Data Processing Costs
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Surveys; Savings & loan associations; Profit centers; Data processing; Cost estimates; Cost allocation; Chargebacks
Publisher
Mortgage Bankers Association of America
Publication Source
Mortgage Banking
Abstract
Distributing data processing (DP) costs consists of estimating the value of the services provided by the DP department for each user department and transferring the costs to that department. An allocation system results in more realistic demands for services and better use of the services and provides a way of measuring and monitoring resources. There seems to be a consensus that the DP department should be a profit center and charge market prices for its services. To investigate the extent to which DP costing systems were being used, a questionnaire was mailed to 100 of the largest savings & loan associations in the US. A small percentage of the respondents used charge-back systems, primarily because the system lacked the ability to capture the information. In designing a charge-back system, it is recommended that the user accept bids from the DP department and any outside vendors. If the variance in price is favorable to the DP's budgets, the users and the company will have spent the money wisely.
Comments
Published by Mortgage Bankers Association of America in Mortgage Banking, volume 49 issue 8, 1989. Bryant users may access this article here.