Patent ID: 8204826

Claim:
A method of providing a transaction authorization decision solution to a merchant-acquirer and facilitating processing of payments between participating parties and the merchant-acquirer, the method comprising: receiving, at an enterprise decision engine operating at an apparatus, a transaction authorization request from the merchant-acquirer via a network, the transaction authorization request specifying an electronic transaction between a buyer and a seller, the seller being one of the participating parties, the participating parties being parties that use the merchant-acquirer to process electronic transactions, the electronic transaction requiring shipment of goods or services from the seller to the buyer; in response to receiving the transaction authorization request, automatically performing, at the enterprise decision engine, a risk analysis to determine whether to authorize the electronic transaction; after performing the risk analysis, automatically sending, by the enterprise decision engine, a transaction authorization response to the merchant-acquirer via the network, the transaction authorization response indicating whether the enterprise decision engine authorizes the electronic transaction; automatically providing, by the enterprise decision engine, a guarantee of payment to the merchant-acquirer for the electronic transaction when the enterprise decision engine authorizes the electronic transaction; automatically providing, by the enterprise decision engine, insurance to the merchant-acquirer against fraud when the enterprise decision engine authorizes the electronic transaction; after sending the transaction authorization response to the merchant-acquirer, receiving, at the enterprise decision engine, a file, the file containing an original entry indicating an amount of money to be deposited by the merchant-acquirer in an account of the seller, the amount of money based at least in part on the electronic transaction; in response to receiving the file, automatically converting, at the enterprise decision engine, the original entry to an Automated Clearing House (ACH) entry when the original entry is based on an electronic check; in response to receiving the file, automatically converting, at the enterprise decision engine, the original entry to a First Data Merchant Services (FDMS)-formatted entry when the original entry is based on a credit card transaction; automatically submitting, by the enterprise decision engine, the ACH entry to an ACH system when the original entry is based on the electronic check; and automatically submitting, by the enterprise decision engine, the FDMS-formatted entry to an external processor when the original entry is based on the credit card transaction.