# Patent

## Title
Credit report timeline user interface

## Abstract

A credit report user interface is provided that may comprise a credit event timeline to view events associated with various accounts associated with a consumer. Credit events may be determined by accessing and analyzing a consumer's credit report from one or more of the national credit bureaus. In some embodiments the consumer can see credit events associated with all of the consumer's accounts or only from a limited number of the consumer's accounts. The consumer may also be able to search credit events, sort credit events, view the impact of credit events on one or more of the consumer's credit scores, and view predicted future credit events.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 61/870,666 filed Aug. 27, 2013 and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 61/815,194, filed Apr. 23, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties as if set forth herein.
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/452,155, filed May 30, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,229; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/606,060, filed Oct. 26, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,015,107; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/150,480, filed Jun. 10, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,593,891; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/563,779, filed Sep. 21, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,925,582; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/326,803, filed Dec. 15, 2011, and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 60/384,650, filed May 30, 2002. The disclosures of the above-listed applications are all hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in their entireties.


BACKGROUND
This disclosure relates to the field of consumer credit information and particularly to the presentation of credit report and credit score information.
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 loan applications, rental applications, real estate mortgages, and so on. Thus, many consumers have a substantial interest in monitoring and finding ways to improve their credit scores.
SUMMARY
It would be advantageous for consumers to be able to quickly investigate the various actions that may be taken to change one's credit score and the effect that those actions would have. In particular, it would be advantageous for consumers to be able to visualize those effects in an interactive and real time manner. It would also be advantageous for consumers to visualize the impact specific credit data has upon their credit score, either individually, by category, or by account.
The present disclosure describes user-interfaces, systems, and methods directed towards providing a consumer-centered view of the consumer's credit data. In one embodiment, the user interfaces provides detailed and customizable views of credit accounts, credit reports, credit scores, credit history, loan planning (e.g., car, home, other), and available credit actions (e.g., dispute charges, id theft/fraud notifications). For example, a credit accounts view may present a consumer with information (e.g., balance, standing, credit utilization) about accounts on the consumer's credit report and a relative impact of each on the consumer's overall credit health. In one embodiment, the consumer can click on an account to view detailed credit information related to that account, including, for example, (1) a timeline of credit events with indicators of the impact of those events to the consumer's credit health or score, (2) a credit simulator interface which enables the consumer to simulate impact of simulated events to the consumer's credit score, (3) forecasting elements indicating when certain credit events are expected to be removed from the consumer's credit report, (4) flagging of actionable items related to credit events (e.g., follow up on a disputed charge or ID theft case), and/or (5) impact of one or more credit score factors (e.g. credit usage, payment history, age of account, etc.) affecting the account status (e.g., good or bad standing). A credit score view may present the consumer with an overview of credit score factors affecting the consumer's overall credit score (both current and trending over time), with detailed views available showing account-specific impact related to each credit score factor. A loan planning view may present the consumer with a view of the consumer's credit score, with the ability to see how changes in one or more credit score factors may affect interest rate and savings, and create a plan to achieve desired loan goals. A credit history view may present a detailed timeline of credit events with impact indicators and icons on a time line graph indicating particular credit events impacting consumer's credit score.
In one embodiment, a computing system comprises one or more computer hardware processors and one or more storage devices. The storage device may store instructions for execution on the computer hardware processors. The instructions may cause the processors to access credit data for a consumer. From the accessed credit data, the processors may identify credit events and determine a credit score impact for the identified events. The system may organize the credit events and credit impacts into chronological order and generate a user interface including the organized chronological order of credit events and associated credit score impact.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a data flow diagram showing the flow of data through a credit report system
FIGS. 2A and 2B are example block diagrams illustrating a process for generating a timeline user interface.
FIG. 3 is an example credit score user interface for viewing and analyzing credit report data related to a particular account, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an example credit score user interface for viewing and analyzing credit report data for one or more financial accounts, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 5A is an example credit score user interface for presenting consumer actions and the impact on a credit score, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 5B is an example credit score user interface for presenting search results of a consumer's credit history, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 5C is an example credit score user interface for viewing and analyzing credit report data for one or more financial accounts including predicted future impacts, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an example credit score user interface as viewed on a mobile device, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an example user interface for presenting items related to one or more credit accounts for a user to follow up on, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an example credit score user interface for viewing and analyzing credit report data, as used in an embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a sample block diagram representing hardware and/or software components of an example embodiment.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Although several embodiments, examples and illustrations are disclosed below, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that these are non-limiting examples and the features described herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, examples and illustrations and includes other uses 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. In addition, embodiments can comprise several novel features and no single feature is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or is essential to practicing the systems or methods herein described.
Traditional credit reports typically present information in a spreadsheet-like view, such as with columns which present data from the three major credit bureaus and rows which present a consumer's different accounts as well as different credit applications with different companies. The traditional credit report is more of a business view of the consumer's credit data. Credit reports were never really intended for the average user to see until federal regulations enabled consumers to receive their credit report from each of the three bureaus for free very year. Thus, credit reports became much more common and accessible to consumers. The traditional spreadsheet view of the rows and the columns may be more difficult for consumers to engage with and doesn't provide a certain level of satisfaction, understanding, and education regarding the consumers' credit report.
The user interfaces provided and discussed herein present a parallel consumer view which consumers can actually engage with. In this way the credit report may become a springboard for engagement within the membership (e.g. monthly subscription to one's credit reports, various credit report services, etc.). The credit report today is full of a consumer's personalized credit data which may facilitate personalization and customization of a consumer's membership account.
Credit report and/or credit monitoring products and services often send alerts to the consumer for various credit events (e.g., notifying the consumer he/she has a new inquiry on their credit report, or that a payment was late, etc.). Consumers often wish to know: what does that mean? What should I do about it? What can I do about it? What does the credit report system recommend? How does it impact my score? Does it make it go up? Does it make it go down? What is my new score after that inquiry? How does that actually affect me? Simply notifying the consumer about a particular credit event may not help the consumer understand the true impact of the event. The user interfaces described herein attempt to answer these questions and provide a more comprehensive and interactive view of the consumer's credit report and/or credit score.
Sample Flow Diagrams:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a Credit Report System 100 that provides a consumer with his credit report through a user interface. An individual may interact with a Computing Device 162 to request his credit report, credit score, or other credit data. The Computing Device 162 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer, computer tablet, other mobile device, or any device which can communicate through a network. Computing Device 162 includes I/O Interfaces and Devices 111 which allow the consumer to interact with the device.
In some embodiments of the system in FIG. 1, the Computing Device 162 includes a User Interface Module 110. In other embodiments, the user Interface Module 110 may instead be part of the Credit Report System 100, or features of the User Interface Module 110 may exist on both the Credit Report System 100 and Computing Device 162. The User Interface Module 110 configures a user interface for presentation to the Consumer through an output device, for example I/O Interface and Devices 111. In some embodiments where User Interface Module 110 is part of the Computing Device 162, the Credit Report System 100 may send data to the Computing Device 162 which is then formatted for presentation by the User Interface Module 110. In some embodiments where the User Interface Module 110 is part of the Credit Report System 100, the Computing Device 162 may access a user interface through a web browser which accesses a user interface configured by the User Interface Module 110 on the Credit Report System 100. Example user interfaces which may be configured by User Interface Module 110 are discussed in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7, and 8.
FIG. 1 illustrates example interactions of the illustrated devices in providing credit report data to a consumer, wherein the credit report data includes a timeline of credit events, which is discussed in further detail below. Depending on the embodiment, the method of FIG. 1 may include fewer or additional interactions and/or the interactions may be performed in an order that is different than illustrated.
Interaction 1 in FIG. 1 shows a communication sent from the Computing Device 162 to the Credit Report System 100 through Network 160. During this interaction, the Computing Device 162 may send a request to the Credit Report System 100 for credit data concerning the consumer. For example, the individual using the computing device 162 may log into a credit reporting service website provided by the credit report system 100. The Credit Report System 100 may then access credit data concerning the consumer, such as credit data that is already stored local to the credit reporting system and/or credit data from a credit bureau or other credit database. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the Credit Report System 100 includes a Credit Data Gathering Module 150 configure to access credit data for a consumer, such as by requesting the credit data from a credit bureau and/or accessing credit data that is stored locally or remotely.
Interaction 2 in FIG. 1 illustrates the Credit Report System 100 accessing a Credit Data Database or Credit Bureau 108, which accesses information from Raw Data Sources 166. In some embodiments, the Credit Report System 100 accesses a credit report or other credit data from a database or credit bureau each time the Computing Device 162 requests credit data. In some alternative embodiments, the Credit Report System 100 only periodically accesses new credit data about the consumer. For example, the Credit Report System 100 may access a new set of credit reports for the consumer yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, or at some other time interval, or only when new credit reports are specifically requested by the consumer. As part of Interaction 2, Credit Data Gathering Module 150 may also calculate a credit score for the consumer, or access one or more credit scores for the consumer provided by the credit data database 108, for example.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, Credit Report System 100 may then generate a timeline of the consumer's past, present, and/or future credit history. This may be performed by Timeline Generation module 115. Timeline Generation Module 115 may create a visual representation of a timeline of the consumer's credit data, or may arrange the consumer's credit data into a format so that the User Interface Module 110 can generate a visual representation of the timeline. The process of generating a timeline is discussed further in reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Interaction 3 of FIG. 1 illustrates delivery of credit data, including one or more timelines, to a consumer on the consumer's Computing Device 162. As discussed above in reference to User Interface Module 110, in some embodiments the data is in the form of a user interface presented to the consumer. In some alternate embodiments, the data is processed into a user interface on the consumer's Computing Device 162.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts of embodiments of processes for generating a credit history timeline. In some embodiments, the processes featured in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be performed in a different order. Some embodiments may also have fewer or additional blocks than those illustrated in the Figures. FIG. 2A illustrates generation of a credit timeline for a user's credit history. FIG. 2B illustrates generation of a credit timeline for the credit history associated with a specific account of a consumer. The processes of FIGS. 2A and 2B may be performed by the Credit Report System 100 and its associated hardware and software components, such as the Credit Timeline Generation Module 150. In other embodiments the methods of FIGS. 3A and 3B may be performed partially or entirely by one or more other devices, such as the consumer computing device 162.
Beginning at block 202 of FIG. 2A, the credit report system 100 accesses the consumer's credit data. Credit data may include the consumer's credit report, such as the consumer's credit score, current account balances, or other data relevant to a consumer's credit rating. The credit data may be accessed from a credit bureau, raw data sources, the consumer, data previously stored on the Credit Report System 100, and/or other sources or repositories of the consumer's credit data. Credit data may also be accessed from some combination of the above listed sources.
In block 204, the credit report system 100 identifies credit events from the consumer's credit data accessed in block 202. Credit events may include credit inquiries, payments, loan origination, bankruptcy filings, other events that show up on a consumer's credit report, and/or any events which may affect the consumer's credit, but don't show up on the consumer's credit report. Criteria for classification as a credit event may be determined by the credit report system 100, such as to include typical consumer credit events. In some embodiments, consumers may define new events, and corresponding criteria for the credit report system 100 to detect those new events. In some embodiments, the consumer may customize the credit events that are identified and/or displayed by the credit report system. For example, the consumer may elect to create a timeline of only negative events, only positive events, and/or only events in other selected categories.
In block 206, the Credit Report System 100 determines impacts of respective identified credit events on the consumer's credit score. In some embodiments, the impact of credit events on the consumer's credit score may be included in the credit data accessed in block 202, in other embodiments it may be calculated using an algorithm in block 206, such as by the credit report system 100. For example, in one embodiment the credit report system 100 receives and/or has recorded in one or more databases of the credit report system 100, historical credit score information, such that the credit report system 100 may determine the consumer's credit score just prior to and just after respective credit events. In another embodiment, the credit report system 100 calculates what the consumer's credit score would have been just before the credit event, and what the consumer's credit score would have been just after the credit event. The difference in the credit scores may then be calculated (e.g., by subtracting the credit score just prior to the event from the credit score just after the event) in order to determine an impact the event had on the consumer's credit score when it occurred. In one embodiment, the credit report system 100 uses the credit score of the consumer after the event is recorded in the credit data of the consumer. For example, if an event occurs on January 15, it may not be reported to the credit Bureau until January 22 or later. In this embodiment, in determining credit score impact of event, the credit report system 100 may use the consumer's credit score on January 22 (or one or two days later, for example), in order to ensure that the impact of the event is included in the credit score impact calculation.
In one embodiment, the Credit Report System 100 may calculate a hypothetical credit score for the consumer based on an assumption that one or more particular events (such as those selected by the consumer) did not occur. In this embodiment, a difference between the actual credit score and the hypothetical score indicate the impact an event is currently having on a consumer's credit score, which may be different than an impact that an event had immediately on a consumer's credit score. For example, if an event occurred on Feb. 1, 2012, such as a consumer default on the loan, the credit report system may determine that the consumer's credit score was impacted by a decrease of seven points shortly after the default (e.g., such as on Feb. 10, 2012 when the default was reported to the credit Bureau). However, the credit report system 100 may also estimate that, if the default had not occurred on Feb. 1, 2012, the consumer's credit score would have been 15 points higher than it is at a current time (e.g., March 2014). In other embodiments other or additional processes may be used to determine the impact of credit events on a consumer's credit score.
In block 208, the Credit Report System 100 organizes the credit events and their associated credit score impacts into chronological order. This information may be stored in a memory device of the Credit Report System 100, or may be passed along to the Computing Device 162. In some embodiments the data may be stored in an array or database with details of the credit event and its associated credit score impact listed in the same row or column. In other embodiments other data structures may be used.
In block 210, the Credit Report System 100 organizes the consumer's credit events into a timeline based on the chronological order generated in block 210. This process may involve producing a graphical representation of credit events associated with the consumer as well as the associated credit score impacts. The credit event timeline may also include only the credit events or the credit score impacts. The credit event timeline may also be just a list of credit events with associated credit score impacts and the dates the events occurred. The timeline may include all credit events related to the consumer's credit data, or it may be constrained to certain events. For example, the system may generate a timeline based on the chronological order from block 208, but constrained only to those events which have a negative impact on the consumer's credit score (or a negative impact of at least a threshold value). A timeline may be generated based on any constraints set by the system or requested by the user, including for example, negative events, positive events, events for a particular account, events for a particular type(s) of account, inquiries, defaults, loan originations, loan payment completion, etc. As discussed below in reference to FIG. 3B, other processes may be available for generating a credit event timeline for a subset of credit events, for example events associated with a particular account.
In block 212 of FIG. 2A, the Credit Reporting System 100 provides the generated credit event timeline. In some embodiments, the timeline is provided to a User Interface Module 110 which then presents the data in an accessible manner to a consumer. In other embodiments, the generated timeline is presented directly to the consumer. The credit events may be listed in a chart, provided on a calendar, presented on a graph, or shown in some other graphical fashion, or may be provided as data which may be converted at some later time to a representation for viewing by a consumer. Example user interfaces of timelines generated according to the processes of FIG. 2A are shown in FIGS. 3-6.
FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of generating an account level credit event timeline for a specific account associated with a consumer, such as a particular credit card account, mortgage account, loan, etc. The method of FIG. 2B may be performed by the credit report system 100, the user computing device 162, and/or any other suitable computing device. Depending on embodiment, the method of FIG. 2B may include fewer or additional blocks and/or the blocks may be performed in an order different than is illustrated.
Beginning in block 220, the credit report system 100 accesses credit data for a consumer in a similar manner as discussed above with reference to block 202 in FIG. 2A. In Block 222 the system accesses credit events from credit data for only one of the consumer's accounts, such as a particular account that is selected by the consumer and/or an account that is automatically selected by the credit report system 100, such as based on rules that cause the credit report system 100 to select an account having a highest impact on the consumer's credit score.
Next, in Block 224 the system determines impacts of various events associated with the consumer's one account from the credit data for that account. This may be done in a similar manner as discussed above with reference to block 206 of FIG. 2A. In block 226, the system organizes into chronological order the consumer's credit events and associated credit score impacts for the single account of the consumer. Moving to block 228, the credit report system 100 generates a timeline from the organized events, in a manner similar to discussed with reference to block 210 in FIG. 2A. Depending on the embodiment, the timeline can be all of the events associated with the particular account, or can be constrained to certain types of events. For example, a timeline may only contain positive events, or only contain negative events. In block 230 the account level timeline is provided. The timeline may be in any of the forms detailed in the discussion of block 212 from Figure A. An example user interface of a timeline generated according to FIG. 2B is shown in FIG. 4.
In some embodiments, the consumer may select multiple accounts to be included in a timeline, in such embodiments, credit data for those multiple accounts may be accessed in a similar manner as the single account data is accessed in the method of FIG. 2B. Thus, the consumer may create timelines based on various account data, from a timeline including all account data (e.g., as discussed with reference to FIG. 2A) to a timeline including only scratch that account data for only one account (e.g., as discussed with reference to FIG. 2B).
Sample User Interfaces:
FIG. 3 is an example credit score user interface for viewing and analyzing credit report data related to a particular account, as used in an embodiment. The user interface helps a consumer understand how his/her behavior with this account is influencing this credit score. In the illustrated embodiment the account level view comprises two different sides, an account overview pane 302 and an event history pane 304, which includes a timeline illustrating credit score impact of the various listed activities. In other embodiments, the user interface may be configured differently to produce similar desirable features and attributes. In this embodiment, the account overview pane 302 displays information concerning the consumer's particular account, such as an image representing the account (e.g., the Discover logo), the cards name, (e.g., David's Discovery) an account limit (e.g., $5,000), current usage (e.g., 58%), an amount due, the deadline for making a payment, notes about the account, the account balance, and/or other account-level data. Some of the displayed information may be customizable by the consumer, such as an image for the account and the account's name.
The user interface of FIG. 3 may display a red to green account standing indicator 305 from excellent to poor. The credit report system 100 may determine that when credit utilization of the particular account (“David's Discovery” card in the example of FIG. 3) is over a threshold amount (e.g. 30%) there is a potentially negative impact on his/her score, so the Credit Report System 100 may indicate this to a consumer by making an account indicator red. In some embodiments, the consumer has connected to a live data source for some accounts. If the consumer has connected his accounts to the Credit Report System 100, the system may show an updated account balance. If the consumer has not connected his accounts to the Credit Report System 100, the user interface may display the balance from his/her most recent credit report. If the consumer has not connected the particular account he is viewing, the Credit Report System 100 may offer the consumer the option to connect his account. For example, in FIG. 3, the user interface displays the consumer's “Current Balance” as $2,722.90. If the consumer had not linked his account, he may have seen a “Reported Balance,” or other indicator informing him that his account is not linked, but that the consumer can link his account for more accurate analysis. The Credit Report System 100 may also indicate when a payment is due on the account. The user interface may present the consumer with an option to set up a bill pay reminder, turn the reminder on and off, or make a payment. In some embodiments, the Credit Report System 100 may provide an auto pay mechanism to facilitate minimum payments for users when the consumer is in danger of missing a bill payment.
The credit report system 100 may also have a simulation mode, which allows a consumer to simulate how different actions would affect his credit score. The simulation mode may operate from the same user interface as is illustrated in FIG. 3. The consumer may access the simulation mode by selecting a user interface element such as simulation mode button 370. A simulation mode is useful if the consumer wants to see how individual credit events impact his credit score. The simulation mode may enable the consumer to manipulate one or more data elements associated with particular events to see how those particular events impact his credit score. For example, the consumer may be able to slide a credit utilization indicator to the left to reduce utilization to less than 30%, and see in real-time how that may impact the consumer's credit score. In some embodiments, the consumer may edit the number of late payments. In some embodiments the consumer may be able to simulate multiple events at the same time, and see the impact to the consumer's score. The consumer may be able to simulate events at the account level and at an entire report level. At the account level, the consumer may be able to simulate events related to the particular account, while at the report level, the consumer may simulate events related to multiple accounts to help the consumer understand which accounts, and which events on accounts, have the largest impact on the consumer's credit score. In one embodiment, the simulation mode allows the consumer to hypothetically remove an event from the timeline 306 in order to see how that event changed the consumer's credit immediately after the event and/or any extended time periods after the event. With references to FIG. 3, for example, simulation mode may enable the user to hypothetically remove the inquiry event 320 from the consumer's credit history and update each of the scores along the timelines 306 from that point forward to predict the consumer's credit score at the subsequent event if the inquiry event 320 had not occurred. Similarly, the simulation button may allow the consumer to add events to the consumer's past history or future and calculate how such additional events likely impacted the consumer's credit score in the past and/or future.
Still with reference to FIG. 3, the user interface displays transactional and credit account activity along a timeline in the event history pane 304, which includes events associated with the account as well as a timeline 306 of the changes to the consumers credit score. For example, an event 310 indicates that his card was listed as a new credit card account on his credit report on Jan. 10, 2011. A second event 315 shown on the example user interface in FIG. 3 shows a late payment on the account. The Credit Report System 100 may have created that event in response to identifying the late payment in the credit data associated with the consumer and may therefore inform the consumer through the timeline that his payment was late. The Credit Report System 100 may provide additional information and actions to the consumer related to the event. For example, the user interface may show in the timeline 306 a new score after the late payment (e.g. 727), the change in score from the late payment (e.g. decreased by 4 points), information about why the event impacted the consumer's score, and/or other information that may help the consumer understand the impact of the late payment. The Credit Report System 100 may provide similar information regarding all credit events. In some embodiments, the user interface may color code changes in a consumer's credit score to better indicate the impact to the consumer's credit score. For example in reference to the user interface of FIG. 3, the small arrow 325 next to the 5 point increase for a credit limit increase may be green, while the small arrow 326 next to the 4 point decrease for a late payment may be red. The consumer may also be able to click on the tile associated with that event (e.g., the particular late payment), and the tile may perform some animation, such as flipping over, and give the consumer more personalized information about how and/or why this event impacted him/her.
The user interface of FIG. 3 also illustrates the concept of a calendar item for events. In some embodiments, calendar items apply to events that are considered negative events in the consumer's credit history. Events like late payments, credit applications, credit report inquiries, and other events negatively impacting the consumer's credit score typically do not last forever. Positive events on a credit report may stay forever, but in some cases negative events actually completely fall off of a consumer's credit report (e.g., no longer impact the consumer's credit score). In some embodiments the credit report system 100 may display a calendar icon associated with a particular credit event indicating that an event is scheduled to be removed from the report on a specific date. For example, in FIG. 3, the inquiry credit event 320 has a calendar item 322 associated with it. The calendar item 322 informs the consumer that the inquiry will no longer show up on the consumer's credit report after Feb. 1, 2013. This informs the consumer that an item will no longer appear on the consumer's credit report and/or will no longer have a negative impact on the consumer's credit score on a certain date (which may cause an increase in the consumer's credit score on or soon after that date). The Credit Report System 100 may determine the specific date based on the type of negative event present on the consumer's credit report (e.g., credit inquiries typically fall off in 24 months).
In traditional credit reports, the consumer may see only a transactional view of events that have already occurred, and may not know what to expect in the future when looking at the credit report. The Credit Report System 100 may provide such an indication to the consumer. For example, a consumer may sign up for a free trial and see a negative credit event scheduled to be removed from the consumer's credit report, motivating the consumer to enroll in the Credit Report System 100 to see how removal of the negative credit event will impact the consumer's credit score. Embodiments of a user interface which provides predictions of future credit events is discussed below in reference to FIG. 5C.
An example of a negative event's removal from a credit report is shown by the credit event 330 labeled “Inquiry removed” at the top of the credit event timeline 306. On the day that the credit inquiry is actually removed (or shortly thereafter) the credit report system 100 may determine the impact to the consumer's credit score and informs the consumer with another event indicating that the consumer's credit score improved when the inquiry was removed from his/her credit report. As shown in the user interface of FIG. 3, the timeline 306 indicates that removal of the credit inquiry from the consumer's credit report has increased the consumer's credit score by 2 points to 734, and is associated with a green-colored arrow indicating an increase in credit score is associated with the event 330. In some embodiments the consumer can click on the event to view more detailed information.
In some embodiments, account level credit history timelines may also be presented in the form of a line graph 340. The user interface of FIG. 3 illustrates a timeline of events in the form of a line graph near the top of the credit account history. The line graph may be populated with icons indicating the occurrence of credit events and other milestones. Icons may indicate, for example, when a new inquiry happened or when the creditor was evaluating his/her credit by pulling a credit report, when a payment was made positively or made on time, when a payment was late, and/or other credit events.
In some embodiments, the Credit Report System 100 may enable the user to make notes concerning a particular account, or his credit report in general. The user interface of FIG. 3 includes a notes section 350 presenting and enabling the consumer to view/edit/add notes for the account. For example, the consumer may notice a late payment, but may think the bill was paid on time. The consumer may need to contact his credit card company, but may not be able to call the creditor at that time. The consumer can make a short reminder 352 to contact the creditor to check if a payment was indeed late (e.g., need to check if payment to discover was indeed late). Next time the consumer logs into or accesses the Credit Report System 100, it may present the consumer with the notes, or remind the consumer to call the creditor. The Credit Report System 100 may allow the consumer to make another note 354 after the creditor was contacted (e.g. spoke with Jane regarding the late payment, Jane confirms that the actual payment was late by 3 days). Thus the credit report system 100 may enable more user interaction by allowing the consumer to take notes within the context of his/her credit report and/or credit account data. This way the consumer can record diligent notes (e.g., who the consumer talked to, the date the consumer talked, what they said, etc.).
In some embodiments, additional features not shown in FIG. 3 may also be included in a credit score interface based on the example credit score interface shown in FIG. 3. For example, a timeline view may provide or include support for additional user actions such as searching events/items in a credit history, tagging events/items for follow-up, sharing events/items (e.g. with a spouse or significant other who may share one or more accounts with the user). In some embodiments, the timeline view may combine events/items from multiple credit data sources into a single event on the timeline, along with an icon or other visual indicator of the various credit data sources reporting the common event.
In some embodiments, Credit Report System 100 may allow tagging events or items in the credit report via, for example, a “flag” action/icon 360 (or other visual indicator) which the user may select to add a follow-up action item to his/her “actions” (described in more detail herein with respect to FIG. 7). The Credit Report System 100 may present the user with options to flag particular events on a timeline, an entire tradeline, or any other subject matter featured on a user interface.
FIG. 4 is an example credit score user interface for presenting a consumer with a credit history timeline, including events that impact the consumer's credit score from multiple accounts. The Credit Report System 100 may parse items in the credit report into individual events in a timeline view. The user interface in FIG. 4 presents a vertical timeline 410 down the right side, where the consumer can view dates for credit history events—e.g., every time that there's been a score change because of a single event, It can indicate, for example, previously the score was 732 and it went up 2 points to 734. Another event may not change his/her score—the consumer may be still at 732. The credit report system 100 may use red and the green indicators to highlight events that positively or negatively impact his/her score. By breaking down these things into granular events, the consumer can see how individual things impact his/her score. In one embodiment, the events can be filtered (by system default or consumer input) to include only a subset of events, such as only positive events, only negative events, events that impacted the consumer's credit score (possibly by a set amount), or based on other attributes.
In some embodiments, events in the timeline may include visual indicators (e.g. logos or icons) corresponding to the three credit bureaus. Certain events may only have one logo enabled and the other logos, representing the other two bureaus may display question marks. This may indicate that the credit report system 100 only identified the event on one credit report. This may indicate that the credit report system 100 only has access to one of the credit reports, or that the event is only being reported by one of the credit bureaus. If the user wants to know if that information is also contained on the other two bureaus the consumer can click a button to purchase for an additional fee a three bureau credit report to see if the credit event is also reflected on the other two bureaus' credit reports. If so, the icon or logo may be displayed as “lit up” or enabled. For example, at 420 in FIG. 4, the user interface indicates that the consumer has information from an Experian credit report, but not from Equifax or TransUnion. If the consumer purchases a three credit bureau report, then the indicators may change to show that all three credit reports are up to date and that a credit event has been identified on more than one of the consumer's credit reports. In general, credit events are not necessarily reported in the same manner by each of the credit bureaus. For example, a credit inquiry might be reported in one way by a first bureau and in another way by a second bureau, such that the two events don't look like they are actually the same event. The credit bureaus may report the inquiries using different terminology or codes that a consumer may have trouble interpreting as the same event. However, the credit report system 100 may map the events as reported by multiple credit bureaus to combine like events from each bureau into a single event for display to the consumer. Therefore, the credit report system 100 may emphasize that the timeline represents single events, even if an event is sourced across three bureaus. For example, the credit report system 100 may have logic to correlate events from different credit bureaus that may not be obvious duplicates to the consumers. Thus, the consumer is not confused by seeing multiple similar looking accounts; rather, the system 100 may combine these accounts into a single account for purposes of display to the consumer and indicate from which of the credit bureaus data associated with that account was obtained. This presentation may save screen real estate.
In some embodiments, the consumer may be presented with an option to purchase a three bureau credit report on a periodic basis as an event in the timeline. For example, the credit report system 100 may tell the consumer it's been 90 days since the credit report system 100 received an updated three bureau credit report and suggest that it's time for the consumer to pull it again. The suggestion may be triggered based on some timeframe and not displayed at all times. For example, the consumer typically doesn't need to do this every day, so the credit report system 100 need not show this placement every day, but rather on a periodic or semi-regular basis. The offer to purchase the three bureau report may be include in the timeline itself in certain embodiments. In some embodiments, the additional features described herein with reference to various timeline views (e.g., searching events/items in a credit history, tagging events/items for follow-up, sharing events/items, combining events/items from multiple credit data sources, etc.) may also be included in the user interface shown in FIG. 5.
In some embodiments, the horizontal timeline view 430 displayed in FIG. 4 may also include one or more credit “milestones” providing an indication of when certain important credit events happened (or are predicted to happen), with a corresponding indication of the relative impact on the user's credit score. A credit milestone may include or correspond to a particular event in the user's credit history, such as paying off a loan or credit account balance. In another embodiment, a credit milestone may include or correspond to non-credit history events (e.g., events which may not appear on the user's credit report) which may nevertheless have an impact (or may not have an impact) on the user's credit score, such as graduating from college and entering repayment of a student loan. The credit report system 100 may be configured to analyze the user's credit data to identify one or more credit milestones, and generate the credit report interface and/or timeline to include a visual indicator to “highlight” or emphasize the credit milestones to the consumer. In some embodiments display of such credit milestone user interface features may be user-configurable (e.g., only display credit milestones of a certain type, do not display credit milestones, enable toggling display of credit milestones on or off via the timeline user interface, etc.). Examples of credit milestones may include buying/selling a home or investment property (whether a financed or cash transaction), buying/selling a car, re-financing a leveraged account to a lower interest rate, filing for bankruptcy, receiving an increase or decrease on a credit limit, a change in credit status or standing (e.g., good to excellent, good to poor, etc.), or other similar life and/or financial events which may or may not have an impact on the user's credit score. For example, in FIG. 4, on the horizontal timeline 430 the consumer is presented with several credit milestones. The consumer is presented with a college graduated milestone 432, an auto-loan paid off milestone 434, and a home purchase milestone 436. In some embodiments, these icons could have different meanings. For example, the home icon 436 could indicate that a home was sold instead of indicating that a home was purchased.
The user interface in FIG. 4 displays a single current credit score 440 for the consumer. The single credit score 440 may be provided by one of the credit bureaus, or may be an average of the credit scores from the three credit bureaus. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 displays the consumers VantageScore, which may be more consistent across the three credit bureaus than the credit scores provided by the bureaus themselves. However, the consumer may have multiple credit scores, at least one from each of the national credit bureaus. In some embodiments the credit report system 100 displays the credit score impact to multiple credit scores on the consumer's credit history timeline.
FIG. 5A is an example credit score user interface for presenting a consumer with a credit history and score from multiple sources. In FIG. 5A, for each credit event on the consumer's timeline, there is an associated credit score impact from Experian and Equifax. In one embodiment, there could be a third or additional timelines for another credit bureau. Credit events may impact a consumer's credit score differently for each credit bureau. For example, the consumer made a late payment to the Delta Miles MasterCard account as shown in credit event 510. This event dropped the consumer's Equifax score by 8 points, but only dropped the consumer's Experian credit score by 4 points. In this example, the credit event timeline displays the impact to both credit scores on the consumer's timeline displayed to the right of the user interface. The consumer may notice the discrepancy in credit score impact between credit bureaus and decide to order a new credit report from all three credit bureaus to compare the impact across all three credit scores.
A consumer may have a very long credit report with many credit events. However, a consumer may be most interested in a few events, or types of events. The credit report system 100 may enable the consumer to search for or filter events with particular attributes. For example, in FIG. 5B, the consumer searched for “Inquiry” in search box 520. The search resulted in multiple credit events containing the word “Inquiry.” The results may be provided to the consumer as a credit timeline, as shown in FIG. 5B, and/or as a list of results without the associated timeline information. In some embodiments, the consumer may be provided with an option to select filters 525 which can be selected to limit results. For example, a consumer may filter results by those with only a positive impact, those with only a negative impact or those having other selected attributes. The consumer may then have a better idea of how often certain credit events happen, and the cumulative impact of those events. In some embodiments, the consumer may be able to search or filter by more than one credit event attribute at a time. For example the consumer may be able to filter by open accounts and credit inquiries. The credit report system 100 may then provide a timeline that shows only those inquiries on accounts that are currently open. The consumer may be able to search for any terms in search box 520. In some embodiments, filters 625 may include a variety of credit event attributes that the consumer may select. Some non-limiting examples of potential filters are open accounts, closed accounts, late payments, credit inquiries, revolving credit accounts, installment loan accounts, accounts with payments due, credit events with a positive credit score impact, and/or credit events with a negative credit score impact.
In some embodiments, the consumer may like to know how his/her credit score will change in the future. As shown in FIG. 5C, the credit report system 100 may present the consumer with a projected credit score for future dates as part of the credit event timeline. For example in FIG. 5C, the user interface delineates with a divider 532 which events of the consumer's timeline refer to past dates and which refer to future dates. The user interface may inform the consumer which events on the timeline have already occurred and which are projected to occur in the future by text indication 630, dividing lines 532 in the consumer's timeline, or by other methods, such as future events only being represented in a different color or transparency. In FIG. 5C, event 534 shows the consumer that there is a projected future credit event of an inquiry being removed from the consumer's credit report. There is also an estimated impact from the project credit event, in this case 2-6 points. The projected impact may be calculated by the credit report system 100 or provided by the credit bureau. In some embodiments, the consumer can set future planned events, such as applying for a new credit card, that may then show up on the consumer's timeline as a future event with an associated projected credit score impact
FIG. 6 is a sample mobile credit timeline user interface. A consumer may access a credit report and associated credit history timeline from a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, a smartphone, or any other computing device which allows the consumer to view and manipulate information accessed through a network. The user interface illustrated in FIG. 6 shows the consumer's credit events for a single account. In other embodiments, any of the user interfaces described in reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 5C, 7, 8, and/or other user interfaces, may be implemented on a consumer's mobile device, or other computing device. The credit report system 100 may generate the consumer's credit report timeline on a server, or at the consumer's computing device. On a mobile device the consumer may access a credit report timeline through a browser, or as part of a mobile app or widget. When the computing device 162 is a mobile device, the user interface module may function as a mobile app which receives information from the credit report system 100 and then generates the user interface and/or timeline on the device. This may allow the computing device 162 to minimize the amount of data sent during use of the disclosed user interfaces. Any computing device capable of communicating over a network and displaying a user interface may be used to present the consumer with a credit event timeline.
In the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, the consumer is presented with an option to flag credit events to follow up on later. For example, in FIG. 3, the consumer may click the flag 360 next to the report of a late payment to set a reminder to follow up on the late payment. FIG. 7 is a sample action center from which a consumer can take actions based on flagged events, review flagged events, or set other reminders or new flags. Flagging an event for review may automatically bring the consumer to the action center. In some embodiments, flagging an event only sets an indication in the credit report system 100 that the consumer flagged the event for review. When the consumer accesses the action center, the credit report system 100 populates the user interface with information on events which have been flagged by the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may also automatically populate the action center with certain types of events. For example, the consumer may always be presented with new late payments for review or to dispute when accessing the action center. The credit report system 100 may also allow the consumer to set flags not related to a specific credit event. For example, the consumer may set a flag to apply for a new credit card, which would not show up as a credit event on the consumer's credit report until after the application was complete. For example, in the sample user interface in FIG. 7, the user interface displays active and archived flags 710 and 720 respectively. Flags may transition from active to archived after the consumer provides an indication that the flagged issue has been addressed, automatically upon the occurrence of specific events (e.g. a disputed late payment is changed by the creditor), or after a set amount of time. One currently active flag is a late payment to Bank of America. This flag may have been set by the consumer when the consumer viewed the credit history timeline, or may have been set automatically be the credit report system 100 when the credit report showed a late payment. In some embodiments, the action center provides a variety of options for a consumer to take actions automatically based on the currently flagged events. For example, the consumer may be able to ask for advice from one or more sources, dispute items on the consumer's credit report, make payments, call or email the consumer's creditors, or take other actions which enable the consumer to deal with the flagged events.
FIG. 8 is an example credit score user interface for presenting a dashboard or home page view for a consumer, as used in an embodiment. The home page of FIG. 8 provides, for example, a quick snapshot of a consumer's credit score, his/her actions, quick shortcut links to his/her open credit cards and his/her open loans, a snapshot of his/her goal planner (which the consumer can simulate and engage with directly). In some embodiments, once the consumer sets up a plan this area may be used to show progress of his/her plan and inform the consumer about the date the consumer may complete that plan and the consumer's current progress towards that projected completion date. The dashboard user interface may also provide the consumer with a quick snapshot of his/her credit history, where the consumer can see some of the most recent activity. The dashboard user interface may also provide the consumer with links to view his/her credit report from one or all three credit bureaus in the traditional spreadsheet view.
In one embodiment, the dashboard/home page may be generated dynamically based at least in part on a “life stage,” motivation, or other criteria for the consumer. This motivation may be provided by the consumer, or detected, determined, or projected by the credit report system 100. For example, the credit report system 100 may determine, based on the data known about the consumer (e.g., behavioral data, consumer/market segment data, credit data, pre and post registration activity, etc.) a likely motivation for the consumer. The motivation may be indicative of what is motivating the consumer to check, monitor, and/or act on his/her credit report or credit report data. For example, the consumer may be associated with one or more motivation categories such as active planner, life event, reactive, or just curious. An active planner may be a consumer who regularly checks his/her credit report and takes active steps to improve his/her credit score or health (e.g., by reducing or paying off credit balances, taking active steps to avoid missed or late payments, etc.). A life event consumer may be one who desires to check his/her credit in preparation for a life event such as a car purchase, a home purchase, getting married or divorced, entering or graduating from college, or any other life event which may motivate the consumer to find out what his/her current credit standing may be. A reactive consumer may be a consumer who is motivated to check his/her credit report in response or reaction to another credit event, such as being denied a loan or a low interest rate and being informed that the reason for the denial was a poor credit score. Another reactive type event may be identify theft or fraud, a lost or stolen credit card, or any other event which triggers a consumer to think he/she needs to check his/her credit score and assess the impact of the event. A just curious consumer may be a consumer who is motivated to check his/her credit report out of curiosity or because the credit report is available for free, but may not yet be otherwise motivated to act on the credit report or be experiencing a life event or reactive event.
With reference again to FIG. 8, the user interface elements displayed in the dashboard or home page may be presented or displayed in different configurations based at least in part on the consumer's motivation category. For example, for a consumer identified as an active planner, the financial planning UI element may be presented larger or more prominently to the user since this particular feature is more likely to be relevant or of interest to the active planner. For a consumer identified as just curious, the credit snapshot UI element may be more prominently presented or displayed, while the financial planning UI element may be smaller or not displayed at all. Or in another example, for a consumer identified as reactive, the credit history timeline may be more prominently presented, placing more emphasis on recent events in the consumer's credit history and the relative impact of those events on the consumer's overall credit score.
The consumer may not always have the same motivation to check his/her credit report or credit data. Motivations can change over time. For example, a just curious or reactive consumer may transition to an active planner or a life event consumer, and so on. Accordingly, the dashboard user interface of FIG. 8 may be arranged, configured, or presented differently to the consumer over time as his/her motivations change. For example, the financial planning UI element may be prominently displayed until a particular life event has occurred (e.g., for a life event planner) or a financial goal has been achieved (e.g., for an active planner). For example, the financial planning UI element may be prominently displayed for a consumer planning a car purchase, and after the car has been purchased the financial planning UI element may no longer be prominently displayed because it would be less relevant to the consumer. The credit report system 100 may be configured to automatically detect credit events and/or determine the consumer's motivation category on a periodic basis in order to update the dashboard configuration for the consumer. For example, the credit repot system 100 may automatically detect that the consumer has a new car payment based on the appearance of a new auto loan obligation appearing on the consumer's credit report, and in response determine that the consumer may have shifted from a “life event” consumer (e.g., wherein the life event is a car purchase) to an “active planner” (e.g., wherein the consumer is actively planning to pay off the car loan). The dashboard and/or other user interfaces described herein may be generated or configured differently based on the detected shift in motivation.
In another embodiment, the various user interface panels shown in the user interface of FIG. 8 may be user-configurable widgets which may be configured to integrate or “plug in” to other websites or web services. For example, a user might use a web service or a web browser which supports integration and display of user interface widgets or components provided by third parties. Thus, the user might wish to include, for example, a credit summary widget provided and generated by the credit report system 100 on his/her web browser home page, or as an application shortcut on a mobile operating system, or similar configuration which may be external to, or separate from, the credit report system 100.
Example System Implementation and Architecture
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a credit report system 100, which may be in communication with network 160 and various computing systems, such as computing devices 162, credit data store/credit bureau 108, and data sources 166, that are also in communication with the network 160. The credit report system 100 may be used to implement systems and methods described herein. 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 credit report system 100. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, certain modules, such as the user interface module 110, credit data gathering module 150, and/or timeline generation module 130 may be performed by different and or multiple computing devices. For example, certain functionality of the interface module 110 may be performed by the computing device 162, while other functionality of the interface module 110 may be performed by the credit report system 100.
In an embodiment, various software modules are included in the credit score report system 100, which may be stored on the system itself such as in memory 130, or on computer readable storage media separate from the system and in communication with the system via a network or other appropriate means. The credit score report system may include a credit data gathering module 150, which performs various tasks of gathering data used by the credit report system. Such data may include, for example, credit data retrieved from credit data store 108. Such a data store 108 may comprise one or more credit bureaus and their databases, which may access information from raw data sources 166, such as banks and creditors.
The credit data may be retrieved via a network 160, via a dedicated communication channel, or by other means. In an embodiment, credit bureau 108 transmits credit data to the credit report system 100 via a secured communication channel to ensure the privacy and security of the credit data.
In an embodiment, credit data is gathered on demand as required by the credit score report system. In another embodiment, credit data is gathered on a periodic basis independent of requests for information to the credit report system. In another embodiment, credit data is stored on the credit report system, in which case, retrieval of credit data from a credit bureau may not be necessary. The credit data may include a complete credit report about a consumer, summary data, such as credit attributes (also referred to as credit variables) that are calculated using various modules, such as Experian's STAGG (standard aggregation variables) attributes, and/or credit data inputs to calculate a complete or partial credit score. Each credit data input may be associated with a particular category of credit inputs, for example credit usage, payment history, age of accounts, types of accounts, and credit inquiries. In some embodiments, credit data gathering module 150 may calculate the Summary/STAGG attributes or perform other modifications on the credit report or other credit data gathered.
Credit data gathering module 150 may also gather information about how a credit score is calculated. This may include algorithms, formulas, executable code, statistical variables, and the like. This information may be used to visualize the significance of each type of data in calculating a credit score. In an embodiment, the models and/or algorithms are retrieved from credit data store 108 on an on-demand basis as needed by the credit report system. In another embodiment, the models and/or algorithms are retrieved on a periodic basis. In another embodiment, the credit report system internally stores the models and/or algorithms. In other embodiments, the actual credit data may not be transmitted to the computing device 162 and, rather, software code (e.g., HTML, Java, Perl, Ruby, Python, etc.) may be transmitted to the computing device 162. For example, code that is usable by the computing device 162 to render the credit report user interfaces may be transmitted, without transmitting a data structure that separately includes the actual credit data.
In an embodiment, the credit report system 100 further includes user interface module 110, which may include executable instructions for constructing user interfaces or otherwise interacting with end users. User interface module 110 may include portions that are executed by the credit report system 100 and/or by the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of operations performed by the user interface module 110 may be performed entirely by the credit report system 100, entirely by the computing device 162, or some portions may be performed by the credit report system 100 while other portions are performed by the computing device 162. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the user interface module 110.
In one embodiment, the user interface module 110 may access data from credit data gathering module 150 or credit data store/credit bureau 108, and use that data to construct user interfaces that assist the user in visualizing a credit score and the underlying data used to construct a credit score. Such visualization may be presented to the end user and are designed to be easily manipulated and/or understood by the user. For example, the user may be presented with a timeline of credit events determined from the consumer's credit report by the timeline generation module 115. 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, including a credit score graph visual interface, 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 display underlying credit score information.
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 credit report 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, 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.
The computing device 162 may be connected to the credit report system 100, including credit data gathering module 150, or credit data store/credit bureau 108 via a network 160. The computing device 162 may be connected to 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.
The computing device 162 may also comprise one or more client program applications, such as a mobile “app” (e.g. iPhone or Android app) that may be used to visualize data, and initiate the sending and receiving of messages in the credit report system. This app may be distributed (e.g. downloaded) over the network to the client computing device directly from a credit bureau 108, from the credit report system 100, credit data gathering module 150, user interface module 110, or from various third parties such as an Apple iTunes repository or Android app store. In some embodiments, the application may comprise a set of visual interfaces that may comprise templates to display a consumer's credit data information from a credit report or associated attributes. In some embodiments, as described above, visual user interfaces may be downloaded from another server or service, such as the credit report system 100. This may comprise downloading web page or other HTTP/HTTPS data from a web server and rendering it through the “app”. In some embodiments, no special “app” need be downloaded and the entire interface may be transmitted from a remote Internet server to computing device 162, such as transmission from a web server that is a part of the credit report system 100 to an iPad, and rendered within the iPad's browser.
As described above, some embodiments may include portions that are executed by the credit report system 100 and/or by the computing device 162, or are entirely executed by the credit report system 100 or the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of any structure (e.g. CPU, memory, etc.) of the computing device 162 or operations performed by the computing device 162 or user interface module 110 may be equally applied to the credit report system 100, Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the user interface module 110.
The credit report system 100 includes, for example, a personal computer that is IBM, Macintosh, iOS, Android or Linux/Unix compatible or a server or workstation. In one embodiment, the credit report system 100 comprises a server, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a kiosk, or a media player, for example. In one embodiment, the exemplary credit report system 100 includes one or more central processing unit (“CPU”) 105, which may each include a conventional or proprietary microprocessor. The credit report system 100 further includes one or more memory 130, such as random access memory (“RAM”) for temporary storage of information, one or more read only memory (“ROM”) for permanent storage of information, and one or more mass storage device 120, such as a hard drive, diskette, solid state drive, or optical media storage device. Typically, the modules of the credit report system 100 may be connected to the computer using a standard based bus system. In different embodiments, the standard based bus system could be implemented in Peripheral Component Interconnect (“PCI”), Microchannel, Small Computer System Interface (“SCSI”), Industrial Standard Architecture (“ISA”) and Extended ISA (“EISA”) architectures, for example. In addition, the functionality provided for in the components and modules of computing device 162 may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules, and executed in software, hardware, or a combination of hardware and software.
The computing device 162 and credit report system 100 are generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software, such as iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, 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 computing device 162 and/or credit report 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 system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality usable by the user interface module 110, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.
The exemplary computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may include one or more commonly available input/output (I/O) devices and interfaces 111, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, and printer. In one embodiment, the I/O devices and interfaces 111 include one or more display devices, such as a monitor or touchscreen, that allows 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 computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may also include one or more multimedia devices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphics accelerators, and microphones, for example.
In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the I/O devices and interfaces 111 provide a communication interface to various external devices. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the computing device 162 is electronically coupled to a network 160, which comprises one or more of a LAN, WAN, and/or the Internet, for example, via a wired, wireless (such as 802.11 networks or a cell phone network), or combination of wired and wireless, communication link. The network 160 communicates with various computing devices and/or other electronic devices via wired or wireless communication links.
In some embodiments information may be provided to the computing device 162 over the network 160 from a credit report system 100 and/or a credit data database/credit bureau 108. Similarly, in some embodiments, information may be provided to the credit report system 100 over the network 160 from a credit data database/credit bureau 108. The credit report system 100 and the credit bureau 108 may include one or more internal and/or external data sources 166. The data sources 166 may include internal and external data sources which store, for example, credit bureau data and/or other consumer data. In some embodiments, one or more of the databases or data sources may be implemented using a relational database, such as Sybase, Oracle, CodeBase and Microsoft® SQL Server as well as other types of databases such as, for example, a flat file database, an entity-relationship database, and object-oriented database, and/or a record-based database.
In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the credit report system 100 includes a user interface module 110 that may be stored in the mass storage device 120 as executable software codes that are executed by the CPU 105. This and other modules in the credit report 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. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the credit report system 100 is configured to the execute the user interface module 110 in order to for example, receive credit report and summary attributes regarding a specific consumer, generate one or more credit report user interfaces, receive data input and/or user interactions with the user interfaces, and update the user interface and/or visual indicators in real-time based on the received data input and/or user interactions, and perform other methods as described herein.
User interface module 110 may generate and render one or more visual user interfaces (such as the user interfaces illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 3-8) based on upon the received credit information. By interacting with these user interfaces, a user of computing device 162 may view various information about the user's credit events and the impact of the events on the user's credit score.
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, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software module 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, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts. 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 gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised of programmable 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 divided into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage.
Like the credit report system 100, computing device 162 and credit data store/credit bureau 108 may comprise similar computing hardware, software, and functionality as described above for credit report system 100.
In some embodiments, the system distinguishes between the initial transmission of credit data required for user interfaces, and subsequent transmissions of user interface data so that it may transmit only portions that are necessary to update a credit score threshold user interface or alert interface. This may be done, for example, using an XMLHttpRequest (XHR) mechanism, a data push interface, or other communication protocols.
Credit Reports and Credit Bureaus
The credit report system 100 may be separate from a credit bureau or credit data store 108. One of the purposes of the credit report system is to interface with the credit bureau or any data store that has data that will eventually be rendered by computing device 162. The credit report system 100 may request and extract the appropriate credit data for a specific consumer based on a user using the computing device 162. This allows for a single point of contact for computing device 162 interaction. The credit report system 100 can then be configured to request from and receive data from credit bureaus or other credit databases.
Alternatively, the credit report system 100 may be executed by a credit bureau itself. In this case, the credit report system and the credit bureau functionality may be combined, with no need to transfer data over a wide area network between them. In some embodiments, the client computing device 162 may be configured to interact directly with a credit bureau over a network, to access a credit report and summary attributes. In this case, any custom attribute creation or processing needed must be performed by the computing device 162.
Other Embodiments
Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated by, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computer processors comprising computer hardware. The code modules may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer storage device, such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc, and/or the like. The systems and modules may also be transmitted as generated data signals (for example, as part of a carrier wave or other analog or digital propagated signal) on a variety of computer-readable transmission mediums, including wireless-based and wired/cable-based mediums, and may take a variety of forms (for example, as part of a single or multiplexed analog signal, or as multiple discrete digital packets or frames). The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results of the disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently or otherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such as, for example, volatile or non-volatile storage.
The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.
Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended 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.
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 steps 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.
All of the methods and processes described above may be embodied in, and partially or fully automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers. For example, the methods described herein may be performed by the credit report system 100, consumer computing device 162, and/or any other suitable computing device. The methods may be executed on the computing devices in response to execution of software instructions or other executable code read from a tangible computer readable medium. A tangible computer readable medium is a data storage device that can store data that is readable by a computer system. Examples of computer readable mediums include read-only memory, random-access memory, other volatile or non-volatile memory devices, CD-ROMs, magnetic tape, flash drives, and optical data storage devices.
It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

## Claims

1. A computing system for reconciling and presenting a credit event from a plurality of credit bureaus, the computing system comprising:
one or more hardware computer processors; and
one or more storage devices configured to store software instructions configured for execution by the one or more hardware computer processors, wherein the software instructions comprise:
a credit data gathering module configured to:
access first credit data associated with a consumer from a first credit bureau, wherein the first credit data comprise a first set of credit events;
access second credit data associated with the consumer from a second credit bureau, wherein the second credit data comprise a second set of credit events wherein at least a subset of the second set of credit events describes same credit events in the first set of credit events; and
identify a plurality of credit events from the first credit data and the second credit data associated with the consumer, wherein the plurality of credit events comprise the subset of the second set of credit events;

a timeline generation module configured to:
for each credit event of the plurality of credit events:
determine a first credit score impact for the first credit bureau;
determine a second credit score impact for the second credit bureau;
determine a first visual indicator for the first credit bureau indicating the first credit score impact associated with the credit event; and
determine a second visual indicator associated with the second credit bureau indicating the second credit score impact associated with the same credit event; and

organize the plurality of credit events and associated credit score impacts into a chronological order;

a user interface module configured to:
using the accessed credit data, the organized plurality of credit events, and the determined visual indicators, automatically generate and transmit a user interface to a computing device of a user, the user interface including:
(1) a credit event timeline indicating the plurality of credit events in the chronological order,
(2) descriptions of the plurality of credit events and the associated credit score impacts, and
(3) the first and the second visual indicators corresponding to the plurality of credit events.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of credit events is associated with a single credit account of the consumer.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes respective historical credit scores associated with each of the plurality of credit events.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the timeline generation module is further configured to:
determine, for a particular credit event, an expected future event associated with the particular credit event, wherein the user interface includes an indication of the expected future event associated with a description of the particular credit event.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the particular credit event is a credit inquiry and the expected future event is removal of an impact of the credit inquiry from the consumer's credit data.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the credit data gathering module is further configured to:
receive a first event description from the first credit bureau and a second event description from the second credit bureau, wherein the first event description is different than the second event description;
access a data structure including associations between respective event descriptions of the first credit bureau and event descriptions of the second credit bureau; and
determine, based on the associations in the data structure, that the first event description and the second event description are each associated with the same credit event.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the timeline generation module is further configured to determine a third visual indicator indicating that a credit event of the plurality of credit events was not identified based on credit data of the consumer from a third credit bureau.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of credit events is associated with respective credit accounts of a plurality of credit accounts of the consumer.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the timeline generation module is further configured to:
determine, based at least on one of the first credit data or the second credit data of the consumer, one or more possible future credit events, wherein the user interface includes indications of the one or more possible future events.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is further configured to:
receive, from the consumer, a selection of at least one credit event attribute; and
determine a set of credit events having the selected credit event attribute;
wherein the credit event timeline comprises only the determined set of credit events.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the selected credit event attribute comprises one or more of open accounts, closed accounts, late payments, credit inquiries, revolving credit accounts, installment loan accounts, accounts with payments due, credit events having a positive credit score impact, credit events having a negative credit score impact, or search terms provided by the consumer.

12. A method performed by a credit reporting computer for reconciling and presenting a credit event from a plurality of credit bureaus, the method comprising:
accessing first credit data associated with a consumer from a first credit bureau, wherein the first credit data comprise a first set of credit events;
accessing second credit data associated with the consumer from a second credit bureau, wherein the second credit data comprise a second set of credit events, and wherein at least a subset of the second set of credit events describes same credit events in the first set of credit events;
identifying a plurality of credit events from the first credit data and the second credit data associated with the consumer, wherein the plurality of credit events comprise the subset of the second set of credit events;
for each credit event of the plurality of credit events:
determining a first credit score impact for the first credit bureau;
determining a second credit score impact for the second credit bureau;
determining a first visual indicator for the first credit bureau indicating the first credit score impact the credit event;
determining a second visual indicator associated with the second credit bureau indicating the second credit score impact associated with the same credit event;

organizing the plurality of credit events and associated credit score impacts into a chronological order; and
using the accessed credit data, the organized plurality of credit events, and the determined visual indicators, automatically generating and transmitting a user interface to a computing device of a user, the user interface including (1) a credit event timeline indicating the plurality of credit events in the chronological order, (2) descriptions of the plurality of credit events and the associated credit score impacts, and (3) the first and the second visual indicators corresponding to the plurality of credit events.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface includes:
respective historical credit scores associated with each of the plurality of credit events; and
respective changes in credit scores associated with each of the plurality of credit events.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving a first event description from the first credit bureau and a second event description from the second credit bureau, wherein the first event description is different than the second event description;
accessing a data structure including associations between respective event descriptions of the first credit bureau and event descriptions of the second credit bureau; and
determining, based on the associations in the data structure, that the first event description and the second event description are each associated with the same credit event.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for causing a computing system to:
access first credit data associated with a consumer from a first credit bureau, wherein the first credit data comprise a first set of credit events;
access second credit data associated with the consumer from a second credit bureau, wherein the second credit data comprise a second set of credit events where at least a subset of the second set of credit events describes same credit events in the first set of credit events;
identify a plurality of credit events from the first credit data and the second credit data associated with the consumer, wherein the plurality of credit events comprise the subset of the second set of credit events;
for each credit event of the plurality of credit events:
determine a first credit score impact for the first credit bureau;
determine a second credit score impact for the second credit bureau;
determine a first visual indicator for the first credit bureau indicating the first credit score impact associated with the credit event;
determine a second visual indicator associated with the second credit bureau indicating the second credit score impact associated with the same credit event;

organize the plurality of credit events and associated credit score impacts into a chronological order; and
using the accessed credit data, the organized plurality of credit events, and the determined visual indicators, automatically generate and transmit a user interface to a computing device of a user, the user interface including (1) a credit event timeline indicating the plurality of credit events in the chronological order, (2) descriptions of the plurality of credit events and the associated credit score impacts, and (3) the first and the second visual indicators corresponding to the plurality of credit events.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the user interface includes:
respective historical credit scores associated with each of the plurality of credit events; and
respective changes in credit scores associated with each of the plurality of credit events.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to:
receive a first event description from the first credit bureau and a second event description from the second credit bureau, wherein the first event description is different than the second event description;
access a data structure including associations between respective event descriptions of the first credit bureau and event descriptions of the second credit bureau; and
determine, based on the associations in the data structure, that the first event description and the second event description are each associated with the same credit event.