Abstract: A creditor creates a lock box at a financial institution. The lock box includes an escrow provision. A consumer makes regularly scheduled payments to the financial institution and designates the payment either for the creditor's lock box or for the escrow account. The financial institution reports all payments and escrow events to the creditor and to the credit payment data repository. All credit payment data maintained in the credit data repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The credit data maintained in the repository is used to report a credit score, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.

Abstract: A system and method for verifying a stream of payments includes accepting a request for verification and, optionally, supporting documentation relating to the payments from a user such as a consumer and transmitting the request and the supporting documentation to a verifier who is unknown to the consumer at the time the request is made. The verifier directly contacts the payee to verify the payment stream. If the verifier indicates that the payment stream has been verified, the consumer is notified and given the opportunity to designate a third party recipient to whom the verification will be sent.

Abstract: A consumer pays their bills using a bill payment service that reports actual payment information to a consumer reporting agency repository. The consumer requests the bill payment service to send their payment information to the CRA repository each month on their behalf to show they pay their bills on time when applying for credit. The bill payment service reports actual bill payment to the CRA reports on behalf of its customers requesting the reporting service. All bill payment data maintained in the CRA repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The bill payment data maintained in the repository is used to report a credit score in addition to the payment data being reported, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.

Abstract: A creditor creates a lock box at a financial institution. The lock box includes an escrow provision. A consumer makes regularly scheduled payments to the financial institution and designates the payment either for the creditor's lock box or for the escrow account. The financial institution reports all payments and escrow events to the creditor and to the credit payment data repository. All credit payment data maintained in the credit data repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The credit data maintained in the repository is used to report a credit score, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.

Abstract: A creditor creates a lock box at a financial institution. The lock box includes an escrow provision. A consumer makes regularly scheduled payments to the financial institution and designates the payment either for the creditor's lock box or for the escrow account. The financial institution reports all payments and escrow events to the creditor and to credit payment data repository. All credit payment data maintained in the credit data repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The credit data maintained in the repository is used to report a credit score, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.

Abstract: A consumer arranges for a verifiable source to provide credit terms pertaining to a credit agreement to a data repository. The consumer and/or the creditor arranges with a financial institution such as a bank to report payment data to the data repository. The financial institution may be associated with either the consumer or the credit provider. The financial institution(s) reports the amounts and timing of payments to the data repository. The payment information preferably includes the actual date of the payment. The payment information is compared to the credit terms and compliance information is provided to potential credit providers directly and/or through reporting to traditional credit bureaus.

Abstract: A creditor creates a lock box at a financial institution. The lock box includes an escrow provision. A consumer makes regularly scheduled payments to the financial institution and designates the payment either for the creditor's lock box or for the escrow account. The financial institution reports all payments and escrow events to the creditor and to credit payment data repository. All credit payment data maintained in the credit data repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The credit data maintained in the repository is used to report a credit score, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.

Abstract: A residential housing creditor creates a lock box at a financial institution. The lock box includes an escrow provision. A consumer makes regularly scheduled payments to the financial institution and designates the payment either for the creditor's lock box or for the escrow account. The financial institution reports all payments and escrow events to the creditor and to a housing credit data repository. All credit data maintained in the residential housing credit data repository is maintained securely and will not be released without the consent of the consumer. The credit data maintained in the repository is used to report a residential housing credit score, which occurs only when the consumer authorizes the release of the data.