A method for verifying a user's account, e.g., a checking account, at a financial institution, e.g., a bank, includes establishing a direct connection with the bank's account data server over a network, e.g., the Internet, using the Direct Connect peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol and the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) data-stream format, sending a request to the account data server for a data file including data that verifies at least the existence and ownership of the user's account, and receiving a response from the account data server of a data file that includes data verifying at least the existence and ownership of the user's account at the financial institution.
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