System and method for authentication of network users

A method of authenticating a user in real time operating a user system to access an on-line provided service hosted on a host system, comprising:

• (a) querying the user about a first type of information;
• (b) determining a correspondence between the user's response and the query about the first type of information;
• (c) if a sufficient correspondence exists between the user's response and the query about the first type of information, querying the user about credit related information, wherein the credit related information:
• (i) is accessed by a credit reporting system separate from the user system and the host system;
• and
• (ii) originates from a plurality of user's creditors reporting credit related information about the user to the credit reporting system;
• (d) determining a correspondence between the user's response and the query for credit related information;
• and
• (e) if a sufficient correspondence exists between the user's response and the query about the credit-related information, granting or denying the user access to the on-line provided service.

A method of verifying an identity of a user in real-time by accessing an on-line service via a user system, wherein the on-line service is provided by a host system, and the host system communicates with a credit reporting system maintaining credit related information from a plurality of the user's creditors, the method comprising:

• (a) querying the user about a first type of information;
• (b) determining a correspondence between the user's response and the query about the first type of information;
• (c) if the user sufficiently responds to the first query about the first type of information, second querying the user about the user's credit related information from the credit reporting system;
• (d) determining if the user sufficiently responds to the query for credit related information;
• and
• (e) determining whether to grant or deny the user access to the on-line service based at least in part on the sufficiency of the user's response to the second query.

An authentication system for authenticating a user in real-time, wherein the user attempts to access an on-line service via a remote user system, the authentication system comprising:

• a host system for hosting the on-line service, the host system configured for:
• (a) querying the user about a first type of information;
• (b) determining a correspondence between the user's response and the query about the first type of information;
• (c) if the user sufficiently responds to the first query about the first type of information, second querying the user about credit related information;
• and
• (d) accessing credit related information in a credit reporting system;
• the credit reporting system configured for:
• (e) communicating credit related information from a plurality of a user's creditors to the host system;
• and
• the host system further configured for:
• (f) determining if the user sufficiently responds to the second query based upon a comparison of a user's response to the second query to the credit related information of the user;
• and
• (g) determining whether to grant or deny the user access to the on-line service based at least in part on the sufficiency of the user's response to the second query.