UNIFIED IDENTITY VERIFICATION

1 . A computer-implemented authentication method, comprising:

receiving an authentication request at a server associated with an authenticating entity from a requesting party responsive to a request being provided to the requesting party by a client terminal associated with an unauthenticated individual purporting to be an individual account owner previously authenticated with the authenticating entity;

determining, from the received authentication request, the requesting party, information associated with the unauthenticated individual, and a user permission authorizing the authenticating entity to share a selected portion of the information with a plurality of selected requesting parties;

authenticating, by the server associated with the authenticating entity, the unauthenticated individual as the individual account owner based on matching the determined information associated with the unauthenticated individual to a pre-registered identity uniquely associated with the individual account owner; and

in response to the authenticating, providing from the server associated with the authenticating entity to the requesting party the selected portion of the information corresponding to the determined user permission;

wherein the method is performed using one or more modules incorporated into the server associated with the authenticating entity.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication request includes a password.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically transferring an amount to be paid from a financial account associated with the individual account owner and held by the authenticating entity directly to a financial account associated with the requesting party.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication request includes an authentication request token associated with the individual account owner, the token including further information indicating the plurality of selected requesting parties.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the authentication request comprises receiving from the client terminal associated with the unauthenticated individual an additional permission authorizing the authenticating entity to share an additional portion of the information with one or more of the plurality of the selected requesting parties.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically opening a new financial account for the unauthenticated individual at a financial entity responsive to the authenticating.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically extending credit to the unauthenticated individual by the requesting party responsive to the authenticating.

8 . An authentication system comprising:

one or more modules incorporated into the authentication system, the one or more modules implemented by one or more processors of the authentication system, the one or more modules incorporated into the authentication system to specially-configure the authentication system to perform operations comprising, at least:

receiving an authentication request at a server associated with an authenticating entity from a requesting party responsive to a request being provided to the requesting party by a client terminal associated with an unauthenticated individual purporting to be an individual account owner previously authenticated with the authenticating entity;

determining, from the received authentication request, the requesting party, information associated with the unauthenticated individual, and a user permission authorizing the authenticating entity to share a selected portion of the information with a plurality of selected requesting parties;

authenticating, by the server associated with the authenticating entity, the unauthenticated individual as the individual account owner based on matching the determined information associated with the unauthenticated individual to a pre-registered identity uniquely associated with the individual account owner; and

in response to the authenticating, providing from the server associated with the authenticating entity to the requesting party the selected portion of the information corresponding to the determined user permission;

wherein the method is performed using one or more modules incorporated into the server associated with the authenticating entity.

9 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions which, when read by the machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving an authentication request at a server associated with an authenticating entity from a requesting party responsive to a request being provided to the requesting party by a client terminal associated with an unauthenticated individual purporting to be an individual account owner previously authenticated with the authenticating entity;

determining, from the received authentication request, the requesting party, information associated with the unauthenticated individual, and a user permission authorizing the authenticating entity to share a selected portion of the information with a plurality of selected requesting parties;

authenticating, by the server associated with the authenticating entity, the unauthenticated individual as the individual account owner based on matching the determined information associated with the unauthenticated individual to a pre-registered identity uniquely associated with the individual account owner; and

in response to the authenticating, providing from the server associated with the authenticating entity to the requesting party the selected portion of the information corresponding to the determined user permission;

wherein the method is performed using one or more modules incorporated into the server associated with the authenticating entity.