ACH

Automated Clearing House. 

ACH network

A central distribution and settlement point for electronic items exchanged between depository financial institutions.

AdServer

DoubleClick AdServer (formerly NetGravity ad engine) consists of several different ad management and ad delivery components.  Ad management components assist you in scheduling ads and managing the organization of your web site.  Ad delivery components work with your content server to make sure that the right ad is delivered to the right Consumer.

A/R updates

Accounts receivable (A/R) update file.

architecture

The physical construction or design of a computer system and its components, including the design of the software for interfacing with other programs.

API

Application Programming Interface.  A set of specifications, standards, or conventions which enable programs to exchange information.

authentication

The process of verifying the identity of the user of a secure system.  Also used to verify the integrity of a message.

BSP

Billing Service Provider.

banner

A horizontal, rectangular display area on a web page often used for corporate logos or advertisements.

bank account number

The account number of the Biller’s or Consumer’s checking account.  The account can be at almost any financial institution.

Bank Administration Institute (BAI)

A banking trade organization that establishes information reporting standards for financial transactions.

bank routing number

A number by which a bank is uniquely identified for payment processing.

bill aggregator

Outdated terminology that has been replaced by the current term consumer service provider (CSP).  A CSP or bill aggregator is a branded web site hosted by a provider other than the Biller that presents e-bills from multiple Billers.  Often this is a bank.  Consumers use these consolidator web sites to pay bills and to use other services such as money transfers.

bill processor

An organization that prepares bills and statements for other organizations. 

Biller

A Biller may be a single organization if the Biller is generating statements for its own Consumer base, or a Biller may represent multiple entities if the Biller also acts as a Billing Service Provider.

Biller Integration System (BIS)

TransPoint’s proprietary data processing system. 

billing cycle

The period of time between the recurring events of updating, billing, and charging for services rendered. 

browser

Short for web browser.  A software application, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft® Internet Explorer, used to locate and display web pages. Both of the browsers mentioned above are graphical web browsers, which means they display graphics and text.  In addition, most modern browsers can present multimedia information.

Cash Concentration or Disbursement (CCD)

An ACH automated corporate payment format used primarily for the intra-company concentration or disbursement of funds.

Cash Concentration or Disbursement Plus (CCD+)

The CCD+ format is the same as CCD, but with 80 additional characters of descriptive data, primarily used for remittance information.

certification authority (CA)

A trusted third party (such as a bank) that attests to the identity of a person or an organization.  The CA’s chief function is to verify the identity of entities and issue digital certificates.  See digital certificates. 

certificate revocation list

A list maintained by the CA of all certificates that are revoked, but not expired.  Reasons a certificate is classified as revoked include the compromise of a private key, or that the user is no longer certified by the CA who maintains the list.

change management process

A process used to accommodate a Biller’s change requests to the e.bill.anywhere solution.

channel

An electronic venue for distributing e-bills to Consumers.

check and list

A process in which an organization writes one check for a list of transactions. 

CheckFree

An e-bill consolidator service that posts electronic statements from multiple Billers so that Consumers need only visit one web site to view and pay multiple bills.

construction

The project component in which software development and integration occur. 

Consumer

The customer, subscriber, or client of the Biller; for example, Ms. Smith who receives her phone bill.

consumer service provider (CSP) web site

A branded web site hosted by a provider other than the Biller that presents e-bills from multiple Billers.  Often this is a bank.  Consumers use the CSP web site to pay bills and to use other bank services such as money transfers.

conversion

The process of creating the Biller’s e.bill.anywhere solution.   Synonymous with implementation and eSolution Design.

corp

An Output Technology Solutions-specific term that refers to a group of printed statements that have common characteristics. 

Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX)

An automated corporate payment used to transmit information formatted in ANSI X12 syntax or payment related UN/EDIFACT syntax.  CTX entries are identified by the Standard Entry Class Code CTX.

credit card processor

A financial institution that processes credit card transactions.  Many financial institutions deal with multiple processors, and the Biller and financial institution determine the processor on a case by case basis.

cryptography

The practice and study of encryption and decryption (encoding data so that it can only be decoded by specific individuals).

cryptosystem

A system used for encrypting and decrypting data.  The system usually involves an algorithm that combines the plain text data with one or more security keys.

customer service representative (CSR)

The CSR represents the Biller.  The CSR handles Consumer inquiries and has access to Consumer billing information.

CyberCash

CyberCash provides payment services to Billers and some consolidators.  CyberCash’s payment suite includes PayNow Secure Electronic Check and Credit Card Services.  PayNow securely processes Consumers’ checking account information in an encrypted format and allows Consumers to submit electronic payments.  PayNow transactions appear on the Consumer’s monthly checking account statements in the same way as debit card transactions.

CyberCash ID (CCID)

The ID number CyberCash assigns to a Biller.

data transmission

The exchange of information between two or more computers.

digitally signed certificate

A certificate to which some organization’s digital signature has been affixed as a further corroboration of its authenticity.

digital signature

An encrypted, tamper-proof attestation that the authority signing the certificate is confident that the message’s originator is actually who it claims to be. 

dynamic web page

A web page that is dynamically populated with data.

EBCDIC

Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code.  A coded character set consisting of 8-bit coded characters.

e-bill

An electronic statement.

EBPP

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment. 

EDI

Electronic data interchange.  A set of standards for controlling the transfer of business documents.  Often it is used to eliminate paperwork and manual entry into other systems.  It requires strict standards be adhered to by the organizations exchanging the information.

elaboration

The project component in which requirements are gathered and design begins.

electronic ad

An advertisement presented through a web page.  Usually it is hyperlinked to another web page.

e-commerce

Electronic commerce.  A broad term encompassing the remote procurement and payment by businesses and consumers of goods and services through the Internet.

electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Electronic funds transfer describes any ACH transaction or wire transfer.

escalation procedure

A planned set of steps that are followed when a major problem arises in the production environment and that cannot be resolved at lower customer assistance levels.

eSolution Design

The process of creating the Biller’s e.bill.anywhere solution.   Synonymous with conversion.

extranet

A specialized web site accessible to authorized outsiders.  Whereas an intranet is protected by a firewall and accessible only to people who are members of the same company or organization, an extranet provides different levels of access to those outside the firewall.  Permissions need to be granted in order to access the extranet outside the firewall.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions.  Often a web page for Consumers that provides additional information.

FI

Financial institution.  A bank, savings institution, credit union, or investment company that has the ability to transfer funds between financial institutions.  Several financial institutions may participate in an electronic transaction; for example, the Consumer’s bank and the Biller’s ODFI and financial institution.

firewall

A combination of hardware and software that prevents network access to other protected computer systems.

form

A type of web page.  A form may have data entry fields and some sort of submit function to update information. 

frame or frameset

A way to nest multiple web page sessions inside each other.

FRB

Federal Reserve Bank.

gateway

An interface that provides communication between hosts on a trusted private network and an untrusted public network, such as the Internet.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

The coding language used to create hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web.

HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) 

The protocol most often used to transfer information from World Wide Web servers to browsers.  A successful transfer requires an HTTP client program on one end and an HTTP server program on the other end.

HTTPS

A protocol used for transmitting data securely over the World Wide Web Secure HTTP (S-HTTP).  Whereas SSL creates a secure connection between a client and server over which any amount of data can be sent securely, S-HTTP is designed to transmit individual messages securely.  SSL and S-HTTP are complementary rather than competing technologies.

inception

The project component that consists of identifying project scope, setting up business relationships, and designating project leadership. 

integrity

A measure of the preservation of data during transmission—100% integrity means the message sent is the message received. 

Internet Bill Delivery and Payment (IBDP)

TransPoint’s name for Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP).  

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

A vendor that provides access to the Internet. 

intranet

A private network inside an organization that uses the same kinds of software as the Internet.  However, an intranet is only available for internal use within the organization.

keys

In cryptography, unique numbers and characters used to scramble and unscramble data. 

key escrow

For an encryption system, a method for safeguarding the data recovery keys. 

lockbox

A financial service that facilitates the rapid collection and posting of corporate receivables.

maintenance

The project component in which the system is turned over to production operations.

Merchant ID

A unique set of numbers or letters and numbers associated with a specific merchant.  The Merchant ID is typically tied to a system database record that contains all merchant-specific information regarding that particular merchant. 

Merchant Service Agreement

A standard agreement that is kept by CyberCash.

National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA)

A national organization that establishes the standards, rules, and procedures that financial institutions use to exchange ACH payments at the national level.

navigational controls 

Controls like buttons, links, and icons that allow a user to move around (navigate) in an application.

non-repudiation of origin (NRO)

A security feature that verifies the identity of the sender of an EDI interchange and the integrity of its contents. See also integrity.

non-repudiation of receipt (NRR)

A security feature that verifies to the sender that the receiver of the message received the message and that the integrity of the contents was not compromised. See also integrity.

Originating Depository Financial Institution (ODFI)

A financial institution that originates ACH entries at the request of and in agreement with its customers.  In many cases, the ODFI is the same as the financial institution.

OFX (Open Financial Exchange)

An API for the electronic exchange of financial data between financial institutions, business, and Consumers through the Internet.  OFX supports a wide range of financial activities including: consumer and small business banking, consumer and small business bill payment, bill presentment, and investments, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

password

A value used in authentication or a value used to establish membership in a set of people having specific privileges.  A password is often used in conjunction with a login ID to identify a specific account holder.

POS

Point of sale.  A type of electronic financial transaction.

posting

The process of recording debits and credits to individual account balances.

prearranged payment of deposit (PPD)

An automated payment application used to authorize debits or credits to an account.  PPD is initiated by a Consumer, and granted by a financial institution.

public/private key encryption

A scheme in which encryption is managed with a pair of keys, a public and a private key. Each public key is published while the private key is kept secret. This form of encryption also is known as asymmetric cryptography.

RAID

Redundant array of independent disks.  A category of disk drives that employ two or more drives in combination for fault tolerance and performance.

registration 

The process that the Consumer goes through to get an e-bill account. 

requirements gathering

The process of gathering requirements.  Requirements guide the scope of the solution or project, provide the basis for project and resource planning, communicate the expectations of the customer and project team, and provide a basis for planning testing activities.

RPS

Remittance Processing Service, Inc.  A network operated by MasterCard® that delivers remittance data and funds.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

A protocol to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet.  SSL provides privacy, authentication, and message integrity.

settlement

A transfer of funds between two parties (either in cash or on the books) to complete one or more prior transactions.

Statement of Work

A document defining the scope and deliverables of a project.

statement detail

The listing of account transactions, details, and line items that support the statement summary.

statement summary

The most basic information needed on a statement; for example, account name, billing address, account number, total amount due, date due, payments received.

static web page

A web page that is not dynamically populated with data.

Terminal ID 

A physical terminal or location within the merchant’s facility.  A Merchant ID may have multiple Terminal IDs associated with it. 

transition

The project component in which project deliverables are beta tested and then released to production.

TransPoint

An e-bill consolidator service that posts electronic statements from multiple Billers so that Consumers need only visit one web site to view and pay multiple bills.  The TransPoint service allows the Consumer to access the bills through either the TransPoint web site or branded CSP web sites, such as those set up by financial institutions.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator.  The global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web.  The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located.

value added Network (VAN)

A public network that provides value-added services for corporate customers.

web page

The output from HTML, ASP, XML, and other code that is displayed in a browser.  There are several kinds of web pages.  Static web pages are not dynamically populated.  Forms are used for data entry and submitting information someplace else.  Dynamic web pages are dynamically populated by a database.

web site flow

A navigation pathway within a web site.