Distributed object-oriented middleware has the potential to become the favored course of action for large financial institutions that are content with core account processing systems, but lack an effective operational customer information system. Its advantages are modularity, quick time-to- market potential and relatively modest cost. It can also incorporate client/server architectural attributes and leave source data resident on existing platforms.
By late 1993, Wells Fargo did not have a customer information system and had concluded that it needed to "see" a customer's entire bank relationship. With The Cushing Group and Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), the bank created its Customer Relationship System (CRS) in three months. The rollout to service customers was completed in another three weeks. Wells Fargo call center representatives were able to retrieve a "customer view" using the customer's TIN (social security number or employer tax number).
Wells Fargo used DEC's ObjectBroker, which complies with the common object request broker architecture (CORBA) standards. The bank's various source applications were mostly IBM mainframe-based, except mutual funds (based on DEC VAX/VMS systems) and brokerage (outsourced on a Tandem system). The bank constructed/mapped a business object model to capture processes and data associated with each source application and call center's business requirements. Wells Fargo used an HP 9000 Unix server to host/serve "customer" and "account" objects, which were executed on the mainframe to retrieve customer relationship and account data.
Microsoft's Windows 3.X was the interface for the client workstation, which displayed the initial TIN inquiry window and the results of the requests. The "customer" object returned data from each accounting system. Each account had a unique icon, which when double-clicked, launched an associated "account" object. This event opens a terminal emulation session of the appropriate accounting application. The call center representative could process any transactions or account queries in the native interface for the accounting application.
Wells Fargo did not create a separate customer information file. Consequently, if a record change (e.g., new address) that affects all accounts must be processed, the bank must change each accounting application. Wells Fargo has continued to evolve its business object models, dedicating two to three experienced IT staff members to support other development efforts in addition to CRS. Peak volume for the ObjectBroker servers is growing and can reach 200,000 business object invocations per day.
Wells Fargo expanded its Customer Relationship System to include access from the bank's Interactive Voice Response Unit, ATMs, and Internet Banking application. These extensions benefited from the re-use of the "customer" and "account" objects. The bank's architecture also enables real-time connectivity to appropriate accounting applications, for example, to pay bills. The 1996 acquisition of First Interstate Bank expanded the system to support 2000 call center seats in two locations.
