Patent ID: 7376622

Claim:
A method for automated settlement of a financial transaction, comprising: receiving an identification of a currency-dispensing entity via an interactive voice response system in connection with a financial transaction comprising an emergency cash transaction for a caller; receiving an identification of a caller language via the interactive voice response system and thereafter prompting the caller in the identified language; receiving an identification of the caller and the caller's home bank via the interactive voice response system; bridging the caller to the caller's home bank by the interactive voice response system; receiving a request from the caller for the financial transaction by the caller's home bank via the interactive voice response system consisting at least in part of dispensing of a currency by the currency-dispensing entity to the caller; communicating with the caller by the caller's home bank in the caller's language via the interactive voice response system at least in part to identify a settlement account for the caller; calculating an amount of the currency approved for dispensing to the caller by the caller's home bank based at least in part on a check of the caller's settlement account balance via the interactive voice response system and a shared central network; communicating to the currency-dispensing entity via the interactive voice response system the amount of currency approved for dispensing to the caller in a language and currency associated with the currency-dispensing entity; and automatically initiating a settlement of the financial transaction consisting at least in part of communicating an approval by the currency-dispensing entity of the financial transaction to the caller's home bank via the interactive voice response system and on-line debiting of the caller's settlement account and corresponding credit of a currency-dispensing entity account via the interactive voice response system and the central network.