Payment reporting systems

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/164,561 filed Jan. 27, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/919,618 filed Dec. 20, 2013 and U.S. Provisional App. No. 61/905,112 filed Nov. 15, 2013. This application is also a non-provisional of, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/919,618 filed Dec. 20, 2013 and U.S. Provisional App. No. 61/905,112 filed Nov. 15, 2013. Each of the above identified applications is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in its entirety.

[0002] The credit score is an important indicator of a consumer's financial health. A consumer's credit score may impact availability and/or terms (e.g., interest rate) of such things as credit cards, loans, rentals, and real estate mortgages, as well as impacting the consumer's ability to find employment. Therefore, consumers have a substantial interest in monitoring and improving their credit scores.

[0003] In one embodiment, a reporting system comprises hardware processors and one or more storage devices. The storage devices store software instructions for execution by the hardware processors. The system is configured to authenticate the identity of a consumer and access payment data associated with the consumer indicating a biller of the consumer. The system may then present the consumer with a user interface including the payment data and a selectable indicator enabling the consumer to instruct the system to report payments to one or more credit bureaus. In response to the consumer selecting the indicator, the system may initiate a report of the payment to one or more credit bureaus.

[0019] Data reporting is the reporting of consumer credit information by a business, such as a biller, to one or more credit bureaus. For example, business that require payment for a product or service that has been received or used by a consumer may report billing and payment information to one or more credit bureaus. Businesses that report data may be referred to as data reporters or data furnishers, while credit bureaus, such as Experian, are referred to as credit reporting agencies (CRA). Once billing and/or payment information is received by a credit bureau, a tradeline associated with the reporting business is created and/or updated with the new data. In general, a tradeline represents a particular financial account of a consumer (e.g., each credit card account is a different tradeline), and may be represented in various manners in a user interface displaying credit information. Consumers may have few or multiple tradelines on their record. Together, all tradelines reported on a specific consumer are included in the consumer's credit report and can be used to determine the consumer's overall risk or creditworthiness.

[0020] The credit score is an important indicator of a consumer's financial health. Consequently, having a high credit score is important to consumers for many reasons. A consumer's credit score may impact availability and/or terms (e.g., interest rate) of such things as credit cards, loans, leases, real estate mortgages, and so on. A poor credit score may even prevent a consumer from finding a good job. Thus, many consumers have a substantial interest in monitoring and finding ways to improve their credit scores. However, a consumer's credit report is based on the information on their credit report, and the information on a consumer's credit report doesn't change until it is updated by a data reporter. Typically, there are two types of data reporters. The first type is the billers themselves. Some billers report data about their consumer accounts directly to the credit bureaus. The second type is third party data furnishers (also referred to as third party data reporters). These companies report to the credit bureaus on behalf of one or more companies with consumer credit accounts. In both cases, the billers receiving payments from consumers and/or the third party data reporters typically aggregate payment information from many consumers and only report to the credit bureaus periodically (e.g., every 30 days). Thus, if a consumer makes a payment with the hope of improving his credit score there is often a substantial delay before any improvement actually occurs. For consumers seeking a quick improvement to their credit scores, this delay can be costly. In some embodiments of the disclosed systems, a consumer can report payment faster than relying on traditional reporting procedures and can ensure that some payments, that may otherwise not be reported, are reported.

[0021] Although several embodiments, examples and illustrations are disclosed below, the inventions described herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, examples and illustrations and includes other uses of the inventions and modifications and equivalents thereof. Embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. The terminology used in the description presented herein is not intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner simply because it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. In addition, various embodiments can comprise several novel features and no single feature is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or is essential to practicing the inventions herein described.

System Block Diagram

[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a payment reporting system 100 that may be used to implement certain systems and methods discussed herein, such as providing billing information to a consumer, gathering a consumer's account data, enabling a consumer to report payments to one or more credit bureaus, and/or processing payments to one or more billers. Each of these features is discussed further below with reference to the various figures.

[0023] In one embodiment, the payment reporting system 100 is configured to interface with multiple devices and/or data sources. The payment reporting system 100 may be configured to implement certain systems and methods described herein. The functionality provided for in the components and modules of the payment reporting system 100 may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules.

[0024] The payment reporting system 100 may be used to implement systems and methods described herein, such as providing billing information to a consumer, gathering a consumer's account data, enabling a consumer to initiate immediate payment reports to one or more credit bureaus, and/or processing payments to one or more billers. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the payment reporting system 100 may include modules that may be executed by CPU 105 such as an account data gathering module 150, a user interface module 110, a payment module 170, a reporting module 180, an identity verification module 195, and a credit agreement validation module 190. In some embodiments, the other computing devices discussed herein, such as the computing devices 162, may include some or all of the same components as discussed below with reference to payment reporting system 100. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, certain modules, such as the user interface module 110, account data gathering module 150, payment module 170, and/or reporting module 180 may be performed by different and/or multiple computing devices. For example, certain functionality of the reporting module 180 may be performed by the computing device 162, while other functionality of the reporting module 180 may be performed by billers 164.

[0025] In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 includes an account data gathering module 150, which performs various tasks of gathering payment data and other data relating to one or more accounts of a consumer (e.g., a consumer operating the consumer computing device 162 in FIG. 1). Such data may include, for example, account details associated with specific accounts, records of payments made by a consumer, credit data retrieved from credit bureau(s) 106, and/or payments due on the accounts. The account data may be retrieved via a network 160, via a dedicated communication channel, or by other means. In some embodiments, account data is communicated to the payment reporting system 100 via a secured communication channel to ensure the privacy and security of the data. In an embodiment, account data is gathered on demand as required by the payment reporting system. For example, account data may be gathered when a consumer requests to view billing information. In another embodiment, account data is gathered on a periodic basis independent of requests for information to the payment reporting system. For example, account gathering module 150 may gather new account data for specific accounts on a daily basis regardless of requests for information from the consumer. In another embodiment, account data is stored on the payment reporting system, in which case, retrieval of account data may not be necessary.

[0026] The payment reporting system 100 may also include a payment module 170 configured to process payments from a consumer to one or more billers 164. The payments may be processed through the payment reporting system 100 or using a third party payment processor (e.g., Yodlee or Fiserv). When processing payments the system 100 may interact with one or more financial institutions to direct the transfer of money from an account associated with the consumer to an account associated with a biller 164. When processing payments through a third party payment processor, the system 100 may transmit payment information including account information for the consumer and the biller to the third party payment processor. The third party payment processor may then use the payment information to cause the transfer of money from the consumer to the biller.

[0027] In one embodiment, the reporting module 180 is configured to report payments to one or more credit bureaus. In some embodiments, the payment reporting module 180 may report payments that have been processed by payment module 170, and/or may report payments made through other modules or systems. Reporting module 180 may be configured to report payment information faster than waiting for reporting of the payment from the billers receiving payments. Reporting module 180 may also be configured to report payments made to a biller 164 that does not otherwise report payments. Payments may be reported directly by the reporting system 100 to the credit bureau 106 over the network 160, or may be made through an intermediate third-party reporter 168. Payment module 170 and reporting module 180 may include executable instructions for processing and reporting payments, respectively. The modules may include portions that are executed by the payment reporting system 100, by billers 164, by bill payment center 165, and/or by the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of operations performed by the payment module 170 and the reporting module 180 may be performed entirely by the payment reporting system 100, entirely by another computing device, or some portions may be performed by the payment reporting system 100 while other portions are performed by another computing device. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the payment module 170 or reporting module 180.

[0028] The payment reporting system 100 may also include a credit agreement validation module 190 which checks the authenticity of a consumer's accounts to verify terms of the credit agreement, e.g., to make sure that the consumer really has an account with a biller/biller for which the consumer is requesting payment reporting. The accounts may be validated with data from a credit bureau 106, a biller 164, other data sources 166, and/or information received from computing device 162. The identity verification module 195 verifies the consumer's identity, for example, before reporting payment information.

[0029] In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 further includes user interface module 110 which may access data from account data gathering module 150, billers 164, or other computing systems, and use that data to construct user interfaces that enable the consumer to report one or more payments to a credit bureau. Such visualization may be presented to the end user and are designed to be easily manipulated and/or understood by the user. In an embodiment, the user interfaces transmitted by user interface module 110 are interactive. Various embodiments of the user interfaces that may be provided by user interface module 110, are shown and described throughout this specification. Variations on such interfaces and other possible interfaces will be known to those of skill in the art. User interface module 110 may be configured to construct user interfaces of various types. In an embodiment, user interface module 110 constructs web pages to be displayed in a web browser or computer/mobile application. The web pages may, in an embodiment, be specific to a type of device, such as a mobile device or a desktop web browser, to maximize usability for the particular device. In an embodiment, user interface module 110 may also interact with a client-side application, such as a mobile phone application (an “app”) or a standalone desktop application, and provide data to the application as necessary to provide reporting functions to the consumer.

[0030] Client computing device 162, which may comprise software and/or hardware that implements the user interface module 110, may be an end user computing device that comprises one or more processors able to execute programmatic instructions. Examples of such a computing device 162 are a desktop computer workstation, a smart phone such as an Apple iPhone or an Android phone, a computer laptop, a tablet PC such as an iPad, Kindle, or Android tablet, a video game console, or any other device of a similar nature. In some embodiments, the client computing device 162 may comprise a touch screen that allows a user to communicate input to the device using their finger(s) or a stylus on a display screen. The computing device 162 and/or payment reporting system 100 may comprise storage systems such as a hard drive or memory, or comprise any other non-transitory data storage medium. The storage systems may be configured to store executable instructions that may be executed by one or more processors to perform computerized operations on the client computing device 162, such as accept data input from a user (e.g., on the touch screen), and/or provide output to a user using the display. These executable instructions may be transmitted to another device for execution or processing by the device to implement the systems and methods described herein.

[0031] The various computing devices illustrated in FIG. 1 may be in direct communication with the payment reporting system 100 or may be in communication with the payment reporting system 100 via the network 160, which may include any combination of networks, such as local area, wide area, Internet, etc., by way of a wired network, such as an ethernet LAN or cable modem, or via a wireless method, such as through an 802.11 access point or via a cell phone network. The network 160 allows computing devices to send (i.e. transmit) and receive electronic transmissions.

[0032] As described above, some embodiments may include portions that are executed by the payment reporting system 100, biller(s) 164, bill payment centers 165, and/or by the computing device 162, or are entirely executed by the payment reporting system 100, biller(s) 164, bill payment center 165, or the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of any structure (e.g., CPU, memory, etc.) of a computing device 162 or operations performed by the computing device 162, billers 164, bill payment center 165 or modules of the payment reporting system 100 may be equally applied to the payment reporting system 100. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the modules of the payment reporting system 100.

[0033] The biller(s) 164 may be reporting or non-reporting billers. In either case, the biller is a biller of the consumer. Reporting billers may regularly report payments received from the consumer to one or more credit bureaus. Reporting billers may include credit card companies, mortgage lenders, auto-loan lenders, and/or other billers that have provided credit to a consumer. Reporting billers may be required to report payments by laws or regulations, or may report voluntarily. Non-reporting billers do not typically report payments received from consumer's to a credit bureau. For example, non-reporting billers may include landlords and/or utility companies that have not traditionally reported payments. A biller 164 may refer to the legal entity that lends money or other services to a consumer, or may refer to the hardware and software components implemented on a computer system that interact with the payment reporting system 100 and/or the associated modules. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 may operate as part of the computer systems of a biller 164.

[0034] Bill payment center 165 may be an online portal from which a consumer can make payments to one or more billers. In some embodiments, the consumer may identify billers to the bill payment center 165 or the billers may be identified automatically. The bill payment center may interact with a payment reporting system 100 and/or associated modules or may perform some features and modules associated with the payment reporting system 100. In some embodiments, the bill payment center 165 may perform part of modules that are included in the payment reporting system 100 and other parts of the modules may be performed by other computing systems, such as those included as part of a biller 164 or the payment reporting system 100. A consumer may access and interact through the computing system 162 with the bill payment center 165 through a web page or other user interface provided by the bill payment center 165 or another computer system.

Example Computing System Components

[0035] In general, the word module, as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programming language such as, for example, C, C++, C#. Software modules may be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programming language such as, for example, BASIC, Java, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves or may be invoked in response to detected events and interrupts, or both. The modules included in the payment reporting system 100 may be stored in the mass storage device 120 as executable software codes that are executed by the CPU 105. Modules in the payment reporting system 100 may include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Software modules configured for execution on computing devices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and may be originally stored in a compressed or installable format that requires installation, decompression or decryption prior to execution). Such software code may be stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executing computing device, such as the computing device 162, for execution by the computing device. Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connected logic units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules that may be combined with other modules or devices into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage. Other computing systems, such as, computing device 162, billers 164, and bill payment center 165 may comprise similar computing hardware, software, and functionality as described in reference to payment reporting system 100.

[0036] In one embodiment, the payment reporting system 100 includes, for example, one or more servers or personal computers that are IBM, Macintosh, or Linux/Unix compatible. In another embodiment, the payment reporting system 100 includes one or more laptop computers, smart phones, personal digital assistants, or other computing devices. The payment reporting system 100 may include a memory 130, which may include a random access memory (“RAM”) for temporary storage of information, a read only memory (“ROM”) for permanent storage of information, and/or a mass storage device, such as a hard drive, diskette, optical media storage device, or USB flash drive. The payment reporting system 100 may also contain a separate mass storage device 120 for permanent storage of information. Typically, the modules of the payment reporting system are in communication with each other via a standards based bus system. In different embodiments, the standards based bus system could be Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Microchannel, SCSI, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), and Extended ISA (EISA) architectures, for example.

[0037] The payment reporting system 100 may be generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software, such as Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, SunOS, Solaris, Blackberry OS, or other compatible operating systems. In Macintosh systems, the operating system may be any available operating system, such as MAC OS X. In other embodiments, the Payment reporting system 100 may be controlled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file systems, networking, and I/O services, and provide a user interface, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other functions.

[0038] The example payment reporting system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes one or more commonly available input/output (I/O) interfaces and devices 111, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, and printer. In one embodiment, the I/O interfaces and devices 111 include one or more display devices, such as a monitor, that allow the visual presentation of data to a user. More particularly, a display device provides for the presentation of GUIs, application software data, and multimedia presentations, for example. The payment reporting system 100 may also include one or more multimedia devices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphics accelerators, and microphones, for example. In one embodiment, the I/O interfaces and devices 111 comprise devices that are in communication with modules of the payment reporting system 100 via a network, such as the network 160, or any local area network, including secured local area networks, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, multimedia devices 140 and I/O interfaces and devices 111 may be part of computing devices 162, which payment reporting system 100 may interact with through network 160.

[0039] Some embodiments of a payment reporting system 100 may contain fewer or additional elements and modules than are present in the embodiment in FIG. 1. In addition, modules illustrated in FIG. 1 as part of payment reporting system 100 may be located and/or operated as part of other systems. For example, modules of payment reporting system 100 may be operated by billers 164, third-party reporter 168, and computing devices 162. Some modules present in the embodiment of FIG. 1 may be implemented in part by multiple hardware devices associated with various entities interacting with the payment reporting system 100.

Sample User Interfaces:

[0040] The payment reporting system 100 may present one or more user interfaces to the consumer through computing devices 162. In some embodiments, the user interfaces may be generated and/or configured by a user interface module 110, but one or more functions of the user interface module may be performed by one or more other modules, or other suitable hardware or software components. FIGS. 2A-6 illustrate some embodiments of user interfaces that may be presented to a consumer for interaction with payment reporting system 100. These user interfaces may be presented to the consumer as part of a bill payment center, a biller's website, or other systems enabling a consumer to report payment data to a credit bureau.

[0041] In the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2E, the payment reporting system 100 provides reporting services to a consumer through a biller's website. In these embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 may be included as part of a biller's hardware systems or separate hardware systems associated with the payment reporting system 100. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 may also provide a biller's website and/or billings statements on behalf of the biller, branded with the biller's information. In some embodiments, the user interface may be generated and provided by a biller, but the payment reporting system 100 provides the software modules that enable reporting features to be incorporated into the interface. In such cases, the biller's hardware or software systems may execute software modules provided by the payment reporting system 100. The modules may be configured to provide the payment reporting system 100 with payment information for reporting to the credit bureau(s) and/or details of a consumer's enrollment in payment reporting services. Various examples of interactions between entities executing modules that are part of the payment reporting system 100 are discussed in more detail with reference to the block diagrams illustrated in FIGS. 9A-10.

[0042] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 2A, the payment reporting system 100 presents the consumer with billing information, including an amount due and a due date. In some embodiments, additional or less information may be provided. The user is also presented with several interactive buttons including a “Pay Now” button 210, and a “Report Now” button 220. Selecting the “Pay Now” button 210 may initiate payments to the biller. Payments may be performed automatically upon selection, or may require further input from the consumer as part of the same, or a secondary user interface. Selecting “Report Now” 220 may cause the payment reporting system 100 to report payments made to the biller 164 to one or more credit bureaus 106, either directly to the credit bureau 106, or through a third party reporter 168. In some embodiments, a biller may be authorized to immediately report payments to a credit bureau. For example, if the biller is a credit provider for the consumer, the biller may already be reporting payments to the credit bureaus. In such cases, selecting the “Report Now” 220 button may expedite the reporting process performed by the biller. In other embodiments, the biller may not be authorized to report payments to the credit bureaus. In these cases, before reporting to credit bureaus is performed by the payment reporting system 100, the identity of the consumer may need to be authenticated and/or evidence that the credit agreement relationship exists and/or terms of the credit relationship may need to be provided. Example user-interfaces and processes for these situations are discussed below.

[0043] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 2B, the payment reporting system 100 attempts to enroll the consumer in payment reporting for the biller. In some embodiments, a user interface to enroll in payment reporting may be presented upon selection of the “Report Now” button 220 as described in reference to FIG. 2A, or may be presented at another time when the consumer indicates an interest in reporting services. The option to enroll in payment reporting may be provided as part of the same user interface, as part of a secondary user interface, or as part of a user interface provided by another entity (e.g., on a third party's website)

[0044] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 2B, the consumer is offered two identity verification options before enrolling in payment reporting for the biller. The consumer can sign up for, or login to the payment reporting system 100. The first option for the consumer is to login to the payment reporting system 100. If this is the first biller for which the consumer has attempted to enroll in payment reporting via the payment reporting system 100, the consumer may not have a username and password. However, if the consumer has signed up with the payment reporting system 100 for another biller, or for a bill payment system, the consumer may be able to confirm his identity by providing login information. Providing login credentials and clicking a “login to report payment” button 230 may complete the enrollment process at the biller's website. Additional user interfaces such as illustrated in FIG. 2D (discussed further below) may also be provided to customize reporting during the enrollment process. In some embodiments, information other than a username and password is used to confirm the identity of a consumer after the consumer has an account with the payment reporting system 100. For example, the consumer may be required to provide the answer to one or more security questions, such as out of wallet questions that are derived from information in the consumer's credit data. The consumer's identity may also be confirmed using browser cookies or tags which track the consumer's identity on a specific computer.

[0045] If the consumer does not have login credentials, the consumer may need to sign up for reporting services account by first authenticating his identity. The user interface illustrated in FIG. 2B enables a consumer to sign up for reporting services. The payment reporting system 100 may require more information than was required to enroll in online statements and/or payments directly from the biller. For example, the biller may not have required a valid social security number or date of birth, but both may be required to report payments to one or more credit bureaus. The biller's website may automatically perform some of the enrolling process, such as through one or more modules provided by the payment reporting system 100. For instance, in the example of FIG. 2B, the biller's website provides known information about the consumer to the payment reporting system 100 to fill in some required fields. The consumer may provide additional information, such as social security number and date of birth through the provided user interface. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system may require fewer or additional pieces of information than are illustrated in FIG. 2B. The user interface may also request other or additional identity verification from a consumer such as out-of-wallet data, for example. The consumer may complete the process by providing the required information to sign up for reporting and selecting a “setup account to report payments” button 240. This may enroll the consumer in payment reporting for the biller, such as by establishing an account for the consumer at the payment reporting system 100. If the consumer then tries to report payments for a second biller, the consumer may be able to provide identity confirmation with just a username and password as discussed with reference to the login process. During the process of creating an account with the payment reporting system 100, the consumer may be provided with information confirming the relationship between the consumer and the payment reporting system 100 and letting the consumer know personal information will be sent to third parties such as third party reporters 168 and credit bureau(s) 106 as part of the reporting process.

[0046] The user interface in FIG. 2B may also enable the consumer to report payments without signing up or logging into a reporting system. For example, the biller may collect information from the consumer sufficient to report a payment to the credit bureau(s) without the consumer creating an additional account with a reporting service, such as via the reporting module 180 being executed by the biller.

[0047] The user interface shown in FIG. 2C illustrates another embodiment of a biller's website. The “Pay Now” button 210 now informs the consumer that selecting “Pay Now” will report payments to the credit bureau(s) immediately. In some embodiments, this option may only be provided if the consumer's identity has been authenticated, either because the biller is a reporting biller, or because the consumer has logged-in or signed-up through a user interface with features such as to those discussed in reference to FIG. 2B. Immediately, as used in some embodiments, may mean when payment instructions are received, after funds in the consumer's payment account are verified, after confirmation of a successful payment, or another time shortly after the consumer selects to make a payment. In some embodiments of the payment reporting system 100, clicking on the “Pay Now” button 210 will not cause payments to be reported immediately, but will offer the consumer reporting options as shown in FIG. 2D, or will only offer reporting options after the payment is successfully completed as shown in FIG. 2E.

[0048] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 2D, the payment reporting system 100 provides the consumer with various reporting options. In some embodiments, this interface may be provided to the consumer when the consumer selects either the “Pay Now” button 210, or “Report Now” button 220 as shown in, for example, FIG. 2A or in a user interface with similar features. In the example user interface of FIG. 2D, the consumer is provided with three reporting options. First the consumer is offered the option 250 to initiate payment of the amount currently due and then immediately report the payment. Selecting this option may require the consumer to enter more information, such as payment account information. In some embodiments, payment account information necessary to make payments may be stored in a mass storage device 120 or other memory 130 such that additional information is not required. The second option 260 offered to the consumer in the sample user interface is to report several past payments. This may be useful in some embodiments where the biller is not a reporting biller. Using this option, the consumer may choose to report only those payments made on time and in the full amount due. The consumer may also be able to choose payments based on the effect reporting payments will have on the consumer's credit score. In some embodiments, the system may only be able to report payments a limited time after completion before reporting is prevented by regulations. The system may offer consumer's an option to report “all available payments.” In some embodiments, the system may identify as options for the consumer only those payments which have not been previously reported. For example, the system can keep records of reported payments and not offer those to the consumer for reporting a second time. The system may also access the consumer's credit report to identify from the credit report which payments have already been reported by respective billers. In some embodiments, billers may inform the system when payments are reported to the bureau so the payment reporting system 100 will not allow the consumer to report the same payments a second time.

[0049] In the third option 270 presented as part of the user interface of FIG. 2D, the consumer can setup automatic reporting. This option may change settings in the user's account so that all payments made to the biller (or all on time payments or other subset of payments) are reported to one or more credit bureaus. After setting up automatic reporting, the payment user interface shown in FIG. 2A may appear as shown in FIG. 2C. In some embodiments fewer or additional reporting options may be available to the consumer. The consumer may be able to update reporting options each time a payment is made, through settings on the biller's user interface, through settings on a user interface associated with the payment reporting system 100, or through other user interfaces. The user interface illustrated in FIG. 2D may be used in other systems such as those associated with a bill payment center 165

[0050] The user interface of FIG. 2E illustrates another embodiment of offering the consumer with an option to report a payment. In the reporting processes of the user interfaces discussed above, reporting payments to a credit bureau may be contingent on a payment being successfully completed to the biller. In the user interface of FIG. 2E, the biller's website processes the payment before offering a “Report Now” button 210. Therefore, upon selection of the “Report Now” button 210 in FIG. 2E, the payment reporting system 100 can initiate reporting to the credit bureaus immediately without additional confirmation of a successful payment. In some embodiments, the consumer may have to perform other actions such as enrolling in reporting services in a similar manner as discussed above before the payment reporting system 100 may report to a credit bureau.

Sample Payment Center User Interfaces

[0051] In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 operates as part of, or in conjunction with a bill payment center 165. FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface of a bill payment center which allows the consumer to report payments made through the bill payment center. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the consumer can select a “Pay Now” button 310, a “Report Now” button 320, or “Validate” button 330 associated with respective billers. Selecting “Pay Now” 310 will initiate a payment to the associated Biller. The payment may be made immediately, for example, in the amount due (or other value based on settings decided by the consumer), or the payment may be processed after additional user input on the same, or a different, user interface. Selecting the “Report Now” button 320 may cause the payment reporting system 100 to report payments made through the system or to initiate a payment as well as reporting that payment. In some embodiments, in response to selection of the “Report Now” button 320 the payment reporting system 100 may provide a user interface similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2D to enable a consumer to choose specific payments to report and payments to make. The credit report system 100 may indicate which billers have credit agreements already validated by the payment reporting system 100. For example, in FIG. 3, the consumer's cable bill has been validated and is marked with text 340 stating “agreement validated”. In other embodiments other indicators may be used to show which agreements have been validated such as other text, an image, or the absence of a button enabling the consumer to validate an agreement. Billers that do not have validated credit agreements may provide an option for the consumer to validate the agreement such as “Validate” button 330. Selecting “Validate” 330 may provide the consumer with a separate user interface to provide the payment reporting system 100 with more information to validate the credit agreement between the biller and the consumer. Before a credit agreement is validated by the credit report system 100, the “Report Now” button may be greyed, outlined, or in another manner indicate that reporting is not possible. For example, in FIG. 3 the “report now” button 325 related to the consumer's rent is greyed instead of solid indicating reporting is not possible at this time. In some embodiments, a validate button 330 may replace a report now button 320 until the credit agreement is validated. An example user interface to validate a credit agreement is illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0052] The additional features described with reference to FIGS. 2A-2E may also be implemented as necessary or desired in the context of a bill payment center 165 to enable similar interactions between a payment reporting center 100 and a consumer. For example, the “Pay Now” button 310 and “Report Now” button 320 may initiate the same or similar interactions and processes as described in reference to FIG. 2A, and may direct the consumer to similar secondary user interfaces where necessary. The consumer may identify billers individually as described in reference to FIG. 5. A biller may also automatically be included on a bill payment center user interface if the consumer enrolls in automatic payment or reporting through the payment reporting system 100 at the biller's website. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 identifies biller's for the consumer through other data sources, such as from a credit report and/or demographic data about the consumer.

[0053] The user interface illustrated in FIG. 4 enables a consumer to validate the credit agreement between the consumer and a biller. This user interface may be displayed, for example, after the consumer selects the “Validate” button on the user interface illustrated in FIG. 3. In one embodiment, billers that report payments directly or indirectly to one or more credit bureaus must have a valid credit arrangement with the consumer. Payments not based on a valid credit arrangement should not be reported to a credit bureau. Therefore, the payment reporting system 100 may only report payments on behalf of the biller if there is a validated credit agreement. Therefore, in order to report payment data to a credit bureau, either directly or through a third-party reporter, the payment reporting system 100 needs confirmation that a valid credit agreement exists, as well as confirmation of the terms of the credit arrangement. Some billers may already report to credit bureaus, and the payment reporting system 100 may rely on the information provided to the credit bureaus from that biller to validate the credit relationship. Other billers may not report to credit bureaus and may require additional validation of the credit agreement. For example, a landlord may not report payments to any credit bureaus. The payment reporting system may therefore require additional validation of the credit agreement. This requirement is indicated in FIG. 3 by the presence of the “Validate” button 330 enabling the consumer to validate the relationship. In some embodiments, the credit relationship that needs to be validated (e.g., the landlord/tenant relationship) may be established by submitting additional information as is requested in FIG. 4. In the lease agreement example of FIG. 4, the lease agreement may be submitted to the payment reporting system 100 in order to validate the lease agreement and/or to identify terms of the lease agreement. In some embodiments, validation of the credit relationship from one or more provided documents (e.g., a lease agreement) may be done automatically by a computer system configured to parse the information in the documents for relevant terms of the credit agreement. Alternatively, certain agreements may require human review in order to manually validate the existence of a credit relationship between the biller and the consumer and/or to identify terms of the relationship that determine the payment reporting systems 100 ability to report payments to one or more credit bureaus.

[0054] For some billers, even those that do not report to credit bureaus, the biller may have an established relationship with the payment reporting system 100. In such embodiments, the biller and/or consumer may provide information about the credit relationship that the payment reporting system 100 can interpret and rely on to validate the credit agreement. Once a credit agreement is validated the payment reporting system 100 can report payments to the biller to one or more credit bureaus as needed. The user interface illustrated in FIG. 4 may also be provided, as required, in the context of reporting systems implemented on a biller's website (as discussed in reference to FIGS. 2A-2E).

[0055] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 5, the consumer is presented with options to identify and setup new accounts to report. In the sample user interface of FIG. 5, the consumer is presented with two options to identify billers. In the first option 510, the consumer can search for billers already associated with the payment reporting system 100. For example, the payment reporting system 100 may store information for billers that provide the features discussed in reference to FIGS. 2A-2E. The payment reporting system 100 may store information relevant for setting up automatic reporting for these billers in the payment reporting systems memory 130 or mass storage device 120. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 may require additional information such as specific terms of the credit relationship with the consumer. In some embodiments, this information may be provided automatically by the biller, and the payment reporting system may automatically validate the credit agreement. Biller's already in the system may also include billers with reporting setup by other consumers. For example, if a first consumer sets up reporting for a new biller, the payment reporting system 100 may store the information acquired about that biller during the setup process. If a second consumer identifies themselves as a payor to that biller, the payment reporting system can use the stored information to setup reporting for the second consumer. Such information may include data formats used by the biller, account numbers of the biller, and other information necessary to process payments to the biller, inform the biller of payments reported to one or more credit bureaus, and/or to receive information from the biller indicating successful payments.

[0056] If a consumer searches for a biller, but is unable to identify the desired biller, the consumer may be able to add a new biller to the system. For example, the second option 520 illustrated in FIG. 5 enables the consumer to attempt to add a new biller. Adding a new biller to the system may require the consumer to provide enough information to uniquely identify the biller. For example, in the user interface illustrated in FIG. 5, the consumer is required to provide the name of the biller, the type of biller (e.g., utility, rent, etc.), the address of the biller, and the consumer's account number with the biller. In other embodiments, the payment reporting system may require additional information such as the consumer's username and password with the biller's electronic systems. After receiving the required information from the consumer, the payment reporting system 100 may contact the biller to attempt to setup the required relationship to report payments made to the biller by the consumer and/or to make payments to the biller. For example, the payment reporting system 100 may access the biller's website by proxy using the consumer's credentials. The payment reporting system 100 can then access the billing information of the consumer to identify payments made, payments due, and other information relevant to reporting payments. The payment reporting system 100 may confirm payments made through a payment center with a biller in this manner before reporting the payments to one or more credit bureaus. In other embodiments the payment reporting system 100 sends a request to the biller to setup a relationship so that the requesting consumer and future consumers can report payments made to the biller.

[0057] In the user interface illustrated in FIG. 6, the consumer is provided with options to setup automatic reporting for one or more billers. In some embodiments billers are split into reporting billers 620 and non-reporting billers 610. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the consumer may select which accounts to report payments for through the payment reporting system 100. In FIG. 6, the consumer selects which payments to automatically report by checking boxes, but any other interactive indicator may also be used. For accounts the consumer selects to report automatically, the payment reporting system 100 may automatically provide payment data to one or more credit bureaus, either directly or through third-party reporters without requiring further input from the consumer. The payment reporting system 100 may report immediately upon initiating payment to a biller, or may wait to report payments until receiving confirmation of a successful payment. In embodiments where the payment reporting system 100 reports at the time payments are initiated, the payment reporting system may check a payment account of the consumer for sufficient funds before attempting to make or report a payment. In addition to selecting accounts for which to report payments, the system may also enable the consumer to determine when to report those payments. For example, the consumer may be presented with a user interface similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2D for each selected account or a similar interface for selecting specific options for multiple accounts.

[0058] In the embodiment of FIG. 6, for non-reporting billers 610 the consumer may select to report payments to a credit bureau. Selecting this option may enable the consumer to report payments that would not otherwise be reported and therefore would not otherwise impact the consumer's credit score. As noted above, reporting of payments in such an automated fashion, whether from a reporting biller or non-reporting biller, by the payment reporting system 100 may enable the consumer to report payments to a credit bureau at the time the payments are made. This may reduce the delay before payments are reported to a credit bureau and may therefore improve the consumer's credit score faster than if the consumer waited for the biller to report payments using its normal reporting schedule. In some embodiments the payment reporting system 100 may not separate the accounts according to reporting or non-reporting billers. The system may also display other language for the consumer to select which payments to report. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 may provide other automatic reporting options for a consumer. For example, the consumer may select to report only certain payments to a biller, such as those that are sufficient and are on time, but not those payments with some deficiencies.

[0059] The user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 2A-6 are sample embodiments of user interfaces that may be presented to a consumer as part of interactions with a payment reporting system. The user interfaces may contain fewer or additional features than those illustrated. The interactive elements illustrated may be of other varieties than those shown in the figures. For example instead of a text button in FIG. 2A, a consumer may choose to “Report Now” through check boxes, radio buttons, links or other interactive user interface elements. Some features shown in the context of one user interface may also be present in other contexts as necessary or desired for increased functionality and usability by the consumer.

Example Flowchart:

[0060] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of processes performed by a payment reporting system 100. These processes may be carried out as part of a non-reporting biller's billing system, a reporting biller's billing system, or a bill payment center. The flowchart may begin in block 710 or 720. Block 710 is the starting point when a consumer selects to make a payment. Block 720 is the starting point when a consumer selects to report a payment that has already been made, either through the reporting system or through another system.

[0061] Beginning in block 710, the system receives a selection from a consumer to make a payment. The selection may be made through any of the user interfaces discussed above, or other payment systems. The selection may be to make a payment immediately, to make a payment at a later time, or to setup automatic recurring payments.

[0062] In block 730, the system makes a payment on behalf of the consumer according to the instructions indicated by the selection received in block 710. In some embodiments, payments may be processed by the system through one or more banking institutions. Payments may also be made by passing financial information associated with the consumer to a third party to process the required payments. Also in Block 730, the system may receive confirmation that the payment was successful. For example, when funds are transferred to the biller (e.g., from a payment account of the consumer), the payment reporting system 100 may receive confirmation that the payment was on time and the amount was sufficient.

[0063] In block 740, the payment reporting system 100 determines if the consumer selected immediate reporting. The consumer may have selected immediate reporting from one of the user interfaces illustrated in FIG. 2A, 2D, 3, or 6, in a similar user interface, or by other means. If the consumer has selected immediate reporting, the payment reporting system 100 will continue the process of reporting the payment in block 770. If he consumer did not select immediate reporting the payment reporting system may continue to block 750.

[0064] If the consumer did not select immediate reporting of the payment, in block 750 the payment reporting system stores the consumer's payment information in a payment database for later reporting to one or more credit bureaus. The payment database may be located in memory 130, mass storage device 120, or stored in a database associated with another entity. The stored information includes information necessary to report the payment to a credit bureau at a later time. For example, stored information may include the payment date, the payment amount, whether or not the payment was on time, successful payment confirmation, and other information important if the payment may be reported at a later time. Should the consumer select to report payments at a later time (see e.g., block 720), the payment reporting system 100 can use the stored information to make the report at that time.

[0065] If the system determines that the consumer selected immediate reporting of the payment at block 740, the method continues to block 770, wherein the payment reporting system 100 determines if the consumer has previously reported payments to this biller. The system may determine both if the consumer has previously reported any payments through payment reporting system 100, and whether those payments were to the particular biller that is at issue now. If the consumer has previously reported payments to the particular biller, then the system may not need to authenticate the relationship any further. If the consumer has not previously reported payments to the biller associated with this reporting before, the system needs to authenticate the credit agreement, and in some cases may need to further authenticate the consumer's identity as well.

[0066] In block 780, the credit reporting system 100 authenticates the consumer's identity. The consumer's identity may be authenticated by requiring additional information from the consumer as illustrated and discussed in reference to FIG. 2B above. If the consumer has previously reported payments, but not for the biller associated with the current reporting, the system may not need to authenticate the consumer. Depending on the biller, the payment reporting system 100 may also authenticate the credit agreement terms between the biller and the consumer. Authentication of the credit agreement terms may be necessary before the system can report payments made to the biller. Authenticating the credit relationship may be performed as discussed with reference to FIG. 4 above.

[0067] In block 790, the consumer has indicated a payment for the system to report, and the relationship on which the payment is based has been authenticated. The system may now report the payment to one or more credit bureaus. Payments may be reported directly to the credit bureau(s) 106 by the payment reporting system 100 in some embodiments. Payments may also be reported through a third-party reporter 168. In one embodiment, payments reported directly to credit bureau(s) must be made in the proper format and from an approved entity. Entities approved to report to credit bureaus are generally reporting creditors or third party data furnishers that are approved by one or more credit bureaus to report payments on behalf of non-reporting creditors. When reporting directly to a credit bureau, a biller or third-party reporter must generally report payments in a specific format, such as the Metro2 credit reporting standard. Payment reporting processes are discussed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 9A-10.

[0068] Returning to Block 720, the processes of FIG. 7 can also be triggered by a selection from a consumer to report a payment made at an earlier time. The selection may be made at a biller's webpage, a bill payment center webpage, or another user interface which may be provided by another entity. In some embodiments the selection is made shortly after confirmation of successful payment is received, such as is shown in FIG. 2E. Selection of payments to report may also be received for payments made previously as shown in FIG. 2D. In some embodiments the consumer can select to report payments to more than one biller at a time and for multiple payments to those billers.

[0069] In block 760, if one or more particular payments to be reported are not identified at block 720, the payment reporting system 100 may access payment records for the consumer. The payments may be stored in a database associated with the payment reporting system as described in reference to block 750. In some embodiments, the payments data is stored on a biller's website, or in a database associated with the biller, and the payment reporting system 100 accesses the payment data from the biller's resources. In some embodiments, determining which payments to report involves determining which payments have already been reported. For example, if a consumer selects to report all available payments, the system may determine that only payments made during the last 12 months are eligible to be reported. In addition, the system may take steps to avoid reporting a payment that has already been reported by another entity. For example, a payment may be reported by a biller before the consumer requests to report the same payment through the payment reporting system 100. The payment reporting system may determine which payments have already been reported by requesting the reporting data from the biller, receiving data from the biller at the time of reporting and recording it, or by accessing the consumer's credit report and determining if the payment to be reported already appears on the consumer's report.

[0070] After the payment reporting system 100 has accessed the payment data for the consumer and determined which payments are to be reported, the system continues to block 770. Blocks 770, 780, and 790 operate in the same manner whether the processes are initiated by receiving instructions to make a payment or receiving instructions to report payments.

[0071] In some embodiments of FIG. 7 the flowchart may include block 755, particularly when the payments are made to a reporting biller. If the biller reports payments from consumers in the normal course of business, then the payments will eventually be reported from the stored consumer payment information. In block 755, the biller waits for the next batch reporting before reporting data to the credit bureau(s). When it is time for the next batch reporting, the system moves onto block 790. In some embodiments, the biller may be notified if a payment is already reported through another process (e.g., the processes occurring after a consumer selects to report payments as in block 720), then the system may not move on to block 790 from block 755. For example, in some embodiments, the biller may store information indicating that the consumer selected immediate reporting (e.g., in block 740) when the payment was made. The reporting system may then determine in block 755 that the payment has already been reported and should not be reported a second time to the credit bureau. In such cases, the individual payments that have been reported may be excluded from batch reporting. In other embodiments, the biller may still report a payment as part of batch reporting after reporting the payment at the time of the payment, but may include an indication that the reported payment has been previously reported.

[0072] The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 and described above are example processes which may be performed by the bill payment system 100 and/or other suitable computing systems, such as consumer computing devices. In some embodiments, fewer or additional blocks may be present, or the processes may be performed in a different order than shown in the figures. For example, in FIG. 7, some embodiments may not require authentication of the consumer's identity or the credit agreement, therefore, blocks 770 and 780 may not be required.

Example Block Diagrams

[0073] The block diagrams in FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate various embodiments of computing system that may be in communication with the payment reporting system 100 in facilitating payment reporting to the credit bureau 106 (or multiple credit bureaus 106 in some embodiments). The block diagrams illustrate example interactions between various modules of the payment reporting system as they are implemented on hardware associated with one or more entities and as used to report payments through the system. For clarity, some of the hardware and software modules described with reference to the system block diagram of FIG. 1 may be omitted from these figures. However, in some embodiments the payment reporting system 100 and/or other systems illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8C may include some or all of the omitted modules, or other additional modules not illustrated in the figures.

[0074] The block diagram in FIG. 8A illustrates the relationship between a biller 164 and the payment reporting system 100 in some embodiments. The payment reporting system 100 in FIG. 8A includes a payment module 170, a credit agreement validation module 190, and a reporting module 180. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 in FIG. 8A may include additional modules, such as an identity verification module 195, for instance. The biller in the embodiment of FIG. 8A includes a payment module 170 and a reporting module 180. As indicated in FIG. 8A, the biller may be either a reporting or a non-reporting creditor. The consumer may communicate with the biller through a computing device 162. For example, computing device 162 may include one or more I/O interfaces and devices 111 and Multimedia devices 140 to allow the exchange of information between the computing device 162 and the consumer. The computing device 162 may display, over multimedia devices 140, one or more of the user interfaces discussed with reference to FIGS. 2A-6 or other user interfaces associated with the biller 164 or the payment reporting system 100. Inputs received on computing devices 162 may be communicated over a network such as network 160 to a biller 164.

[0075] In FIG. 8A, the payment module 170 and the reporting module 180 included in biller 164 communicate with payment reporting system 100 through a payment and reporting API 801. In some embodiments, other communication means can be used to enable communication between the biller 164 and the payment reporting system 100. In some embodiments, the payment module 170 and reporting module 180 are provided by the payment reporting system 100 to the biller 164 to enable the payment reporting features discussed above. For example, the payment reporting system 100 may provide computer program instructions for execution by the biller 164 in response to a selection on a user interface associated with the biller that causes the payment module 170 and reporting module 180 to send payment information to the payment reporting system 100 using the payment and reporting API 801. In some embodiments, the biller 164 generates the payment module 170 and reporting module 180 to interact with the payment and reporting system 100.

[0076] When the consumer selects to make a payment or report a payment as described with reference to the user interfaces and flowcharts above through computing device 162, the biller 164 may perform some or all of the required actions. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 8A, the biller 164 may pass the necessary information to make or report a payment to the payment and reporting system 100. The payment and reporting system 100 may then process a payment with payment module 170, validate a credit agreement with validation module 190, and/or report a payment with reporting module 180. Payments may be reported by the payment reporting system through a third-party reporter 168, or directly to a credit bureau 106.

[0077] The block diagram of FIG. 8B illustrates additional embodiments of a consumer interacting with the biller 164 to coordinate payments to the biller 164 and report those payments to one or more credit bureaus 106. In FIG. 8B, both the biller 164 and the payment reporting system 100 include a payment module 170 and a reporting module 180. In some embodiments of the system illustrated in FIG. 8B, only one of the payment reporting system 100 and biller 164 include a payment module 170 and/or reporting module 180. For example, in some embodiments the payment module 170 in FIG. 8B may be operated exclusively by the biller. In such embodiments, the payments from the consumer to the biller may be processed without the payment reporting system 100.

[0078] The biller 164 in the embodiment of FIG. 8B has a reporting module 180. The reporting module 180 operated by the biller 164 may be capable of reporting payments to the credit bureau(s) 106. However, in some embodiments, the biller 164 is a non-reporting entity that is not authorized to report payments directly to the credit bureau 106. Therefore, in some embodiments the reporting module 180 located at biller 164 transmits payment data to a reporting module 180 located at payment reporting system 100. The payment data may include all information necessary to report payments to a credit bureau 106. The reporting module 180 operated by the payment reporting system 100 may then report payments to the credit bureau(s) 106 directly or through third-party reporter 168.

[0079] In some embodiments, the biller 164 receives payment information from the consumer computing device 162, but does not process the payments directly. Information can be transmitted from a payment module 170 at the biller to a payment module 170 at the payment reporting system 100. The payment reporting system 100 can then initiate payments according to the instructions. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 performs the actions necessary to process the payment according to the instructions with the payment module 170. In some embodiments, the payment module 170 on the payment reporting system 170 may also send the necessary payment information to a third-party payment processor 802 (such as Yodlee or Fiserv) to process the payment. Confirmation of completed payments may be processed by the reporting module 180 to report the payments to the credit bureau(s) 106. In some embodiments, the biller 164 may use the third party payment system directly (e.g., through payment module 170) without the assistance of a separate payment reporting system 100.

[0080] In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 gives a notification to the biller when a payment has been reported to the credit bureau(s) 106. The biller may then avoid sending a duplicate report. The payment reporting system 100 may also inform the credit bureau(s) 106 as part of the payment reporting that the biller is likely to send duplicate payment data, but that it should only be recorded only once. Although not pictured, the communications from the biller 164 to the payment reporting system 100 may be performed over an API associated with the biller or payment reporting system 100 as discussed with reference to FIG. 8A.

[0081] The block diagram in FIG. 8C illustrates additional embodiments of interactions between various entities. The consumer computing device 162 may still communicate with billers 164A or 164B in the manners described in FIGS. 8A and 8B. For example, the consumer may make payments to a biller 164 at the biller's website through a payment module 170 included in the biller's system. In addition, the consumer can interact directly with the payment reporting system 100 to make payment to billers 164 and report payment made to billers 164. For example, the payment reporting system 100 may provide a user interface to the consumer through computing device 162, for example using the user interface module 110 (not pictured), which enables the consumer to select options for instructing the system to make payments to one or more billers 164. The payment module 170 located at the payment reporting system 100 may then initiate a payment to one or more billers 164 either directly, or through third-party payment processor 802 (not pictured). Reporting billers, such as biller 164B may then report the payment to the credit bureau(s) 106 directly. Payment reporting system 100 may also report the payment to the credit bureau(s) on behalf of a biller 164B, such as immediately after payment has been made to the biller 164B, rather than as part of the normal reporting cycle used by the biller 164B. In some embodiments, the payment reporting system 100 enables the consumer to select options to instruct the system to report payments to the credit bureau(s) 106 through a reporting module 180 as discussed with reference to the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 2A-6.

[0082] Many processes of making and reporting payments may be performed as illustrated in FIG. 8C. For example a consumer may interact with a payment reporting system 100 or directly with a biller 164A or 164B. Depending on the biller, the subsequent necessary interactions may vary. Some non-limiting examples of reporting payments through a payment reporting system 100 are described below.

[0083] In some embodiments, the consumer may communicate with a non-reporting biller 164A, which does not regularly report payments to a credit bureau 106. Such billers may include utility companies and landlords, for example. Therefore, the traditional interaction would be for the consumer to make a payment to the biller, and no payment to be reported to the credit bureaus 106. However, the payment reporting system 100 may enable the biller 164A to also offer the ability to report payments to the credit bureau 106. In this example, the biller 164A includes a reporting module 180 configured to communicate with the payment reporting system 100 to provide payment data and instructions to report the payments to credit bureau 106. The payment reporting system 100 may then report the payment(s) directly to the credit bureau(s) 106 or through a third-party reporter 168. The reporting module 180 located at biller 164A may be provided by payment reporting system 100 to enable the biller to offer reporting features to the consumer, and enable the biller 164A to communicate with the payment reporting system 100 to execute those features. In some embodiments, the reporting module 180 located at biller 164A enables the biller to report payments to the credit bureau(s) 106 without passing information through the payment reporting system 100, such as by communicating directly with the third-party reporter 168. The biller 164A and consumer may perform additional communication with the payment reporting system 100 to authenticate the credit agreement.

[0084] In some embodiments, the consumer communicates with a reporting biller 164B to complete payments. Biller 164B is a reporting biller that will report payment information to the credit bureau(s) regardless of additional input from the consumer. For example, biller 164B may be a credit card company or mortgage lender. In some embodiments, biller 164B enables the consumer to report payments faster than the biller would report through a typical batch reporting process. For example, the biller 164B may provide the features described in reference to the sample user-interfaces above. The biller 164B may process these additional features by communicating with the payment reporting system 100. The reporting module 180 and/or payment reporting module 170 may provide payment information to the payment reporting system 100 to enable the system to report payments to the credit bureau(s) immediately instead of waiting for batch reporting 30 or more days later.

[0085] In some embodiments, the consumer communicates with the payment reporting system 100 through computing device 162. At the payment reporting system 100, the consumer may be able to make payments through the payment module 170, and report payments through reporting module 180. For example, the payment reporting system 100 may be operating as a bill payment center or in cooperation with a bill payment center. To make payments, the payment module 170 included in payment reporting system 100 may communicate with one or more billers (e.g., biller 164A and biller 164B) to receive information on payments due, payment processing information, and/or to execute payments to the billers. Payments may be processed directly by the payment reporting system 100, or through a third party payment processor as discussed in reference to FIG. 8B.

[0086] In some embodiments, the consumer may also report payments through communication with the payment reporting system 100. For example, the consumer may interact with one or more of the user-interfaces described above to provide instructions to the payment reporting system 100 to report payments made. The payments may have been made at the payment reporting system 100, or may have been made through communication with the billers. Reporting module 180 may communicate with the billers to receive information required to report the payments to the credit bureau(s), or the payment information may already be stored in the payment reporting system 100 when payments are made through the system. After the necessary information is acquired, the payment reporting system 100 may report payments to the credit bureau(s) 106 directly or through third-party reporter 168 according to instructions received from the consumer.

[0087] The block diagram in FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a payment reporting system 100 operated by a biller 164. For example, in FIG. 9, the biller 164 is a reporting biller. Payment module 170 in FIG. 9 processes payments as directed by the consumer. As a data reporter, biller 164 has a standard reporting module 910. This reporting module may report payments in batches (e.g., every 30 days) as they are received from one or more consumers. In some embodiments, the biller 164 may also have an expedited reporting module 920 that reports payments immediately (or at least faster than module 910) to the credit bureau(s) 106. The biller 164 may enable the consumer to direct the reporting of payments through one or more user interfaces or by other means. For example, the biller 164 may provide the consumer with one or more of the user interfaces described above to enable the consumer to set reporting instructions for payments made. The biller 164 may report directly to the credit bureau(s) 106 or may report through a third-party reporter 168. In some embodiments, the biller 164B as referenced in FIG. 8C is structured as the biller in FIG. 9. In such embodiments, the standard reporting module 910 may report payments to the credit bureau(s) from the biller, while the expedited reporting module 920 may provide payment information to a payment reporting system 100 to report payments immediately.

[0088] Although the foregoing systems and methods have been described in terms of certain embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure herein. Additionally, other combinations, omissions, substitutions and modifications will be apparent to the skilled artisan in view of the disclosure herein. While some embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with an embodiment can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein.

[0089] All of the processes described herein may be embodied in, and fully automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers or processors. The code modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computer hardware. In addition, the components referred to herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

[0090] Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understood within the context as used in general to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0091] Any process descriptions, elements or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved as would be understood by those skilled in the art.