Patent ID: 8577794
Filing Date: 2013-11-05
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for use by a trusted third party, acting as system operator and intermediary between a plurality of clients of the trusted third party and the respective trading partners of the clients, to enroll the clients' trading partners in an electronic funds transfer (EFT) program, the method comprising the steps of: providing the clients with a plurality of options for specifying requested enrollment information from a plurality of standard data fields to which predefined parameters are associated; obtaining, from the clients of the trusted third party, data files of trading partner data that includes trading partner contact information; creating individual trading partner records using data from the data files of trading partner data; making the individual trading partner records available to the respective trading partners through a secure web site for enrollment in an electronic funds transfer (EFT) program; using the contact data provided in the files of trading partner data to contact trading partners to solicit the trading partners to connect to the secure website to enroll in the electronic funds transfer (EFT) program; presenting the trading partner with an enrollment page in which a plurality of data fields are pre-populated with data from the data files of trading partner data for the trading partner's verification; prompting the trading partners to enter data into a plurality of data fields that have not been pre-populated with data from the data files of trading partner data; determining, in real time, whether the data entered by the trading partner in the plurality of data fields conforms to predefined parameters and, if so, settling a payment amount in full; subsequent to receipt of requested enrollment information, initiating an electronic fund transfer transaction to determine whether the data provided by the trading partner is sufficient to complete an electronic funds transfer and, if not, initiating corrective action that includes determining whether the data provided by the trading partner can be corrected automatically so as to be sufficient to complete an electronic funds transfer and, if so, automatically correcting the data; and associating the requested enrollment information of a trading partner enrolled in the payment program of one client of the trusted third party with a second client of the trusted third party without need to reenter the information.