Method and apparatus for managing transactions

• US 8,255,336 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CashEdge Incorporated (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CashEdge Incorporated (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dilip, Venkatachari, Dheer, Sanjeev, Sunderji, Amir, Singh, Param
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US11/949,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 79
• US Class Current: 705/75
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system receives account access information from a user. The account is then accessed using the received access information. Data is harvested from a web page associated with the account or received from another financial data source. The user'"'"'s ability to access the account is authenticated based on the obtained information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a financial management system comprising one or more computers, one or more recommendations to adjust fund allocations among one or more accounts;

receiving, by the financial management system from a user, a request to access the one or more accounts;

authenticating the user'"'"'s identity, by the financial management system, authenticating the user'"'"'s identity comprising;

receiving, by the financial management system from the user, user identification information;

comparing, by the financial management system, the user identification information received from the user with corresponding user identification information obtained electronically from one or more third-party data sources; and

determining, by the financial management system, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful;

authenticating, by the financial management system, the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts, comprising,

receiving, by the financial management system, account access information from the user, wherein the account access information comprises one or more of a user name, a password, or an account number;

obtaining, by the financial management system, information regarding the one or more accounts via an online connection, wherein the information is obtained from one or more financial sources via the network;

comparing, by the financial management system, the information obtained regarding the one or more accounts with the received account access information; and

determining, by the financial management system, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful;

in response to determining that authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful, and that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful, authorizing, by the financial management system, the user to access the one or more accounts;

transmitting, by the financial management system to the user, the one or more recommendations; and

executing, by the financial management system, at least one of the one or more recommendations selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user identification information comprises one or more of the user'"'"'s mailing address, the user'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license number, or the user'"'"'s social security number.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining information regarding the one or more accounts comprises harvesting data from a web page associated with the account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a confidence score that indicates a level of verification, wherein the level of verification is useable to restrict the user'"'"'s access to the one or more accounts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the user'"'"'s identity further comprises using an authentication assessment algorithm.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a confidence score that indicates a permitted level of access to the one or more accounts.

7. A non-volatile computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed in a computer system, cause the execution of a method, the method comprising:

generating, by a financial management system comprising one or more computers, one or more recommendations to adjust fund allocations among one or more accounts;

receiving, by the financial management system from a user, a request to access the one or more accounts;

authenticating the user'"'"'s identity, by the financial management system, authenticating the user'"'"'s identity comprising;

receiving, by the financial management system from the user, user identification information;

comparing, by the financial management system, the user identification information received from the user with corresponding user identification information obtained electronically from one or more third-party data sources; and

determining, by the financial management system, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful;

authenticating, by the financial management system, the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts, comprising,

receiving, by the financial management system, account access information from the user, wherein the account access information comprises one or more of a user name, a password, or an account number;

obtaining, by the financial management system, information regarding the one or more accounts via an online connection, wherein the information is obtained from one or more financial sources via the network;

comparing, by the financial management system, the information obtained regarding the one or more accounts with the received account access information; and

determining, by the financial management system, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful;

in response to determining that authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful, and that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful, authorizing, by the financial management system, the user to access the one or more accounts;

transmitting, by the financial management system to the user, the one or more recommendations; and

executing, by the financial management system, at least one of the one or more recommendations selected by the user.

8. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the user identification information comprises one or more of the user'"'"'s mailing address, the user'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license number, or the user'"'"'s social security number.

9. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein obtaining information regarding the one or more accounts comprises harvesting data from a web page associated with the account.

10. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises generating a confidence score that indicates a level of verification, wherein the level of verification is useable to restrict the user'"'"'s access to the one or more accounts.

11. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein authenticating the user'"'"'s identity further comprises using an authentication assessment algorithm.

12. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises generating a confidence score that indicates a permitted level of access to the one or more accounts.

13. A financial management system, comprising:

one or more computers, comprising,

at least one processor;

at least one memory device;

at least one peripheral interface configurable to communicate via a network;

a transaction execution module, comprising software and hardware configurable to execute financial transactions via the network with one or more financial institutions;

an authentication and risk module, comprising software and hardware configurable to perform a process, the process comprising;

generating, by the at least one processor, one or more recommendations to adjust fund allocations among one or more accounts;

receiving, by the at least one processor from a user, a request to access the one or more accounts;

authenticating the user'"'"'s identity, by the at least one processor, authenticating the user'"'"'s identity comprising;

receiving, by the at least one processor from the user, user identification information;

comparing, by the at least one processor, the user identification information received from the user with corresponding user identification information obtained electronically from one or more third-party data sources; and

determining, by the at least one processor, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful;

authenticating, by the at least one processor, the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts, comprising,

receiving, by the at least one processor, account access information from the user, wherein the account access information comprises one or more of a user name, a password, or an account number;

obtaining, by the at least one processor, information regarding the one or more accounts via an online connection, wherein the information is obtained from one or more financial sources via the network;

comparing, by the at least one processor, the information obtained regarding the one or more accounts with the received account access information; and

determining, by the at least one processor, that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful;

in response to determining that authentication of the user'"'"'s identity is successful, and that the authentication of the user'"'"'s right to access the one or more accounts is successful, authorizing, by the at least one processor, the user to access the one or more accounts;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the one or more recommendations; and

executing, by the at least one processor, at least one of the one or more recommendations selected by the user.

14. The financial management system of claim 13 wherein the user identification information comprises one or more of the user'"'"'s mailing address, the user'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license number, or the user'"'"'s social security number.

15. The financial management system of claim 13 wherein obtaining information regarding the one or more accounts comprises harvesting data from a web page associated with the account.

16. The financial management system of claim 13, wherein the process further comprises generating a confidence score that indicates a level of verification, wherein the level of verification is useable to restrict the user'"'"'s access to the one or more accounts.

17. The financial management system of claim 13, wherein authenticating the user'"'"'s identity further comprises using an authentication assessment algorithm.

18. The financial management system of claim 17, wherein the process further comprises generating a confidence score that indicates a permitted level of access to the one or more accounts.