Providing credit inquiry alerts

• US 9,607,336 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Dean, Michael John, Kapczynski, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Preston, John
• Application Number:
  US13/525,061
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 705/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for generating and delivering an alert to an individual regarding a credit inquiry. For example, an inquiry request may be received that includes a request for credit data associated with an individual. An alert may then be generated and provided to the individual based on retrieved contact information associated with the individual. In some embodiments, the alert is generated regardless of whether the inquiry causes a change to credit data associated with the individual.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data store that stores information associated with one or more individuals, wherein the information includes member information indicating respective individuals enrolled in a notification service;

a computing device in communication with the data store and that is configured to;

receive an inquiry request from a requesting entity, wherein the inquiry request includes a request for credit data associated with an individual, wherein the inquiry request is received by an inquiry module configured to receive the inquiry request prior to the inquiry request causing any change to credit data associated with the individual in a credit bureau database;

determine that the individual is enrolled in the notification service based at least in part by comparing information associated with the inquiry request and member information retrieved from the data store, wherein the information compared includes at least one of a name, a social security number or an address; and

in response to receiving the inquiry request and determining that the individual is enrolled in the notification service;

determine a time period of a predetermined length during which the individual may respond to an alert to be generated by the system, wherein the time period is set to be a predetermined number of seconds or minutes, wherein the system is configured to release credit data associated with the individual to the requesting entity as a default action at the end of the time period unless a response to the alert is received by the system during the time period;

retrieve contact information associated with the individual from the data store, wherein the retrieved contact information includes at least one of a phone number, an IP address, or a device identifier associated with a mobile device of the individual;

generate the alert for delivery to the individual, the alert including information identifying the requesting entity, wherein the alert is generated (a) substantially in real time when the request for credit data is received and (b) before or contemporaneously with a processing by a credit bureau of the request for credit data, wherein the alert includes a selectable option that enables the individual to indicate via interacting with the alert on the mobile device that the individual does not authorize credit data to be provided to the requesting entity;

electronically provide the alert to the individual based on the retrieved contact information, wherein electronically providing the alert to the individual comprises sending the alert to the mobile device of the individual as a push notification to an application operating on the mobile device of the individual that includes the selectable option as at least one of a link or a button,

wherein electronically providing the alert includes delivering the alert to the mobile device such that the alert activates the application on the mobile device to cause display of the information identifying the requesting entity and the selectable option that enables connection to the computing device over the Internet;

receive a response, during the time period, from the mobile device of the individual indicating that the selectable option within the alert was selected; and

based on the response received from the mobile device of the individual, prevent the system from completing the default action of releasing credit data associated with the individual to the requesting entity at the end of the time period;

wherein the alert is generated without reference to credit data or financial data associated with the individual and is generated regardless of whether the inquiry request causes a change to credit data associated with the individual.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated prior to the inquiry request being processed by either a credit bureau or a credit data reseller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated contemporaneously with the inquiry request being processed by a credit bureau or a credit data reseller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated prior to any change being made to credit data based on the inquiry request.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions, an inquiry request from a requesting entity, wherein the inquiry request includes a request for credit data associated with an individual, wherein the inquiry request is received prior to the inquiry request causing any change to credit data associated with the individual in a credit bureau database;

in response to receiving the inquiry request;

establishing, by the computing system, a time period of a predetermined length during which the individual may respond to an alert to be generated by the system, wherein the time period is set to be a predetermined number of seconds or minutes, wherein the computing system is configured to release credit data associated with the individual to the requesting entity as a default action at the end of the time period unless a response to the alert is received by the computing system during the time period;

retrieving, by the computing system, contact information associated with the individual from an electronic data store, wherein the retrieved contact information includes at least one of a phone number, an IP address, or a device identifier associated with a mobile device of the individual;

generating, by the computing system, the alert for delivery to the individual, the alert including information identifying the requesting entity, wherein the alert is generated (a) substantially in real time when the request for credit data is received and (b) before or contemporaneously with a processing by a credit bureau of the request for credit data, wherein the alert includes a selectable option that enables the individual to indicate that the individual does not authorize credit data to be provided to the requesting entity

electronically providing the alert to the individual based on the retrieved contact information, wherein electronically providing the alert to the individual comprises sending, by the computing system, the alert to the mobile device of the individual as a push notification to an application operating on the mobile device of the individual that includes the selectable option as at least one of a link or a button

wherein electronically providing the alert includes delivering the alert to the mobile device such that the alert activates the application on the mobile device to cause display of the selectable option that enables connection to the computing system over the Internet;

receiving a response, by the computing system during the time period, from the mobile device of the individual indicating that the selectable option within the alert was selected; and

based on the response received from the mobile device of the individual, automatically preventing the computing system from completing the default action of releasing credit data associated with the individual to the requesting entity at the end of the time period;

wherein the alert is provided to the individual prior to the inquiry request causing any change to credit data associated with the individual.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the alert is provided to the individual based at least in part on contact information associated with enrollment by the individual in a notification service.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the alert comprises information identifying the requesting entity associated with the inquiry request.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the computing system that generates the alert is associated with a credit bureau or a credit reseller.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the alert is generated in association with a credit monitoring service.