System and method for transferring funds

Abstract

A method including receiving a request based on a sender initiating a funds transfer. The funds transfer can be for the sender to make a payment to a non-financial institution. The sender can have a sender account at a sender financial institution. The non-financial institution can have a recipient account at a recipient financial institution. The method also can include facilitating obtaining sender identifying information from the sender. The method additionally can include facilitating sending at least (a) the sender identifying information, (b) a recipient public identifier of the non-financial institution, and (c) a payment amount for the payment to the sender financial institution to cause the sender financial institution to (i) determine a funds availability of the sender account to make the funds transfer for the payment amount and (ii) send a funds transfer request to a computer-implemented funds transfer network to make the payment from the sender account at the sender financial institution to the recipient account at the recipient financial institution. The funds transfer request can include the recipient public identifier and the payment amount. The funds transfer request does not include an account number of the recipient account. The computer-implemented funds transfer network can include a first directory mapping the recipient public identifier to a recipient private identifier. The computer-implemented funds transfer network can be configured to send the recipient private identifier to the recipient financial institution to enable the recipient financial institution to map the recipient private identifier to the account number of the recipient account and make funds available to the recipient account in real-time for the payment. The computer-implemented funds transfer network can be operated by an entity that is different from the recipient financial institution and the sender financial institution. Other embodiments are disclosed.