Abstract: A method and system assist users of an electronic bookkeeping system to sort financial transactions into accounts representing bookkeeping categories. The method and system generate vectors representing the accounts and the merchants known to the bookkeeping system. The method and system generate compressed versions of the vectors by compressing the vectors. The method and system assist users to sort the financial transactions by analyzing the compressed vectors.

Abstract: A method and system assists users of an electronic bookkeeping system to sort financial transactions into accounts representing bookkeeping categories. The method and system generates vectors representing the accounts and the merchants known to the bookkeeping system. The method and system generates compressed versions of the vectors by compressing the vectors. The method and system assists users to sort the financial transactions by analyzing the compressed vectors.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for determining similarities between businesses. One example method generally includes receiving a similarity query and receiving transaction data associated with a plurality of businesses for comparing the plurality of businesses. The method further includes generating a set of vectors representing the plurality of businesses based on the transaction data and generating a set of compact vectors based on the vectors by applying a dimensionality reduction technique. The method further includes generating based on the set of compact vectors, a similarity index and determining a response to the similarity query using the similarity index.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for determining similarities between businesses. One example method generally includes receiving a similarity query and receiving transaction data associated with a plurality of businesses for comparing the plurality of businesses. The method further includes generating a set of vectors representing the plurality of businesses based on the transaction data and generating a set of compact vectors based on the vectors by applying a dimensionality reduction technique. The method further includes generating based on the set of compact vectors, a similarity index and determining a response to the similarity query using the similarity index.

Abstract: A method and system groups user accounts in a financial management system based on the similarities of the financial transactions associated with the accounts. The method and system groups merchants involved in the financial transactions based on how financial transactions involving the merchants are sorted into groups of merchants. The method and system group users based on how the users sort financial transactions into their accounts. The method and system assist users to sort future financial transactions based on the groups of accounts, the groups of merchants, and the groups of users.

Abstract: A method and system identify characteristics of financial transaction description strings. The method and system trains a dictionary generation model with a machine learning process to classify financial transaction description strings. The dictionary generation model generates a dictionary that indicates key substrings from the financial transaction description strings that were most predictive in classifying the financial transaction description strings.

Abstract: A method for error correction of a first misclassified transaction that includes receiving a request to correct the first misclassified transaction. The first misclassified transaction is associated with a first client accounting data store of a first client. The first misclassified transaction is associated with a first account, and the request is to change the first account to a second account. The method further includes generating a pattern for account correction based on the request, and applying the pattern to transactions to identify a second misclassified transaction. The transactions are associated with a second client accounting data store of a second client. The method further includes presenting a suggestion of a modification of the second misclassified transaction based on the pattern, and receiving an acceptance of the suggestion.

Abstract: A method and system groups user accounts in a financial management system based on the similarities of the financial transactions associated with the accounts. The financial management system receives financial transaction data related to a plurality of financial transactions of a plurality of users. Each of the financial transactions is associated with an account of a user. The financial management system generates account characteristics vector data including, for each account, an account characteristics vector based on the financial transactions associated with the account. The financial management system groups the accounts by performing grouping analysis on the account characteristics vectors.

Abstract: A system and method for automated optimization of budgeted fund allocation to pay bills receives financial data including billing and income data. The data is ordered according to dates and amounts and the processed to determine payments to be made at certain dates, in order to ensure that minimum payments are satisfied. Amounts over the minimum owed for certain bills are paid when possible, in order to minimize future debt load. Amounts owed are paid, when warranted, in two or more portions on different dates separated by an income event. Payments made and overall financial status is reported to a consumer computing system associated with a consumer.

Abstract: A method and system groups user accounts in a financial management system based on the similarities of the financial transactions associated with the accounts. The financial management system receives financial transaction data related to a plurality of financial transactions of a plurality of users. Each of the financial transactions is associated with an account of a user. The financial management system generates account characteristics vector data including, for each account, an account characteristics vector based on the financial transactions associated with the account. The financial management system groups the accounts by performing grouping analysis on the account characteristics vectors.

Abstract: A system and method for managing website scripts includes operations which provide for selection and automatic management of community contributed website scripts in order to provide efficient operation for consumer users and computing systems providing services on their behalf. Periodically, at least once during each refresh period, one or more website scripts are selected to be automatically performed on a biller website, based on a predetermined priority, and if the selected script performs successfully for a given user account, no further script operations are required to be performed on the same website for that particular user account, during that same refresh period. A system and method for managing website scripts further includes decommissioning operations which provide for automatic decommissioning of community contributed website scripts that are functioning below a predetermined minimum performance threshold level.

Abstract: A system and method for managing website scripts includes operations which provide for user contributed website scripts for use by consumer users and computing systems providing services on their behalf. User contributed website scripts are used to periodically gather user data. Following receipt of a user contributed website script, validation operations are performed in order to ensure that the user contributed website script operates properly. Once an initial determination is made that the website script operates properly, award points are awarded to the contributing user, and contribution points are assigned. If performance of the user contributed website script fails after initial acceptance, the number of contribution points associated with the user contributed website script is reduced. If the number of contribution points associated with a user contributed website script falls below a predetermined threshold, the user contributed website script is rendered unavailable for use.

Abstract: A method for identifying an origin of fraudulent activity including receiving a first affirmative fraud flag from a first user for a financial transaction associated with a first user account and obtaining financial transaction information for the first user account, which includes a first financial transaction entry listing a payee and a first time. The method further includes receiving a second affirmative fraudulent flag from a second user corresponding to a financial transaction and a second user account and obtaining financial transaction information for the second user account, which includes a second financial transaction entry listing the payee and a second time. The method further includes determining an intersection between the first and the second financial transaction entries, identifying a potential origin of fraud from the intersection, and alerting the first and the second user of the potential origin of fraud.

Abstract: Cash transaction entry data indicating a consumer has conducted a cash transaction with an unidentified merchant payee is obtained and geo-location data associated with the cash transaction data is used identify potential merchant payees of the cash transaction. If more than one potential merchant payee is identified, data representing the potential merchant payees is analyzed using historical financial transaction data associated with the consumer, and/or products or services and operations data associated with the potential merchant payees, and/or historical financial transaction data associated with a community of consumers, including consumers other than the consumer, to generate a potential merchant payee probability score for each of the potential merchant payees. The potential merchant payee probability score for each of the potential merchant payees is then used to generate a prioritized potential merchant payee list for the cash transaction that includes at least one of the potential merchant payees.

Abstract: A method to optimize recategorization of financial transactions using collaborative filtering involves obtaining a set of financial transactions of a set of users with a merchant. The method also involves determining, using a processor, a first portion of the set of financial transactions assigned to each recategorization value of a set of recategorization values; determining, using the processor, a second portion of the set of financial transactions where the each recategorization value is different from an initial category; generating, using the processor, a recategorization index for each recategorization value using the first portion of each recategorization value and the second portion; and determining, using the processor, an alternative categorization candidate based on the recategorization index of the each recategorization value.

Abstract: A system that determines a standard payee name for a payee is presented. During operation, the system receives a non-standard payee name, wherein the non-standard payee name can be a user-defined payee name, which is defined by a user, or a normalized payee name, which is defined by a financial institution. Next, the system determines whether the non-standard payee name is associated with the standard payee name by using the non-standard payee name to search through data structures containing associations between one or more of the following: user-defined payee names and normalized payee names; user-defined payee names and standard payee names; and normalized payee names and standard payee names. If the non-standard payee name is associated with a standard payee name, the system can perform specified actions.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting and categorizing recurring income whereby financial transaction data associated with a given user is obtained from one or more sources. One or more income identification parameters are defined. The given user identifies one or more deposit transactions included in the financial transaction data as an income transaction. The one or more income identification parameter values associated with one or more unidentified deposit transactions are then compared with the income identification parameter values associated with the user identified income transactions. Any of one or more unidentified deposit transactions having income identification parameter values the same as, or sufficiently similar to, the income identification parameter values associated with the user identified income transactions are then categorized as identified income transactions of the same type, and/or as being from the same given payor/income source, as the user identified income transactions.

Abstract: Financial data associated with one or more “contributing consumers” is obtained. The financial data is then aggregated, analyzed, and/or categorized, according to one or more events and one or more criteria/parameters associated with the financial transaction data and/or the contributing consumer. The aggregated and/or categorized data is then stored. A “user consumer” then initiates a request for predictive event cost data associated with one or more specified events and the aggregated and/or categorized data representing the event related changes in the financial data is searched based. Results data representing the changes in the financial data for one or more similarly situated contributing consumers associated the specified event is then obtained and presented to the user consumer.

Abstract: A system and method for predictive bill estimation includes a process for predictive bill estimation whereby financial data associated with one or more “contributing consumers” is obtained from one or more sources. The financial data obtained from the one or more contributing consumers is then aggregated, analyzed, and/or categorized, according to one or more criteria/parameters associated with the financial transaction data and/or the contributing consumer. The aggregated and/or categorized financial data is then stored. A user consumer then initiates a request for cost/bill data associated with a given area and/or event. The aggregated and/or categorized financial data obtained from one or more contributing consumers is then searched based on one or more search parameters and results data representing multiple financial transactions and/or purchases associated the specified area and/or event is obtained.

Abstract: A method and system for providing intelligent targeted budget analysis and recommendations based on financial data from similarly situated individuals whereby financial data associated with multiple individuals is obtained and analyzed to identify financial profile elements associated with each individual. Data indicating the financial profile elements associated with the each of the individuals is stored in a financial profile database. The financial data associated with a given individual is then also obtained and analyzed to identify financial profile elements associated with the given individual. The financial profile elements associated with the given individual are then used to search the financial profile database to find one or more individuals that are financial peers of the given individual.