Integrated file structure useful in connection with apparatus and method for facilitating account restructuring in an electronic bill payment system

Abstract

An electronic funds transfer bill payment operation of a financial institution receives first information, representing an account restructuring of a biller which uses the bill payment operation, which information is combined with second information, which is formatted differently than the first information, into a uniformly formatted file. The second information includes card update information for recurring payment card payments made with payment cards issued by the financial institution. The uniformly formatted file is transferred to an operator of a payment network of a kind configured to facilitate transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, and it specifies at least one old account number associated with a biller and at least one new account number associated with the biller. The payment network operator operates both a recurring payment transaction system for card-not-present recurring payments and an electronic funds transfer account conversion application in accordance with the uniformly formatted file.