System and methods for credit dispute processing, resolution, and reporting

• US 9,406,085 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Hunt, Herbert Harris III
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tien
• Application Number:
  US13/831,341
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/42, 705/26, 705/39, 705/38, 705/30, 705/7.14, 705/80, 705/26.41, 705/309, 345/758, 345/163, 379/265.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/182 Alternative dispute resolution

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for credit dispute processing, resolution, and reporting. Credit dispute resolution requests may be received, processed, and sent to a credit bureau for submission to creditors. Status of credit dispute resolutions may be reported to consumers. If a creditor'"'"'s response time is longer than its average response time or if a creditor does not respond to a credit dispute resolution request within a regulatory response period, alerts and reports may be sent to consumers to provide consumers with further options.

Claims

1. A credit dispute resolution computer system comprising:

a credit dispute resolution computing system comprising;

one or more computer processors; and

a tangible storage device storing credit dispute resolution software configured for execution by the one or more computer processors; and

a user computing device configured to execute user device software allowing the user to provide information that is transmitted to the credit dispute resolution computing system and to receive and render information from the dispute resolution computing system;

wherein the credit dispute resolution computing system is configured to;

receive a credit dispute request from a user via the user computing device, the credit dispute request indicating at least a first creditor and received on a particular date;

transmit at least a portion of the credit dispute request to one or more credit bureau computing systems;

access historical data regarding a plurality of credit disputes with the first creditor submitted by a corresponding plurality of other users;

determine, based on the historical data, a plurality of response times corresponding to the plurality of credit disputes with the first creditor, wherein each of the response times indicates respective time periods from the first creditor receiving the credit dispute until the first creditor responded to the credit dispute;

calculate an average response time associated with the first creditor based on the determined plurality of response times;

calculate a probability that the first creditor will respond to the credit dispute request within the calculated average response time;

determine an elapsed time period as a difference between the particular date and a date the first creditor acknowledged receipt of the credit dispute request;

generate user interface data configured for rendering on the user computing device in order to display;

a plurality of visual indicators each associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of statuses associated with the credit dispute request, wherein the plurality of statuses include at least;

credit dispute request received;

credit dispute request sent to credit bureau;

credit dispute request acknowledged by creditor; and

creditor provides response to credit dispute request;

a current status indicator positioned to identify a current status of the credit dispute request, wherein the current status is selected from one of the plurality of statuses;

the calculated average response time associated with the first creditor;

the calculated probability that the first creditor will respond to the credit dispute request within the calculated average response time;

the determined elapsed time period;

a regulatory response time period for the first creditor to respond to the credit dispute request; and

a visual indication of whether the determined elapsed time period is larger than the calculated average response time;

generate a first alert including an indication of the current status and a first selectable link which indicates an address of the credit dispute resolution system; and

transmit, over a wireless communication channel, the first alert to the user computing device,

wherein the first alert is configured to activate a software application of the user computing device to cause the indication of the current status to display on the user computing device and to enable connection via the first selectable link to the credit dispute resolution computing system over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the user interface data on a display of the user computing device;

wherein the user computing device is configured to;

in response to selection of the first selectable link;

request, based on the address, the user interface data from the credit dispute resolution computing system;

receive the user interface data from the credit dispute resolution computing system; and

render the user interface data on a display of the user computing device;

wherein the credit dispute resolution computing system is further configured to;

receive additional information associated with the credit dispute;

determine whether the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request;

in response to determining that the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request;

determine an updated status of the credit dispute request that is different than the current status;

update the user interface data so that the current status indicator is positioned to identify the determined updated status;

generate a second alert including an indication of the determined updated status and a second selectable link which indicates the address of the credit dispute resolution system; and

transmit, over the wireless communication channel, the second alert to the user computing device,

wherein the second alert is configured to activate the software application of the user computing device to cause the indication of the determined updated status to display on the user computing device and to enable connection via the second selectable link to the credit dispute resolution computing system over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the updated user interface data on the display of the user computing device; and

wherein the user computing device is further configured to;

in response to selection of the second selectable link;

request, based on the address, the updated user interface data from the credit dispute resolution computing system;

receive the updated user interface data from the credit dispute resolution computing system; and

render the updated user interface data on a display of the user computing device.

2. The credit dispute resolution computer system of claim 1, wherein the user interface data is further configured to render an average response time associated with the first creditor for a type of dispute, wherein the average response time for the first creditor is determined based on one or more actual response times for the first creditor in credit dispute requests of other users for the type of dispute.

3. The credit dispute resolution computer system of claim 1, wherein the credit dispute resolution computing system is further configured to:

in response to determining that the first creditor has not responded to the credit dispute request within the regulatory response time, providing a form letter generation interface that enables the user to generate a letter, the letter comprising at least information identifying the credit dispute request and a history of the credit dispute request.

4. The credit dispute resolution computer system of claim 1, wherein the credit dispute resolution computer system is further configured:

in response to determining that the first creditor has refused to resolve the credit dispute request, comparing documents submitted by the user to typical documents submitted by users who had similar but successfully resolved credit dispute requests in order to identify additional support documents including documents indicating one or more of proof of income, proof of employment, proof of payment, and/or proof of other sources of income.

5. The credit dispute resolution computer system of claim 1, wherein the user interface data is further configured to render:

an interface that enables the user to automatically submit the same credit dispute request to one or more additional credit bureaus.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that direct a computing system to:

receive a credit dispute request from a user;

generate user interface code configured for execution on a computing device of the user in order to render a user interface including;

a status interface including indicators of a plurality of required actions associated with resolution of the received credit dispute, the plurality of required actions including at least;

credit dispute request received, credit dispute case sent to credit bureau, credit dispute case acknowledged by creditor, and creditor replies to credit dispute request; and

a current status indicator indicating a current status of the credit dispute request, wherein the current status comprises at least one of the required actions is in process at a time the request for the resolution status is received;

generate a first alert including an indication of the current status and a first selectable link which indicates an address at which the user interface code may be accessed;

transmit, over a wireless communication channel, the first alert to the computing device of the user, wherein the first alert is configured to activate a software application of the computing device to cause the indication of the current status to display on the computing device and to enable connection via the first selectable link over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the user interface code on a display of the computing device;

receive additional information associated with the credit dispute;

determine whether the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request; and

in response to determining that the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request;

determine an updated status of the credit dispute request that is different than the current status;

update the user interface code so that the current status indicator indicates the determined updated status;

generate a second alert including an indication of the determined updated status and a second selectable link which indicates the address at which the user interface code may be accessed; and

transmit, over the wireless communication channel, the second alert to the computing device of the user, wherein the second alert is configured to activate the software application of the computing device to cause the indication of the determined updated status to display on the computing device and to enable connection via the second selectable link over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the updated user interface code on the display of the computing device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the executable instructions further direct the computing system to:

determine an average response time for the creditor based on one or more actual response times for the creditor in credit dispute requests of other users.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the executable instructions further direct the computing system to:

update the user interface code to display a determined status among the plurality of required actions according to one or more requests for status updates received from a credit bureau regarding the credit dispute request from the user.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the executable instructions further direct the computing system to:

determine a difference between a total number of days since the request has been submitted to the creditor and the regulatory response time requirement;

update the user interface code to include the difference; and

indicate whether the total number of days since the request has been submitted to the creditor has exceeded the regulatory response time requirement.

10. A method comprising:

by software instructions executed by one or more hardware processors;

receiving a credit dispute request from a user;

generating user interface code configured for execution on a computing device of the user in order to render a user interface including;

a status interface including indicators of a plurality of required actions associated with resolution of the received credit dispute, the plurality of required actions including at least;

credit dispute request received, credit dispute case sent to credit bureau, credit dispute case acknowledged by creditor, and creditor replies to credit dispute request; and

a current status indicator indicating a current status of the credit dispute request, wherein the current status comprises at least one of the required actions is in process at a time the request for the resolution status is received;

generating a first alert including an indication of the current status and a first selectable link which indicates an address at which the user interface code may be accessed;

transmitting, over a wireless communication channel, the first alert to the computing device of the user, wherein the first alert is configured to activate a software application of the computing device to cause the indication of the current status to display on the computing device and to enable connection via the first selectable link over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the user interface code on a display of the computing device;

receiving additional information associated with the credit dispute;

determining whether the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request; and

in response to determining that the additional information indicates a change of status of the credit dispute request;

determining an updated status of the credit dispute request that is different than the current status;

updating the user interface code so that the current status indicator indicates the determined updated status;

generating a second alert including an indication of the determined updated status and a second selectable link which indicates the address at which the user interface code may be accessed; and

transmitting, over the wireless communication channel, the second alert to the computing device of the user, wherein the second alert is configured to activate the software application of the computing device to cause the indication of the determined updated status to display on the computing device and to enable connection via the second selectable link over the wireless communication channel to request, receive, and render the updated user interface code on the display of the computing device.