There is described a method and system for managing Internet auction
transactions by creating an auction website by, for example, a financial
institution. The auction website is accessible by the financial
institution's account holders (e.g., holders of checking, savings, credit
card, and investment accounts). Thus, all buyers and sellers in auction
transactions on the auction site, for example, have accounts with the
financial institution, with settlements occurring between the accounts of
the users at the financial institution. Payments are debited from the
buyer's account(s) with a credit going to the account of the seller, less
any fees. All charges occur internally, so no interchange is owed, for
example, to a card association in connection with a transaction.
Financial institution customers benefit from the system in that buyers
and sellers are authenticated and settlement occurs almost
instantaneously.