display area2204 brings the logo up in adisplay area2206. An active selection item or radio button2208 and an inactive selection item or radio button2210 is included that allows theuser400 to designate the respective logo as either an activated or deactivated logo for use in connection with a respective campaign. A SaveChanges selection item2212 causes the selection made with respect to the active selection item2208 or inactive selection item2210 to be stored in the database on thedatabase server128.

As illustrated inFIG. 23, selection of theMy Reports application412 generates aMy Reports page2300 in theweb browser302. TheMy Reports page2300 allows theuser400 to view various types of reports including a BorrowerLoan Detail Report2302, aCampaign Effectiveness Report2304, a CommunicationCode Effectiveness Report2306, aDelinquency Aging Report2308, aPortfolio Management Report2310, aUser Activity Report2314, and a User Effectiveness Report (not illustrated). Selection of each type of report causes theMy Reports application412 to generate and display the report.

The BorrowerLoan Detail Report2302 provides itemized information about student borrowers by data sources for a specific organization, campaign group or campus. TheCampaign Effectiveness Report2304 provides information about the effectiveness of all completed campaigns for a selected timeframe, by organization or campaign group. The CommunicationCode Effectiveness Report2306 provides information about the effectiveness of all logged communication codes for a selected timeframe, by organization or campaign group. TheDelinquency Aging Report2308 provides borrower loan delinquency information and forecasts best and worst-case default rates at a specific organization, OPEID or campus. ThePortfolio Management Report2310 provides borrower and loan portfolio information for each individual servicer at the organization, OPEID or campus level. TheSkip Trace Report2312 displays borrowers with missing or invalid contact information at a specific organization. TheUser Activity Report2314 provides information about each respective users activity within the borrower connectapplication210 at a respective organization. The User Effectiveness Report2316 provides information about the effectiveness of a user of the borrower connectapplication210.

Referring toFIG. 24, several additional representative software applications available tointernal users2400 of the borrower connectapplication210 are illustrated.Internal users2400 have access to all of the software applications set forth inFIG. 4 as well as those illustrated inFIG. 24. Theuser login application300 is the same for bothexternal users400 andinternal users2400 and a discussion of this is not necessary. The borrower connectapplication210 includes anorganization search application2402 that is presented to theinternal user2400 in anorganization search page2500, which is illustrated inFIG. 25. Theorganization search page2500 includes aName entry field2502 and an Organization ID (OPEID)entry field2504 that theinternal user2400 can use to search for relevant campuses. Once the relevant information is entered, selection of aSearch selection item2506 causes theorganization search application2402 to search the database on thedatabase server128 and the results are displayed in asearch result area2508 on theorganization search page2500. Once theinternal user2400 selects a respective campus in thesearch result area2508, the borrower connectapplication210 executes theorganization dashboard application402 for that respective campus and generates theorganization dashboard page500 for theinternal user2400.

Referring toFIGS. 24 and 26, selection of theAdministration application416 brings up a menu of options available to theinternal user2400 to applications that can be accessed by theinternal user2400. These applications include anorganization setup application2404, asystem messages application2406, anorganization type application2408, a datasource sort application2410, and aservicer application2412. Selection of theorganization setup application2404 generates anorganization setup page2600 in theweb browser302 on theremote terminal106. Theorganization setup page2600 allows the user to enter a new educational institution into thesystem100. As illustrated, several steps need to be completed in order to create a new educational institution or client. Various information is entered into theorganization setup page2600 about the educational institution such as name, address, email address, contact information, and so forth. Once all of the relevant information is entered, the educational institution is created as a new user and all relevant information is stored in the database122.

Referring toFIG. 27, selection of thesystem messages application2406 generates asystem messages page2700 in theweb browser302 on theremote terminal106. Thesystem messages page2700 allows theinternal user2400 to generate system messages that can be viewed by all users of thesystem100. Thesystem messages page2700 includes an expirationdate entry field2702, amessage entry field2704, asave selection item2706, and amessage display area2708. The expirationdate entry field2702 allows theinternal user2400 to set the date upon which the message will expire or no longer be available for viewing. Themessage entry field2704 allows the user to enter the message that needs to be sent. After the message is entered, selection of thesave selection item2706 causes the message to be posted or sent. All messages are stored in the database on thedatabase server128.

Referring toFIG. 28 selection of theorganization type application2408 generates anorganization type page2800 in theweb browser302. Theorganization type page2800 allows the user to create different types of schools that are used during the setup process described with respect toFIG. 26. This could include, for example, the following type of information: proprietary 2-3 years, public less than 2 years, public 4+ years, private less than 2 years, private 2-3 years, private 4+ years, proprietary less than 2 years, proprietary 4+ years, foreign, unclassified, and closed.

Referring toFIG. 29 selection of the datasource sort application2410 generates a datasource sort page2900 in theweb browser302. The data sourcesort page2900 lists the loan service providers that have been entered into thesystem100. In letter and email campaigns, the name, phone number, website address, and email address of loan service providers is given to the borrower so that the borrower knows how to contact the loan service provider. Selection of a New Data Source selection item2902 or Edit selection item2904 next to a service provider causes the datasource sort application2410 to generate theservicer page3000. Referring toFIG. 30 selection of theservicer application2412 generates aservicer page3000 in theweb browser302. Theservicer page3000 allows the user to add a new loan service provider to the database122 or edit information for an existing service provider. Theservicer page3000 includes a Name entry field3002, a Servicer Code entry field3004, a Phone number entry field3006, a web site URL entry field3008, and an email address entry field3010. During setup or editing of a loan service provider, this information is entered into the respective entry fields and once complete, a Save selection item3012 is selected and the loan service provider is stored in the database122. As set forth above, in letter and email campaigns, all of the information about a loan service provider, except the servicer code, is provided to the borrower so that the borrower knows how to contact the loan service provider. This allows the borrower to have all of the information about all of his or her loan service providers in one document thereby eliminating the need for the borrower to search to locate contact information about a respective loan service provider. Referring toFIG. 31, the borrower connectsystem100 includes afile import application3100 that is used to import borrower data into thesystem100. The file import process is divided into two components. These components are performed asynchronously to the user interface. A borrower connect processing service (“BCPS”)application3102 is installed on at least one server that de-queues tasks to perform and executes them. These tasks are divided up appropriately by organization into batches and scale out so many tasks for multiple organizations may be occurring simultaneously.

During the file import process, thefile import application3100 creates afile import log3104 that is maintained on at least oneserver3106. This may be thedatabase server128 illustrated inFIG. 1. It is important to realize that all of the software applications, databases, and files disclosed herein can be maintained on and executed by a single server, but in order for the system to scale more readily a plurality of servers are utilized in the preferred form. Thefile import log3104 keeps track of the process identification, the file, the number of rows, errors, and descriptions, as applicable.

A file is uploaded or imported into thesystem100 in one of two ways. As previously discussed, thefile import application3100 can generate afile import page1600 in theweb browser302 that allows theuser400 to import files. SeeFIG. 16. Another way in which files may be imported into thesystem100 is by using theFTP server118. In this form, the organization uses FTP to transmit the files to theFTP server118. Regardless of how the file is uploaded, the file is stored in a secure file path on afile server3108. Animport file record3110 is created to manage the importation of the file. In the illustrated form, theimport file record3110 is created and stored on anadministration server3112. If the file is transmitted using FTP, the file is moved from theFTP server118 to thefile server3108 and then theimport file record3110 is created.

After the file is imported, theBCPS application3102 copies the file from the secure file location to a local path for processing and as such, theBCPS application3102 acts as a data processing application. Referring toFIG. 32, a flow chart is illustrated that describes how theBCPS application3102 includes several different applications to process each borrower loan data file. Atstep3200, a scrubbing application is configured to remove invalid records from the file. Invalid records in the file include records that have a duplicate loan identifier, records that have an invalid OPEID, records in which the calculated cohort is outside the cohort range, and records in which the loan type is not imported. A backup of the original file is saved before the file is scrubbed.

After the file is scrubbed, at step3202 a parsing application is configured to parse data in the file into fields based on row and column delimiters to form a plurality of parsed data. If a field is truncated during parsing, a notification is entered into theimport log3110 specifying the row number and field where truncating occurred. A borrower connectfile editor application3204 is configured to load the parsed data into a table3112 on adata server3114. The table3112 is specifically created for the data file. Atstep3206, a mapping application is configured to map the table3112 to a standard table. In one form, the mapping application maps the data in batches and if an issue occurs while mapping, a status is flagged with a mapping error. Atstep3208, a business rules application is configured to apply business rules to the incoming data from the standard table to match the data to existing data contained in the aggregated loan database record and determine whether or not it should be imported.

These business rules include the following:

- The OPEID field of the record is matched to a list of OPEID's assigned to an organization. This list is created from the OPEID's assigned to the campuses, and the OPEID assigned to the organization.
  - If there is no match, the record is flagged as “do not import” and has its status set to “Invalid OPEID”.
- Cohort year field is checked. If the Cohort Year is missing, it is calculated based on the Date Entered Repayment.
  - Any record outside the current cohort year is flagged as “do not import” and has its status set to “Outside Cohort Range”.
- Days Delinquent field is checked. If the Days Delinquent field is missing, it is calculated based on a Delinquency Date field. If the Delinquency Date is missing, nothing is calculated.
- The Loan Status Effective Date field is checked. If the Loan Status Effective Date field is missing, it is set to be the “Import Date” of the file.
- The Loan Status field is checked. If the Loan Status field is missing or was unable to be mapped, or is one of the Loan Statuses that is not being imported, the record is flagged as “do not import” and its status is set to “Loan Status or Loan Type not imported”.
  - Validity flags are checked. If the validity flags are blank, good validity is assumed, and these are set to true.
- Borrower Identifier field is matched to Borrower Identifier in the organization database.
  - If there is no match, it is a new borrower.
  - If the Borrower Identifier is blank, the record is flagged as “do not import” and has its status set to “Missing Borrower Identifier”.
- If the record being imported is a servicer record and does not match a National Student Loan Data System (“NSLDS”) record, it is flagged as “Do Not Calculate”. It is eligible for communications but should not be included in CDR calculations.
- Current loans are archived that match the loans being imported by Organization/Data Source/OPEID/Borrower Social Security Number (“SSN”).
- Matched loans are un-archived when they are imported. Loans are matched by Organization/Data Source/Borrower/Loan Identifier.
- Loan Identifier field is matched to Loan Identifier field in the organization database, along with Borrower UID and Data Source UID.
  - If there is no match, it is a new loan.
- If the loan identifier is blank or missing, the record is flagged as “Do Not Warehouse”, and will not be included in the reporting warehouse.
- Borrower/campus relationships are identified. This lookup is done using the Borrower UID and the Campus UID, where the campus is matched using the OPEID. If the OPEID does not match any of the campuses, the Borrower is not associated with a campus and is not eligible for communications.

After the business rules are applied, at step3210 a locking application is used to lock all borrower data records for import. No updating can be done at this point via the user interface and a message will appear indicating such if a user attempts to do so. Atstep3212, animport application3102 imports the data into the database associated with the organization. This data includes, but is not limited to, the following information:

- Borrowers
- Borrower Details
- Borrower—Campus relationships
- Loans
- Primary contact information is updated, making sure the “do not contact” flags and rules are used appropriately.
- Borrower unlocked.
- Once all importing is done, row status reports are built and the temporary data is deleted from any temporary tables.
- The import is flagged as complete.
  Atstep3214, data is periodically copied into adata warehouse3116 to be used in creating the reports and dashboards disclosed herein.

Referring toFIG. 33, another representativeorganization dashboard page3300 is illustrated that is generated by theorganization dashboard application402. In this form, theorganization dashboard3300 includes a datasource selection item3302, a cohortyear selection item3304, and acampus selection item3306. The datasource selection item3302 allows the user to select a respective data source that is viewed in theorganization dashboard page3300. The datasource selection item3302 also includes an all servicers option that allows the user to view aggregated data from all data sources (NSLDS and individual third party servicers). As the user switches between data sources, the charts, graphs and tables discussed below are updated accordingly in theorganization dashboard page3300.

The cohortyears selection item3304 allows the user to select respective years for which he or she wants to view loan data in theorganization dashboard page3300. Selection of a respective year causes the data in theorganization dashboard page3300 to update accordingly. Thecampus selection item3306 allows the user to view data associated with individual campuses or a combined view of all data associated with the entire educational institution.

Theorganization dashboard page3300 includes a borrower counts byloan status chart3308 and a borrower counts by loan status table orgraph3310. The borrower counts byloan status chart3308 lists a percentage of borrowers in various states of repayment. In thischart3308, the states of repayment include a current state, a 1-30 days delinquent state, a 31-60 days delinquent state, a 181-270 days delinquent state, a 271-359 days delinquent state, and a defaulted state. The borrower counts by loan status table3310 lists a number of borrowers in various states of repayment. In this table3310, the states of repayment include a current state, a 1-30 days delinquent state, a 31-60 days delinquent state, a 181-270 days delinquent state, a 271-359 days delinquent state, and a defaulted state. It should be appreciated that various ranges of days delinquent could be used in other charts and tables or graphs.

Theorganization dashboard page3300 also includes a projected cohort default rates display3312. In this form, the projected cohort default rates display3314 provides the user with an estimate of the number of borrowers who will enter a defaulted state in the future. This estimate is created based on trends in the number of borrowers who are becoming delinquent in repayment. In the illustrated form, the projected cohort default rates display3312 includes a year display and a projected best case scenario display and a projected worst case scenario display. Theorganization dashboard page3300 also includes a servicerimport history display3314. The servicerimport history display3314 providers the user with a list of servicers for which data has been imported into thesystem100 and the date of the last import associated with the servicer. This allows the user to know how current the data being displayed is with respect to a given servicer.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, the protection afforded by any patent which may issue upon this application is not strictly limited to the disclosed embodiment; but rather extends to all structures and arrangements which fall fairly within the scope of the claims which are appended hereto.