Systems and methods for check representment prevention

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/854,521, filed Apr. 1, 2013, pending, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,925, filed Mar. 15, 2007, abandoned, wherein the entirety of each of the aforementioned applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/321,025, checks typically provide a safe and convenient method for an individual to purchase goods and/or services. To use a check, the individual usually must open a checking account, or other similar account, at a financial institution and deposit funds, which are then available for later withdrawal. To pay for goods and/or services with a check, the payor (i.e., the buyer) usually designates a payee (i.e., the seller) and an amount payable on the check. In addition, the payor often signs the check. Once the check has been signed, it is usually deemed negotiable, meaning the check may be validly transferred to the payee upon delivery. By signing and transferring the check to the payee, the payor authorizes funds to be withdrawn from the payor's account at a payor bank on behalf of the payee in return for the goods and/or services provided by the payee.

[0003] Checks have certain advantages over other foe ins of payment, such as cash. For example, while often considered the most liquid type of asset, cash also may be the least secure. Unlike a check, cash is usually freely transferable and does not have to be endorsed. Thus, the owner and possessor of cash is most often the same individual. Because cash is freely transferable, cash that is lost or stolen typically cannot be recovered. Therefore, the risks associated with cash transactions are often unacceptable, particularly with respect to transactions not conducted in person (e.g., by mail) and/or involving large sums of money. A check, on the other hand, provides a payor with more security because the check usually requires a payor to specify both the person and amount to be paid. Furthermore, as noted above, the check is usually not valid until it is properly signed by the payor. These safeguards help to reduce the risk that money will be lost and/or stolen and ensure that the proper payee receives the proper amount of money.

[0004] Cash may have other disadvantages as well. For example, because cash is freely transferable, there may be little or no verifiable transaction history. It is often desirable for a payor and/or payee to have physical proof that a particular transaction took place. This typically requires that the payor receive a receipt. However, receipts may contain errors and can be easily misplaced. In contrast, a bank processing a check will ordinarily create a transaction history, which may include the identity of the payee, the amount to be paid, the date of the payment, and the signature of the payor. This enables both a payor and payee to independently verify the accuracy of most transactions involving a payment by check.

[0005] While a check may provide a payor with a convenient and secure form of payment, receiving a check may put certain burdens on the payee, such as the time and effort required to deposit the check. For example, depositing a check typically involves going to a local bank branch and physically presenting the check to a bank teller. In addition to the time commitment that may be required, visiting a bank branch may be problematic for the payee if the bank's hours of operation coincide with the payee's normal hours of employment. Thus, the payee may be required to leave work early and/or change work schedules.

[0006] A check may pose other burdens for the payee. As noted above, a check may not be freely transferable, thereby limiting the payee's ability to use funds from the check. For example, it is usually difficult to for the payee to purchase goods and/or services using a check issued by the payor. While the check may be endorsed and accepted by a third party, such transactions are often disfavored because the third party may not know the payor and, thus, may not be willing to accept the risk that the payor has insufficient funds to cover the check. Therefore, the payee may not have access to the funds from the check until the payee deposits the check at the bank, the check has cleared and the funds have been credited to the payee's account. The payee may have to wait even longer if the payee chooses to deposit the check by mail.

[0007] Systems and methods for remotely depositing checks can advantageously address a variety of the above listed burdens on the payee, and thereby promote the use of checks and the various advantages attached thereto. A variety of high-speed, special purpose check deposit systems for commercial use are available on the market today. Also, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/321,025 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/591,014, future systems may emerge allowing individuals to remotely deposit checks using, for example, a customer controlled home telephone or customer controlled general purpose consumer. Such remote deposit systems may prove advantageous for banks and bank customers alike, in part because they are adapted for today's mobile lifestyles experienced by individuals in military, government, and private sector careers, and in part because they successfully leverage electronic communications advances allowing unprecedented automation, speed, and security in deposit transactions.

[0008] However, by placing aspects of a check deposit transaction in the hands of customers, a variety of opportunities are opened for fraud and mistake that might not otherwise occur. One such opportunity is that of check representment. Check representment involves attempts to deposit a check twice. For example, a customer may neglect to write “VOID” on a check after depositing it using a system such as that provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/591,014, and then represent the check at a later time in an attempt to ensure that the check is deposited into his bank account. Another such opportunity is that of check kiting operations. Check kiting typically involves drafting a check on a first account and depositing it in a second account, then drafting a check on the second account and depositing it in the first account, and repeating this process in rapid succession to artificially drive up the balance of both accounts. Additional accounts may be involved in a more complex check kiting arrangement.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need in the industry for automated approaches to address representment and kiting possibilities in remote check deposit systems.

[0010] The described embodiments contemplate a system, method and computer-readable medium with computer-executable instructions for addressing possible fraud and mistake scenarios in a system for electronically receiving check images from customers, said check images corresponding to at least one payor check, and for automatically initiating a deposit of funds associated with said payor check into a customer account.

[0011] In an embodiment, the novel method may include electronically receiving an image of a front side of said payor check, and automatically electronically analyzing the image to determine first check identification data. The first check identification data can be compared with check identification data from a limited subset of previously deposited checks. By limiting the set of checks that are used in a comparison operation, the speed of the operation is increased and can optionally occur in real-time while a customer waits for an initial deposit determination. The limited subset of previously deposited checks can comprise, for example, checks deposited into the customer account during some fixed time interval immediately preceding the attempted deposit. The limited subset of previously deposited checks can comprise a fixed number of checks deposited into the customer account immediately preceding the attempted deposit. If any matches are found, the check deposit transaction can be halted or flagged for further scrutiny at a later time.

[0012] In another embodiment, the novel method may include automatically electronically comparing check identification data associated with a payor check with check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions. If a representment is identified by finding a match between said check identification data and said check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions, then the deposit transaction can be automatically electronically flagged as involving a potential duplicate check. However, because there are a variety of opportunities for false positives in identifying potential duplicates, the payor check can be automatically electronically soft posted into a customer account regardless of whether the payor check was flagged. Flagged transaction can be inspected at a later time to determine if it in fact contains a duplicate of a previously presented check.

[0013] In another embodiment, the novel method may include performing an operation to detect a check kiting operation when receiving a request to deposit a check. For example, upon electronically receiving a request to deposit a check into a customer account, a payor account or some other account that is related to the customer or the transaction, such as the account into which the deposit is being made, can be automatically electronically analyzed a for an indication of a check kiting operation. If no such indication is found, the check may be automatically electronically soft posted to the customer account subject to the various other processes and security operations as may be performed. If such an indication is found, however, the check deposit operation may be denied or delayed for further scrutiny, optionally sending the customer a notification of such action.

[0014] Additional advantages and features of the invention are described below.

[0022] Certain specific details are set forth in the following description and figures to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. Certain well-known details often associated with computing and software technology are not set forth in the following disclosure, however, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments of the invention. Further, those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that they can practice other embodiments of the invention without one or more of the details described below. Finally, while various methods are described with reference to steps and sequences in the following disclosure, the description as such is for providing a clear implementation of embodiments of the invention, and the steps and sequences of steps should not be taken as required to practice this invention.

[0023] In general, it is contemplated that the various systems, methods, and computer readable media disclosed herein will be implemented within a system for processing remote deposit of checks. Such a system will generally include subsystems for electronically receiving check images from customers, said check images corresponding to at least one payor check, and for automatically initiating a deposit of funds associated with said payor check into a customer account. Such a system may also beneficially automatically initiate a process for clearing the payor check with a payor bank.

[0024] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are generally directed to a variety of aspects of a system for processing remote deposit of checks as contemplated for use in connection with various embodiments of the invention. FIG. 1 illustrates an example system in which the described embodiments may be employed. System 100 may include account owner 110, e.g., a bank customer who may be located, for example, at the customer's private residence. The account owner 110 may be utilizing a customer-controlled, general purpose computer 111. A general purpose computer 111 is generally a Personal Computer (PC) running one of the well-known WINDOWS® brand operating systems made by MICROSOFT® Corp., or a MACINTOSH® (Mac) brand computer, running any of the APPLE® operating systems. General purpose computers are ubiquitous today and the term should be well understood. A general purpose computer 111 may be in a desktop or laptop configuration, and generally has the ability to run any number of applications that are written for and compatible with the computer's operating system. The term “general purpose computer” specifically excludes specialized equipment as may be purchased by a business or other commercial enterprise, for example, for the specialized purpose of high-speed, high-volume check deposits. A particular advantage of a system as illustrated in FIG. 1 is its ability to operate in conjunction with electronics that today's consumers actually own or can easily acquire, such as a general purpose computer, a scanner, and a digital camera.

[0025] General purpose computer 111 may also be “customer-controlled.” A common example of a customer-controlled computer would be a typical computer located in a private residence. The owner of such a computer typically has the power to install programs and configure the computer as they wish, subject to certain security restrictions that may be imposed by the hardware or software manufacturers. A customer-controlled computer need not be located in a private residence, however. For example, computers in college dormitories, in workplace offices, and so forth may also be considered to be “customer-controlled.”

[0026] An example of a computer that would not be considered customer-controlled would be an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) that is typically controlled by a bank or other business. Although a customer may access and utilize an ATM machine, the ATM machine is not customer-controlled because the allowed uses of the ATM machine are highly restricted. Relevant factors in determining whether a machine is customer controlled are thus the scope of operations that a customer may perform using the machine, and extent to which the customer can reconfigure the machine in some way by adding software and/or hardware components. In general, any customer ability to add software and/or hardware components is adequate to qualify a computer as customer-controlled.

[0027] One of the applications that may run on a general purpose computer 111 in connection with the invention is a browser. Common browsers in use today are, for example, the popular INTERNET EXPLORER® line of browsers made by MICROSOFT® Corp., the FIREFOX® browsers distributed via the MOZILLA® open source project, and the NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR® browsers also distributed via the MOZILLA® open source project. Browsers generally allow users to point to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and thereby retrieve information such as a web page. For example, a browser application on computer 111 could retrieve a web page that is kept at server 131, and display the web page to the account owner 110, as is generally known and appreciated in the industry and by the general public.

[0028] Another application, or set of applications, that may run on a general purpose computer 111 in connection with the invention comprises “virtual machine” technologies such as the JAVA® virtual machine software distributed by SUN MICROSYSTEMS® Corp, and .NET® Framework distributed by MICROSOFT® Corp. In general, such applications facilitate execution of computer programs in a variety of computing environments. For example, a JAVA® applet is a computer program (which may be alternatively referred to herein as a “software component”) that can execute on any computer running the JAVA® virtual machine software. The applet may be provided to virtual machine software in a “source code” format, and may be compiled by a “just in time” compiler, so as to put the applet in a form that can be executed by the hardware associated with the particular computing device. These technologies are known in the art and may be utilized in connection with a system as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0029] An image capture device 112 may be communicatively coupled to the computer 112. Image capture device may be, for example, a scanner or digital camera. Computer 111 may comprise software that allows the user to control certain operations of the image capture device 112 from the computer 111. For example, modern scanner users may be familiar with the TWAIN software often used to control image capture from a computer 111. Similarly, digital cameras often ship along with software that allows users to move images from the camera to a computer 111, and may also provide additional functions, such as photo editing functions crop and rotate.

[0030] Financial institutions 130, 140 and 150 may be any type of entity capable of processing a transaction involving a negotiable instrument. For example, financial institutions 130, 140 and 150 may be a retail bank, investment bank, investment company, regional branch of the Federal Reserve, clearinghouse bank and/or correspondent bank. A negotiable instrument is usually a type of contract that obligates one party to pay a specified sum of money to another party. By way of example, and not limitation, negotiable instruments may include a check, draft, bill of exchange, promissory note, and the like.

[0031] Financial institution 130 is illustrated as associated with a server 131. Financial institution 130 may maintain and operate server 131 for the purposes of communicating with customers such as 110. Alternatively, such server may be maintained and operated by one or more third party vendors who act under the instructions of the financial institution 130, but possess skills and resources that may be more effective in competent operation of electronics. Such arrangements are well known in the industry and in this case the server 131 is nonetheless considered to be “associated” with the financial institution 130.

[0032] Account owner 110 may be an individual who owns account 160, which may be held at financial institution 130. As such, account owner 110 may be described as a customer of financial institution 130. Account 160 may be any type of account for depositing funds, such as a savings account, checking account, brokerage account, and the like. Account owner 110 may communicate with financial institution 130 by way of communication network 120, which may include an intranet, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular network, a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network, and the like. Account owner 110 may communicate with financial institution 130 by phone, email, instant messaging, facsimile, and the like.

[0033] In one contemplated embodiment, network 120 is a publicly accessible network such as the Internet, which can presently be accessed from many private residences and many public places such as college campuses, airports, coffee shops, and restaurants throughout the United States as well as many other countries of the world. A variety of technologies are available to establish secure connections over such a public network, so that data transmitted between computer 111 and a server 131 associated with the institution 130 remains either inaccessible or indecipherable by third parties that may intercept such data. The invention may make use of any such security technologies.

[0034] Financial institutions 130, 140 and 150 may communicate with each other via a network 125. Network 125 may be a publicly accessed network such as 120. Alternatively, network 125 may have certain characteristics that differ from network 120, due to the different requirements of bank-to-bank communications. For example, one might envision certain security features and access restrictions being more important in bank-to-bank communications.

[0035] In an embodiment, account owner 110 may wish to deposit a check that is drawn from payor account 170 at financial institution 150. Account owner 110 may deposit the check into customer account 160 by converting the check into electronic data, e.g., an image, and sending the data to financial institution 130. Various embodiments of the invention described herein may be carried out by financial institution 130 electronics such as server 131 upon receipt of a check image from computer 111. However, those of skill in computing and software technologies will appreciate that functionality can be distributed across a variety of devices and therefore some of the method steps, subsystems, and computer readable media associated with the invention may in some embodiments be located outside of the range of what would be considered financial institution 130 electronics, e.g., might be located at computer 111 or elsewhere in the network 120.

[0036] Account owner 110 may convert the check into a digital image by scanning the front and/or back of the check using image capture device 112. Account owner 110 may then send the image to financial institution 130. Sending the image may be referred to as “presenting” the check. Upon receipt of the image, financial institution 130 may credit the funds to account 160 in a “soft post” operation. In a soft post operation, the funds appear to be available for use by a customer, and may in fact be available for use, but at the very least some indication is retained to note that the funds have not actually been received from the payor bank. When the funds are received from the payor bank, the “soft post” is converted to a “hard post” and the indication is removed, along with any further restriction on the use of the funds. Financial institution 130 may clear the check by presenting the digital image to an intermediary bank, such as a regional branch of the Federal Reserve, a correspondent bank and/or a clearinghouse bank.

[0037] For example, the check may be cleared by presenting the digital image to financial institution 140, which may be a regional branch of the Federal Reserve, along with a request for payment. Financial institution 130 and 150 may have accounts at the regional branch of the Federal Reserve. As will be discussed in greater detail below, financial institution 130 may create a substitute check using the image provided by account owner 110 and present the substitute check to financial institution 140 for further processing. Upon receiving the substitute check, financial institution 140 may identify financial institution 150 as the paying bank (e.g., the bank from which the check is drawn). This may be accomplished using a nine-digit routing number located on the bottom left hand corner of the check. A unique routing number is typically assigned to every financial institution in the United States. Financial institution 140 may present the substitute check to financial institution 150 and request that the check be paid. If financial institution 150 verifies the check (i.e., agrees to honor the check), financial institution 140 may then settle the check by debiting funds from financial institution 150 and crediting funds to financial institution 130. Financial institution 150 may then debit funds from account 170.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the preceding examples are for purposes of illustration and explanation only, and that an embodiment is not limited to such examples. For example, financial institution 150 may be a correspondent bank (i.e., engaged in a partnership with financial institution 130). Thus, financial institution 130 may bypass the regional branch of the Federal Reserve and clear the check directly with financial institution 150. In addition, account 160 and account 170 may both be held at financial institution 130, in which case the check may be cleared internally.

[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for facilitating deposit of a check from a customer-controlled general purpose computer. The various steps of FIG. 2 may be viewed as performed by a server computer associated with a financial institution, in conjunction with a software component that operates from a customer-controlled general purpose computer. Various of the steps are contemplated as performed by the server, while various other steps are contemplated as performed by the software component.

[0040] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the darker boxes indicate steps that arc performed by the server, for example by delivering information to the user through the user's browser application. Making information available on a server to customers with a browser is considered to be effectively “delivering” such information for the purposes of this document. The lighter boxes inside 211 indicate steps that are performed by the software component, as it executes on the customer computer. Those of skill will recognize that alternative configurations are readily achievable by moving functions from server to software component or vice-versa.

[0041] The server may first deliver a software component to the customer-controlled general purpose computer 200. This may be done in response to a customer request for the capability of making deposits from his computer. In one embodiment, the financial institution may provide such capability only to customers that meet predetermined criteria of trustworthiness. For example, it can be required that the customer's accounts arc in good standing, that the customer relationship has lasted a predetermined amount of time, that the customer has a predetermined number of financial service products with the financial institution (e.g. bank accounts, mortgages, insurance policies, etc.), that the customer has a predetermined level of assets with the financial institution, and so forth.

[0042] The software component may be configured to facilitate the deposit transaction in a variety of ways as illustrated herein. In one embodiment, the software component may be compatible with the JAVA® or .NET® technologies described above. Such configurations allow for widespread dissemination and successful operation in a wide variety of computing environments as may exist on customer-controlled general purpose computers.

[0043] Where the software component is written for JAVA®, .NET®, or any other such technology, it is useful in step 200 to first determine whether the customer-controlled general purpose computer has an appropriate virtual machine application installed, e.g. JAVA® Virtual Machine (JVM) or .NET® framework. If the computer does not have the appropriate application installed, such application may be automatically installed, or the customer may be directed to a location from which such application may be downloaded and installed. The software component may then be delivered 200, and should work as intended. The various other steps of FIG. 2 may now take place, or may take place at some subsequent time using the software component as previously downloaded.

[0044] After downloading or otherwise accepting the software component, and assuming the customer has an appropriate image capture device, the customer now has the capability to make deposits from his general purpose computer. For example, the customer points his browser to a bank website, where a link may be available that causes the bank server to initiate a deposit transaction 201. The customer may be asked to log in using a user name and password.

[0045] The customer may next be instructed to identify an account into which the deposit will be made 202. This can be done, for example, by providing a webpage that lists the available accounts, along with an instruction to select an account. Alternatively, a box may be provided into which the customer may type an account number, along with an appropriate instruction to type the number of the desired account. The account may be any account, and need not necessarily be the customer's own account, although it is contemplated that a large number of customer deposits may be made into the transacting customer's account, and embodiments may find it useful to restrict the allowed accounts to the customer's own accounts. In such embodiments, if the customer has just one account with the financial institution, step 202 may be eliminated because the only available allowed account would be the customer's single account.

[0046] The customer may next be instructed to identify an amount of a check or other negotiable instrument he wishes to deposit into the selected account 203. In one embodiment, this can be done similarly to step 202 by providing a webpage with a box into which the customer may type an amount, along with an appropriate instruction to type the amount of the check. The customer may also be instructed to endorse the check 204.

[0047] The customer may next be instructed to provide an image of a front side of a check 205, for example, by using an image capture device. In one embodiment, the customer may be instructed to place the check face down on a flatbed scanner, and may further be instructed as to the location and orientation of the check on the scanner. If the customer is instructed to take a digital photograph of the check using a digital camera, the customer may be instructed as to the position and orientation of the check, lighting, angle of camera, distance and focal length (zoom) of camera, and so forth. The software component may be useful at this point in providing a graphical illustration of just how the customer should provide the image. The customer may further be given instructions as to how to activate the image capture device and/or move the image from the device to the general purpose computer.

[0048] In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the software component allows for control of the transaction and transaction data throughout the various aspects thereof. For example, the software component may open a folder in a storage location, such as the hard drive of the general-purpose computer, and may work in conjunction with any software that interfaces with the image capture device to deposit the image in such folder. This may advantageously be conducted in a secure manner to prevent any unwanted image diversion or tampering. The hard drive of the general-purpose computer is considered to be a storage location that is controlled by said customer-controlled general purpose computer, but other storage locations such as disk drives, networked drives, and so forth may also be effectively controlled by the general purpose computer.

[0049] The software component may itself perform operations such as opening a folder and placing the images therein, or may effectively achieve such operations by instructing the customer and/or other applications to do so. All software operates to some extent under the control and with the support of an operating system running on the general purpose computer, and such support is of course appropriate in embodiments of the invention.

[0050] The software component may next cause the image of the check to be presented to the customer for editing, e.g. by asking the customer to crop and/or rotate the check image to a predetermined orientation 206. In embodiments using a scanner, an image of the entire scanner bed, or some otherwise too large image may be generated. If the check was placed in the top left corner of the scanner bed, the customer may be asked to indicate the bottom right corner of the check image, and the image may be cropped to contain only the check image, thereby removing a portion of the originally obtained image.

[0051] An appropriately edited image of the check may be placed in the storage location 207. If further images are necessary 208, steps 205-207 may be repeated as necessary. For example, the customer may be instructed to endorse and provide an image of the back side of a check. To ensure the check is appropriately voided, the customer may be asked to write “void” on the check and re-scan the front of the check. However, it will be appreciated that a “void” instruction could be easily spoofed, for example by photocopying the check and voiding the photocopy, or by placing a transparent material over the check that bears the void. Therefore, regardless of whether the customer is instructed to re-capture an image of a voided check, there is some possibility of representment, i.e. attempting to rescan and represent the check at a later time. Various aspects of the invention discussed below are directed to effectively thwarting such occurrences, whether intentional or by mistake. Such thwarting is occasionally referred to herein as “duplicate detection,” because the represented check will be a duplicate of a check that was previously presented for deposit.

[0052] A log file may be generated 209 to collect data for processing or troubleshooting the deposit transaction. The log file may be placed in the storage location along with the various images of the check.

[0053] Once the desired images are collected and edited, they may be delivered to the server for processing the deposit 210. The log file may also be delivered at this time. Once such files are delivered, they may be deleted from the customer's general purpose computer. If the server determines that the delivered images and any corresponding data are sufficient to go forward with the deposit, the customer's account may be provisionally credited with a soft post, and a confirmation page may be delivered to the customer via the customer's browser application 212. The customer may be instructed to destroy, e.g. by shredding, the actual physical check or other negotiable instrument, however as described above such a requirement is unenforceable and some risk of representment remains which can be addressed as described below. Under the current check handling procedures in the United States, the physical check is not necessary in processing a deposit, nor is it necessary to keep the original check in bank or customer records.

[0054] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for processing a check deposit. The method of FIG. 3 is designed to complement that of FIG. 2 and to illustrate exemplary steps that may be carried out by a server or other electronics operated by a financial institution before, during, and after the various steps of FIG. 2 are carried out.

[0055] In general, as illustrated in FIG. 3, such server may receive a request for deposit at home capability 300A, and in response to such request may deliver a software component to the requesting customer 300B. As with FIG. 2, intermediate steps may comprise determining if the customer is in fact eligible for a remote deposit program, and ensuring the customer has an appropriate virtual machine environment installed on their general purpose computer—in embodiments where the software component requires such an environment.

[0056] A transaction may be initiated 301 upon receiving a customer indication that a deposit transaction is desired. The customer is instructed to identify an account per FIG. 2, and as a result the financial institution electronics receive an account identifier (ID) 302. Similarly, financial institution electronics receive check amount 303. At this juncture the software component handles image capture processes, which may or may not involve the server until such time as check image(s) are received 304.

[0057] Upon receipt of check images, an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process may be invoked to determine certain information about the check. For example, OCR may be performed on the check's MICR line location 305 to determine information such as payor bank routing number, account number, and check number. The bank routing number may then be validated 306 against a list of valid routing numbers to ensure that it corresponds to a legitimate bank, and in some embodiments, to ensure it corresponds to a United States bank. In one embodiment, the OCR is conducted in real time, i.e. prior to confirming the deposit transaction for the customer, so as to validate some initial deposit information immediately, and thereby filter transactions that may result in errors were the OCR to be conducted at some later time. In other embodiments, certain efficiencies may be gained by performing “batch” OCR operations at some later time.

[0058] In one embodiment, an OCR process can conveniently be applied to an image of a back side of a check in addition to performing OCR on the image of the front side of said check. One problem that may occur involves customer submission of two front images, instead of one front image and one back image. OCR may be performed on a MICR line location of an alleged image of a back side of said check to confirm that said alleged image of a back side of said check does not bear a MICR line. If no MICR line is present in such location then it is more likely that the alleged image of a back side of said check is in fact the back, and not the front, of the check.

[0059] Another advantageous use of OCR is on the endorsement location on the back of a check. By performing OCR, it may be possible in some embodiments to determine that the signature matches that of the payor or drafter of the check. However, often signatures arc illegible. Thus in one embodiment it is advantageous to determine that some mark or signature is present in the endorsement location on the back of the check, without conducting any further signature identification procedures.

[0060] If the routing number determined using OCR cannot be validated, an error may result 317, and the deposit transaction can be aborted. An error message can be delivered to the customer 314, explaining a reason that the transaction could not be processed.

[0061] Representment and kiting detection processes may be carried out to determine whether the check was previously deposited or is suspected to be part of a kiting operation 307. These operations are discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

[0062] There are numerous possibilities for false positives in representment and kiting detection 307. Because of this, it is advantageous in some embodiments to proceed with a deposit transaction regardless of the fact that a representment may be initially identified in 307. As illustrated in FIG. 3, if a representment or kiting operation is detected in 307, the transaction may be either flagged for further scrutiny at a later time, delayed, or terminated 315. If the transaction is flagged, it will be allowed to proceed through the various other steps and result in a soft post 313 to the customer account. If it is delayed or terminated, the soft post 313 will be made only after further scrutiny of the transaction, or will be avoided entirely. If a representment or kiting indicator is not detected, the transaction need not be flagged, delayed, or terminated, and step 315 is unnecessary.

[0063] OCR may further be performed on a check amount location 306, and the amount as determined using OCR may be compared against the customer-entered amount received pursuant to step 303. If the amounts do not match, an error 316 can result, terminating the transaction and delivering appropriate information concerning the error to the customer 314. OCR may further be performed on any other aspects of the check image at this time if it is advantageous in specific embodiments to do so.

[0064] The server may further receive and modify a deposit transaction log file 310. Alternative versions of the images received may be generated and placed in the log file. Check 21 regulations require a bi-tonal TIFF formatted image, which is generally a low-quality image format as compared to other available image formats. Therefore, it is desirable in some embodiments to retain both a “good” image in an initial format, e.g., in a JPEG format, as well as the modified bi-tonal TIFF required by Check 21. This way, if any troubleshooting is necessary, a good image of the check remains available.

[0065] In some embodiments, a bank stamp may be overlaid on the image of the back of the check 311, just as if the check was physically deposited at a bank. Appropriate images may be forwarded to the payor bank for payment 312, and meanwhile, the customer's account may be provisionally credited in the amount of the check 313. A confirmation can be delivered to the customer 314.

[0066] At 312, in one embodiment, the bank may forward an image or images to a payor bank. Provisionally crediting the customer account 513 with a “soft post” and delivering a confirmation to the customer-controlled general purpose computer 514 may be done before, after, or contemporaneously with step 312.

[0067] In one embodiment, forwarding an image or images to a payor bank 312 may be performed pursuant to an Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) transaction. ACH transactions typically include payment instructions to debit and/or credit an account. Banks often employ ACH service providers to settle ACH transactions. Examples of ACH service providers include regional branches of the Federal Reserve and the Electronic Payments Network (EPN).

[0068] In an ACH transaction, the payee's (customer's) bank may be referred to as the originating depository financial institution (ODFI). Upon receipt of appropriate check information, the payee's bank may credit funds to the payee's account and generate an ACH debit entry to the payor's account, which may be presented to the ACH service provider for processing.

[0069] The ACH service provider may process the debit entry by identifying the account and bank from which the check is drawn. The bank from which the check is drawn (i.e., the payor's bank) may be referred to as a receiving depository financial institution (RDFI). If the payor's bank verifies the transaction, the ACH service provider may settle the transaction by debiting the payor's bank and crediting the payee's bank. The payor's bank may then debit the payor's account.

[0070] A substitute check is typically a paper reproduction of an original check and may be the legal equivalent of the original check. Substitute checks were authorized under The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, commonly known as Check 21. The Act was enacted to facilitate the check clearing process by allowing banks to transmit electronic images of checks (e.g., substitute checks) to other banks rather than physically sending the original paper checks. Check 21 does not require that banks use substitute checks. In fact, many banks may have voluntary agreements to accept certain electronic images of checks even though the images may not qualify as substitute checks under Check 21. If a bank does not have a voluntary agreement and/or refuses to accept an electronic image, the financial institution is required under Check 21 to accept a substitute check in lieu of the original check.

[0071] The bank may process the ACH debit entry, substitute check, and/or electronic image. As noted above, the bank may present the ACH debit entry to an ACH service provider (e.g., EPN), which may be responsible for settling the transaction between the payee's bank and the payor's bank. The bank also may convert the digital image into a substitute check and present the substitute check to an intermediary bank (e.g., a regional branch of the Federal Reserve) to complete the check clearing process. If the payor's bank and the payee's bank are the same, the transaction can be handled internally at the payor bank by simply debiting the account of one customer and crediting the account of another. Thus, an intermediate step may comprise identifying if the payor bank and the payee bank are one and the same, or otherwise operating in a closely cooperative manner.

[0072] Each of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 provide exemplary methods for representment and/or kiting detection as may be carried out in a system comprising features as disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, and in particular as part of step 307 in FIG. 3. However, it should be emphasized that while the various aspects of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 provide useful context for FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the disclosed aspects of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 arc in no way required to carry out the steps of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

[0073] Furthermore, while FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 arc illustrated and discussed as methods, it will be acknowledged that they also disclose corresponding systems and computer readable media designed to carry out such methods. FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 may be carried out by electronic subsystems within financial institution electronics such as server 131, which may comprise a variety of other electronics such as routers, switches, and modems. The steps of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 may also be recorded as instructions on computer readable media designed for causing financial institution electronics to carry out the disclosed methods.

[0074] FIG. 4 generally contemplates a novel method for representment detection. One advantage of the illustrated embodiment is speed. When a customer is remotely depositing a check, it is beneficial to process the transaction in substantially real time, i.e. while the customer waits for a confirmation that the deposit is at least initially approved for further processing by a financial institution. Accurately determining whether a check is a duplicate can involve a time consuming comparison against a large number of previously deposited checks, and may ultimately require human inspection of any checks identified as potential duplicates. Thus, it is desirable to conduct a rough assessment of whether a check should be flagged as a potential duplicate while the customer waits. One exemplary method for accomplishing such a rough assessment is illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0075] The method of FIG. 4 may begin with electronically receiving an image of a check at a financial institution server 401. The image may comprise an image of a front side of a payor check, or may comprise some part of such front side of the check that is sufficient to identify it, along with accompanying data sufficient to provide a bank with the check information needed to make a deposit. In an alternative embodiment, no image is received at all. Instead, data alone may be received, and the bank may recreate an image of the check from the received data or may simply use the data in subsequent processing of the deposit transaction as well as representment and kiting detection operations as provided herein.

[0076] In embodiments where an image is received, the image may be automatically electronically analyzed to determine check identification data 402. Check identification data is any data that identifies the financial instrument in a relatively unique fashion. For example, check identification data may comprise Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) data such as payor account number, payor bank routing number, and check number. Check identification data may also comprise payor personal information such as payor name and address. Check identification data may also comprise an amount of the check. Image characteristics such as a combination of characteristics from a payor signature line may be used as check identification data.

[0077] Electronically analyzing the image may be done in a variety of ways. In one embodiment, an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process can be applied to an image of a front side of a check. OCR may read the payor name, amount, MICR line, and other aspects of the check. Receiving data directly from the customer is also an option which may be technically easier to implement but may suffer from human error. Image analysis processes other than OCR may also be applied, for example where image characteristics from a payor signature line are used as check identification data. In embodiments where no image is in fact received, the data as received may be utilized in the subsequent steps, essentially eliminating the need for step 402.

[0078] A next step comprises automatically electronically comparing the check identification data with check identification data from a limited subset of previously deposited checks 403. Check identification data for use in this step may be obtained from any of a wide variety of data stored by financial institution electronics. For example, log files containing check identification data may be kept for all deposits. Transaction logs may be maintained for customer accounts, or for the financial institution as a whole. Comparing the check identification data against such potentially enormous data sets can be very time consuming. Thus, regardless of whether the entire data set is deposit data from a particular customer account or for an entire financial institution, it is beneficial to limit the comparison to a relevant subset.

[0079] For example, in one embodiment, a complete set of relevant previously deposited checks may be considered to be all checks deposited into any account affiliated with a same customer as the customer attempting to make a deposit. If customer Jack has a checking and a savings account, a complete set of previously deposited checks may comprise all checks deposited into both of the savings and checking accounts.

[0080] However, a comparison against all checks deposited into both accounts could be time consuming. A limited subset may be calculated for comparison in real time, and the remainder of the comparison may be conducted at a later time. Such a limited subset may be calculated in a wide variety of ways. In general, it is thus advantageous to calculate a limited subset that comprises the most relevant data, i.e. check identification data that most likely to uncover a duplicate check.

[0081] In one embodiment, said limited subset of previously deposited checks comprises checks deposited into a same customer account or any account associated with such account during a fixed time interval immediately preceding a time associated with the deposit attempt. For example, all deposits made into any related customer accounts for the previous two weeks may be an appropriate limited subset. Of course, the subset may be further limited to only the account in question and the time interval may be varied as necessary to produce an effective limited subset.

[0082] In one embodiment, said limited subset of previously deposited checks comprises a fixed number of checks deposited into the customer account or any account associated with such account immediately preceding the deposit attempt. For example, the previous 100 deposits made by the same customer into any account at the financial institution may be a relevant subset. Again, the subset may be further limited to only the account in question fixed number of check may be varied as necessary to produce an effective limited subset.

[0083] If a match is found 404, then the deposit transaction can be flagged, delayed, or terminated 405. Flagging the transaction refers to setting a flag that will cause some further scrutiny 406 of the transaction at a later time. The further scrutiny 406 may be automated, such as analyzing further aspects of the check and comparing it to a suspected duplicate check, or may be conducted by a human, such as by visually inspected images of the check being deposited and a previously deposited check.

[0084] Delaying a transaction refers to simply causing the transaction to be delayed and processed at a later time. Delaying and flagging may be used together to provide adequate time for additional scrutiny required by the flag. Terminating the transaction refers to blocking the transaction from further processing.

[0085] Whether the transaction is flagged, delayed, or terminated, a notification may be sent to a customer advising them of the action and optionally of the reason for the action as well. In one embodiment, the customer may be notified that the check has been identified as a possible duplicate and may be given the opportunity to provide additional check identification data to prove that it is not in fact a duplicate. In another embodiment, the customer may be shown the image of the check being deposited side by side with the suspected duplicate, and may be asked to themselves warrant that the check is not being represented.

[0086] A deposit of funds associated with an amount of said payor check may be automatically electronically soft posted into said customer account 407. Subsequent to such soft posting, a complete comparison of the check identification data against the full set of relevant previous deposits may be conducted 408. A check clearing process 409 may also be initiated.

[0087] FIG. 5 generally illustrates a novel method which may include automatically electronically comparing check identification data associated with a payor check with check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions. If a representment is identified by finding a match between said check identification data and said check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions, then the deposit transaction can be automatically electronically flagged as involving a potential duplicate check. However, because there are a variety of opportunities for false positives in identifying potential duplicates, the payor check can be automatically electronically soft posted into a customer account regardless of whether the payor check was flagged. Flagged transaction can be inspected at a later time to determine if it in fact contains a duplicate of a previously presented check.

[0088] Check identification data associated with said payor check can be automatically electronically compared with check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions 501. The check identification data associated with said payor check may comprise, for example, MICR data obtained by applying an OCR process to an image of said payor check.

[0089] The previous transactions may be, for example, any set of relevant transactions for use in finding duplicates. For example, one or more previous deposit transactions may comprise only deposit transactions associated with a same customer account. The one or more previous deposit transactions comprise deposit transactions associated with said customer account and any account associated with said customer account, such as a same customer's savings account where the deposit is intended for the customer's checking account.

[0090] In one embodiment the previous transaction may also comprise deposit transactions corresponding to a first time interval. In such an embodiment, it may be advantageous to subsequently automatically electronically compare said check identification data associated with said payor check with check identification data associated with one or more previous deposit transactions corresponding to a second time interval, wherein said second time interval is longer than said first time interval. Thus, the first set of data used is limited to a small time interval, and a subsequent more full comparison is made.

[0091] The deposit transaction associated with said payor check may be automatically electronically flagged as involving a potential duplicate check/representment if said check identification data matches the check identification data from previous deposit transactions 502. Regardless of whether the deposit transaction is flagged, however, a deposit of funds may be automatically electronically soft posted to the customer account in the amount of said payor check 503. With most check identification data, there is some realistic possibility for false positives when comparing the data to that of other checks. That is, the check identification data my match for a check image for a check being deposited and a previously deposited check, when in fact the two checks are not the same. For example, sometimes money orders have numbers that are the same as those on checks, and check identification data may match that of a money order previously deposited. In choosing the data to be used as check identification data, a sensible choice is data that is both easy to acquire and leads to as few false positive matches as possible.

[0092] A list of flagged deposit transactions may be automatically electronically compiled 504. References to images of checks flagged as potential duplicates may be placed in the list 505, for example by hyper linking to the image of the check. The images themselves, or thumbnails of the image, may also serve as appropriate references to images. References to images of the previously deposited checks identified as potential duplicates may also be placed in the list 506. The list may be provided to a more sophisticated electronic process for identifying duplicates, or may be supplied to a human who can visually inspect the potential duplicate checks side-by-side.

[0093] If an indication that said payor check is not a duplicate check is received in step 507, a customer may be subsequently allowed to access the funds associated the deposited payor check 508. In other words, a soft post of the check may be allowed to be converted to a hard post. If, however, the process and/or human analyzing duplicates indicates the payor check is a duplicate in step 507, then any previous soft post may be reversed 509.

[0094] FIG. 6 generally illustrates a novel method which may include performing an operation to detect a check kiting operation when receiving a request to deposit a check. For example, upon electronically receiving a request to deposit a check into a customer account, a payor account or some other account that is related to the customer or the transaction, such as the account into which the deposit is being made, can be automatically electronically analyzed a for an indication of a check kiting operation. If no such indication is found, the check may be automatically electronically soft posted to the customer account subject to the various other processes and security operations as may be performed. If such an indication is found, however, the check deposit operation may be denied or delayed for further scrutiny, optionally sending the customer a notification of such action.

[0095] A request to deposit a payor check into a customer account is electronically received 601. It may be useful to determine, as an initial matter, if the payor account is serviced by a same financial institution as said customer account 602, because kiting detection data may not be available otherwise absent appropriate information sharing between financial institutions. It may further be useful to determine whether the payor account and the customer account are both associated with a same or related customer 603. Many kiting operations arc done by a single individual or a small group of related individuals (“relatives”), and thus inspecting deposits made by same and related individuals can be more advantageous than inspecting transactions between entirely unrelated individuals.

[0096] A payor account associated with said payor check may be automatically electronically analyzed for an indication of a check kiting operation 604. Again, such analysis may only be performed if information regarding the payor account is available, which may not always be true. An indication of a check kiting operation may comprise any unusual increase in or pattern of deposit transactions. For example, multiple deposits into the customer account, especially if occurring in rapid succession, could be an indication. Similarly, multiple deposits into the customer account from the payor account within a predetermined time interval could be considered an indication. Both of the above indications could also be affected by a determination that said multiple deposits arc preceded by a period of relative inactivity, under the presumption that some businesses and individuals do deposit large volumes of checks, but that such business and individuals will generally do so in a relatively constant stream.

[0097] The customer account may also be automatically electronically analyzed for an indication of a check kiting operation. If neither the payor account nor the customer account (assuming both are analyzed, which need not be true in every embodiment) comprises an indication of a check kiting operation, then a deposit of funds in an amount of said payor check can be automatically electronically soft posted into said customer account 606. However, of course if such indication is found the transaction may be delayed, flagged for further scrutiny, or terminated. Transaction delay can be a very effective defense to kiting operations because such operations rely on checks clearing based on “soft post” information that is only temporary. If an indication of a kiting operation is found a customer may be automatically electronically notified 608 of the action taken, e.g., that said deposit will be delayed.

[0098] The various techniques described herein may be implemented with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the disclosed embodiments, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the disclosed embodiments. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computer will generally include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device and at least one output device. One or more programs are preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.

[0099] The described methods and apparatus may also be embodied in the form of program code that is transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, a gate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, a video recorder or the like, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates to perform the processing of the disclosed embodiments.

[0100] In addition to the specific implementations explicitly set forth herein, other aspects and implementations will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and illustrated implementations be considered as examples only, with a true scope and spirit of the following claims.