Peter Hazlehurst

A computer-implemented method includes issuing a transaction on the Automated Clearing House (ACH) electronic network, the transaction including instructions for printing a check, receiving the transaction, and printing the check according to the instructions.

A method for maintaining a prepaid payment system comprises a user account that can be utilized to complete a purchase transaction with a merchant. A delayed processing window is introduced between a time when the merchant receives a payment approval notification from the payment system and a time when the payment system transmits a payment request to an issuer of a funding account associated with the user's payment system account. The payment system utilizes a user's stored value account… Show more

A method for maintaining a prepaid payment system comprises a user account that can be utilized to complete a purchase transaction with a merchant. A delayed processing window is introduced between a time when the merchant receives a payment approval notification from the payment system and a time when the payment system transmits a payment request to an issuer of a funding account associated with the user's payment system account. The payment system utilizes a user's stored value account maintained by the payment system to satisfy the requirements of a prepaid program, and therefore processes the payment request received from the merchant and transmits the payment approval notification without obtaining prior authorization from the issuer of the funding account. The payment system submits one or more payment requests for the funding transaction at a time after the completion of the purchase transaction between the user and the merchant. Show less

Providing improved card art for display comprises receiving, by one or more computing devices, an image of a card and performing an image recognition algorithm on the image. The computing device identifies images represented on the card image and comparing the identified images to an image database. The computing device determines a standard card art image associated with the identified image based at least in part on the comparison and associates the standard card art image with an account of… Show more

Providing improved card art for display comprises receiving, by one or more computing devices, an image of a card and performing an image recognition algorithm on the image. The computing device identifies images represented on the card image and comparing the identified images to an image database. The computing device determines a standard card art image associated with the identified image based at least in part on the comparison and associates the standard card art image with an account of a user, the account being associated with the card in the image. The computing device displays the standard card art as a representation of the account. Show less

Methods, computer program products, and systems, related to providing financial gadgets to users. In one implementation, a method includes receiving gadgets and receiving a notification that one or more gadgets has been certified. A web page with an interface through which users can select gadgets is generated and provided to a user computer. A user selects a gadget, and the selected gadget is run, including providing the user-specific financial information to the gadget. Content based on the… Show more

Methods, computer program products, and systems, related to providing financial gadgets to users. In one implementation, a method includes receiving gadgets and receiving a notification that one or more gadgets has been certified. A web page with an interface through which users can select gadgets is generated and provided to a user computer. A user selects a gadget, and the selected gadget is run, including providing the user-specific financial information to the gadget. Content based on the output of the gadget is provided to the user. User-specific financial information can be collected, and modified by the gadget. A notification can be received that a financial institution has authorized one or more of the certified gadgets and the web page can only allow users to select authorized gadgets. Show less

A data gathering system is guided by an Internet-capable appliance associated with a user, which has a Pin Vault software instance executing from a digital memory media coupled to the appliance and a Pin Vault file stored in a data repository coupled to the appliance. The Pin Vault file comprises data for authenticating the user to one or more web sites storing information of interest to the user, and the Pin Vault software cooperates with an Internet service to provide, from the Pin Vault… Show more

A data gathering system is guided by an Internet-capable appliance associated with a user, which has a Pin Vault software instance executing from a digital memory media coupled to the appliance and a Pin Vault file stored in a data repository coupled to the appliance. The Pin Vault file comprises data for authenticating the user to one or more web sites storing information of interest to the user, and the Pin Vault software cooperates with an Internet service to provide, from the Pin Vault, data as needed by the Internet service to log onto and authenticate as the user at the one or more web sites storing information of interest to the user, to gather information on behalf of the user. The data for authentication is never kept at the Internet service.
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An account exchange system is provided by a data aggregation service enabled for gathering data for a subscriber from a data repository of a first financial institution, using account exchange software operating on a server coupled to the data aggregation service. Initiated by a subscriber the account exchange software causes an account to be terminated at the first financial institution and a new account to be opened at a second financial institution, using data from the first financial… Show more

An account exchange system is provided by a data aggregation service enabled for gathering data for a subscriber from a data repository of a first financial institution, using account exchange software operating on a server coupled to the data aggregation service. Initiated by a subscriber the account exchange software causes an account to be terminated at the first financial institution and a new account to be opened at a second financial institution, using data from the first financial institution, and processing the data to be compatible with data requirements at the second financial institution. Show less

Methods, computer program products, and systems, related to financial payments are provided. Data corresponding to payments made by a first financial institution is analyzed to identify periodic financial obligations and a specific biller associated with each obligation. A visual user interface including a mechanism through which a user can submit a make-payments notification is generated and provided to a client computer. A first make-payments notification identifying an obligation and a… Show more

Methods, computer program products, and systems, related to financial payments are provided. Data corresponding to payments made by a first financial institution is analyzed to identify periodic financial obligations and a specific biller associated with each obligation. A visual user interface including a mechanism through which a user can submit a make-payments notification is generated and provided to a client computer. A first make-payments notification identifying an obligation and a specific biller is received. A determination is made as to whether the specific biller is automatically requesting payments to satisfy the obligation identified in the make-payments notification, and if so, a cease-billing instruction is caused to be sent to the specific biller. A billing instruction, instructing the first specific biller to automatically request payments from a second financial institution to satisfy the obligation, is caused to be sent to the first specific biller. Show less

A system for managing electronic deposits remitted to billers includes a first node connected to a network for receiving electronic remittances, a data repository connected to the network for storing account information and account identifier data, a first software routine for looking up account information in the data repository based on received account identifier data, and a second software routine for causing a deposit or credit into an account identified by the account identifier data… Show more

A system for managing electronic deposits remitted to billers includes a first node connected to a network for receiving electronic remittances, a data repository connected to the network for storing account information and account identifier data, a first software routine for looking up account information in the data repository based on received account identifier data, and a second software routine for causing a deposit or credit into an account identified by the account identifier data. Each account subject to electronic deposit is registered with the system, the system issuing an account identifier unique to each account, the identifier used in place of the account number by account owners in remittance instruction to payers. Show less

In a network-based bill pay service including a navigating software for emulating a client in network navigation, a software application for collecting and normalizing client data, and a network interface for presenting the information to the client, a method for increasing the level of client participation in the service includes steps (a) navigating to a client site; (b) accessing and mining client data for payee account data; (c) analyzing the mined payee account data for fullness of… Show more

In a network-based bill pay service including a navigating software for emulating a client in network navigation, a software application for collecting and normalizing client data, and a network interface for presenting the information to the client, a method for increasing the level of client participation in the service includes steps (a) navigating to a client site; (b) accessing and mining client data for payee account data; (c) analyzing the mined payee account data for fullness of information and if required searching and adding new relevant information to the payee account data; (d) formatting the payee account data into an interactive bill pay account module; and (e) presenting the bill-pay service option and the bill pay account module relative to the payee account data to the client as an opportunity. Show less