Bill payment and reporting

• US 10,269,065 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Kapczynski, Mark Joseph, Dean, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Eric T
• Application Number:
  US15/209,413
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A system for processing bill payments from a consumer to one or more creditors may provide the consumer with a credit report and options to make payments on tradelines present on the credit report. The system may also report the payment information to one or more credit bureaus. Additionally, the system may automatically identify the consumer'"'"'s accounts, enroll the consumer in online bill payment with creditors, provide account alerts, recommend payments, provide access to electronic statements, and/or provide contextual action buttons for the consumer'"'"'s accounts.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a computer processor configured to execute instructions associated with;

an account data gathering system,

a user interface system,

a payment system,

a payment reporting system, and

an alert system;

the account data gathering system configured to;

gather credit data associated with a user from a credit bureau, wherein the credit data comprises information on a first account of the user with a first creditor, a second account of the user with a second creditor, and a current credit score of the user; and

identify the first account, the first creditor, the second account, and the second creditor from the credit data;

the user interface system configured to;

generate user interface data executable to present a user interface indicating the current credit score of the user, the first account associated with the first creditor and the second account associated with the second creditor;

generate, as part of the user interface, a first payment button associated with the first account, wherein the first payment button is configured to;

enable the user to initiate a first payment to the first creditor associated with the first account; and

report the first payment to the credit bureau;

generate, as part of the user interface, a first payment source selection interface element configured to receive selection of one or more of a plurality of payment accounts of the user from which the first payment to the first creditor is to be drawn;

generate, as part of the user interface, a second payment button associated with the second account, wherein the second payment button is configured to;

enable the user to initiate a second payment to the second creditor associated with the second account; and

report the second payment to the credit bureau;

generate, as part of the user interface, a second payment source selection interface element configured to receive selection of one or more of the plurality of payment accounts of the user from which the second payment to the second creditor is to be drawn;

receive, via inputs from the user in the user interface, a selection of the first payment button, a first payment account of the plurality of payment accounts, the second payment button, and a second payment account of the plurality of payment accounts; and

communicate the selection to the payment system;

the payment system configured to, in response to receiving the selection from the user interface system;

generate a first payment instruction for transferring of a first payment amount from the first payment account of the user to the first creditor;

initiate the first payment to the first creditor using the first payment instruction;

generate a second payment instruction for transferring of a second payment amount from the second payment account of the user to the second creditor; and

initiate the second payment to the first creditor using the second payment instruction;

the payment reporting system configured to;

generate aggregate payment data including indications of the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor;

transmit the aggregate payment data to the credit bureau; and

communicate the aggregate payment data to the alert system;

the alert system configured to;

determine an expected credit score by determining an expected impact on a current credit score of the user in response to the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor;

generate an alert for delivery to a user computing device,

the alert configured to display, on the user computing device, the expected credit score, wherein the expected credit score is different from the current credit score, and

the alert including instructions for activating an application on the user computing device to enable a connection with the computing system to cause details of the aggregate payment data including the indications of the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor to be displayed; and

cause transmission of the alert to the user computing device over a wireless communication channel.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the credit data comprise at least one of:

a credit report, the current credit score, an income, a utility bill, or a rent bill of the user.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein to gather the credit data, the account data gathering system is further configured to:

access a bill of the user from a third creditor, the access including communications with a third-party computing system to access the bill; and

identify a payment due to the third creditor based on the bill.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the payment system is further configured to:

generate a third payment instruction for transferring of a third payment amount to the third creditor; and

initiate the third payment instruction to the third creditor using the third payment instruction.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the payment reporting system is further configured to:

provide an indication to the first creditor and the second creditor that the first payment and the second payment, respectively, have already been reported to the credit bureau;

or

provide an indication to the credit bureau that at least one of the first payment or the second payment is likely to be reported again to the credit bureau by the first creditor or the second creditor.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is further configured to confirm completion of the first payment by:

monitoring an outstanding balance due by the user to the first creditor;

accessing a payment history of the first creditor;

receiving confirmation of the first payment from the first creditor;

or

monitoring bills issued by the first creditor to the user.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the payment reporting system transmits the aggregated payment data to the credit bureau after confirmation of completion of the first payment to the first creditor.

8. A computer-implemented method for reporting a payment, the method comprising:

gathering credit data associated with a user from a credit bureau, wherein the credit data comprises information on a first account of the user with a first creditor, a second account of the user with a second creditor, and a current credit score of the user;

identifying the first account, the first creditor, the second account, and the second creditor from the credit data;

generating user interface data executable to present a user interface indicating the current credit score of the user, the first account associated with the first creditor and the second account associated with the second creditor;

generating, as part of the user interface, a first payment button associated with the first account, wherein the first payment button is configured to

enable the user to initiate a first payment to the first creditor associated with the first account and

report the first payment to the credit bureau;

generating, as part of the user interface, a first payment source selection interface element configured to receive selection of one or more of a plurality of payment accounts of the user from which the first payment to the first creditor is to be drawn;

generating, as part of the user interface, a second payment button associated with the second account, wherein the second payment button is configured to

enable the user to initiate a second payment to the second creditor associated with the second account, and

report the second payment to the credit bureau;

generating, as part of the user interface, a second payment source selection interface element configured to receive selection of one or more of the plurality of payment accounts of the user from which the second payment to the second creditor is to be drawn;

receiving, via inputs from the user in the user interface, a selection of the first payment button, a first payment account of the plurality of payment accounts, the second payment button, and a second payment account of the plurality of payment accounts;

generating a first payment instruction for transferring of a first payment amount from the first payment account of the user to the first creditor;

initiating the first payment to the first creditor using the first payment instruction;

generating a second payment instruction for transferring of a second payment amount from the second payment account of the user to the second creditor;

initiating the second payment to the first creditor using the second payment instruction;

generating aggregate payment data including indications of the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor;

transmitting the aggregate payment data to the credit bureau;

communicating the aggregate payment data to an alert system;

determining an expected credit score by determining an expected impact on a current credit score of the user in response to on the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor;

generating an alert for delivery to a user computing device,

the alert configured to display, on the user computing device, the expected credit score, and

the alert including instructions for activating an application on the user computing device to enable a connection with a computing system to cause details of the aggregate payment data including the indications of the first payment to the first creditor and the second payment to the second creditor to be displayed; and

cause transmission of the alert to the user computing device over a wireless communication channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the credit data comprise at least one of:

a credit report, the current credit score, an income, a utility bill, or a rent bill of the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein gathering the credit data comprises:

accessing a bill of the user from a third creditor, the access including communications with a third-party computing system to access the bill; and

identifying a payment due to the third creditor based on the bill.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

generating a third payment instruction for transferring of a third payment amount to the third creditor; and

initiating the third payment instruction to the third creditor using the third payment instruction.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing an indication to the first creditor and the second creditor that the first payment and the second payment, respectively, have already been reported to the credit bureau;

or

providing an indication to the credit bureau that at least one of the first payment or the second payment is likely to be reported again to the credit bureau by the first creditor or the second creditor.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

monitoring an outstanding balance due by the user to the first creditor;

accessing a payment history of the first creditor;

receiving confirmation of the first payment from the first creditor;

or

monitoring bills issued by the first creditor to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the aggregated payment data is transmitted to the credit bureau after confirmation of completion of the first payment to the first creditor.