A Data-Mining Bonanza Squandered? Financial corporations have accelerated data management on their customers drastically in the past 12-18 months to do targeted marketing. “Now shrinking profit margins, a homogenization of products among firms and a move to self-service by customers has pushed companies to seek a personalized view on how each customer uses — or, more importantly, could use — myriad financial services, from securities trading to checking accounts to life insurance.” Washington Post