Patent ID: 7707106

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving by one or more computers a request at a savings account provider to establish a savings account for an account holder over a communications network; establishing by the one or more computers the requested savings account for the account holder; establishing by the one or more computers a monetary limit for funds that can be transferred from the savings account to a checking account, the savings account being maintained at a specific institution entity that is different than the institution entity maintaining the checking account; linking the checking account and the savings account by the one or more computers; receiving by the one or more computers a request to establish a set time period to query the checking account to determine a checking account balance; establishing by the one or more computers the set time period to query the checking account to determine the checking account balance; establishing by the one or more computers a maintained balance limit for the checking account; establishing by the one or more computers a lower balance limit for the checking account; querying the checking account at the set time period by the one or more computers to determine the checking account balance; comparing the checking account balance by the one or more computers to the maintained balance limit using the processor; comparing the checking account balance by the one or more computers to the lower balance limit using the processor; automatically transferring an excess balance to the savings account when the checking account balance exceeds the maintained balance limit; and automatically transferring a compensatory amount from the savings account to the checking account when the checking account balance is below the lower balance limit.