Patent ID: 7788172

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving, by a first electronic financial service provider, a first request from a payer to activate electronic billing from a biller for the payer, wherein the first electronic financial service provider supports a first of a plurality of electronic financial service networks, and each of the plurality of electronic financial service networks comprises a respective plurality of billers or payers, the payer being one of the plurality of billers and payers; determining, by the first electronic financial service provider, that the biller is not associated with the first electronic financial service network; transmitting, by the first electronic financial service provider, a second request for information associating the biller with a second electronic financial service network; receiving, by the first electronic financial service provider from one of (i) an inter-network directory server or (ii) a second electronic financial service provider that supports a second of the plurality of electronic financial service networks, the information including an association of the biller with the second electronic financial service network; generating, by the first electronic financial service provider and based on the received information, a third request to activate electronic billing from the biller to the payer is to be transmitted to the second electronic financial service provider; and transmitting, from the first electronic financial service provider, to the second electronic financial service provider, the third request to activate electronic billing from the biller for the payer, wherein activation enables electronic transmission of bill from the biller for the payer, wherein the prior steps are performed by one or more computers associated with at least one of the first electronic financial service provider or the second electronic financial service provider.