Integrated bill presentment and payment system and method of operating the same

An integrated system for the presentation and payment of bills, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing:
• a first module which, when executed by the processor, receives billing information from billers, from biller service providers, and from biller-side consolidators;
• a second module which, when executed by the processor, sends billing information to customers, to customer service providers, and to customer-side consolidators, wherein said second module is also capable of receiving payment instructions from customers, from customer service providers, and from customer-side consolidators;
• a third module which, when executed by the processor, initiates payment in response to payment instructions received from customers, from customer service providers, and from customer-side consolidators, the third module configured to select a payment type based on payment type preference criteria maintained by the system;
• and
• a connection logic module which interconnects said first, second, and third modules and facilitates communication therebetween, the connection logic module configured to, when executed by the processor, detect the extent of electronic bill presentment and payment service to be provided by each of the first, second, and third module and to initiate that provision of service of each module, and to:
• receive a request from a customer o pay a biller;
• determine whether the bill should be paid through a biller payment provider or a customer payment provider;
• and
• if the bill is not determined to be paid through the biller payment provider or the customer payment provider, initiate paying the biller using the selected payment type.