<s>
Account	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
sometimes	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
financial	O
data	O
aggregation	O
is	O
a	O
method	O
that	O
involves	O
compiling	O
information	O
from	O
different	O
accounts	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
include	O
bank	O
accounts	O
,	O
credit	O
card	O
accounts	O
,	O
investment	O
accounts	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
consumer	O
or	O
business	O
accounts	O
,	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
may	O
be	O
provided	O
through	O
connecting	O
via	O
an	O
API	B-General_Concept
to	O
the	O
financial	O
institution	O
or	O
provided	O
through	O
"	O
screen	O
scraping	O
"	O
where	O
a	O
user	O
provides	O
the	O
requisite	O
account-access	O
information	O
for	O
an	O
automated	O
system	O
to	O
gather	O
and	O
compile	O
the	O
information	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
database	O
either	O
resides	O
in	O
a	O
web-based	B-Application
application	I-Application
or	O
in	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ideas	O
around	O
account	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
first	O
emerged	O
in	O
the	O
mid	O
1990s	O
when	O
banks	O
started	O
releasing	O
Internet	B-Application
banking	I-Application
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
services	O
helped	O
users	O
to	O
manage	O
their	O
money	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
(	O
typical	O
desktop	O
alternatives	O
include	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Money	I-Application
,	O
Intuit	O
Quicken	B-Application
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
account	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
services	O
was	O
Citibank	O
's	O
My	O
Accounts	O
service	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
service	O
ended	O
in	O
late	O
2005	O
without	O
explanation	O
from	O
Citibank	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
has	O
been	O
said	O
in	O
the	O
financial	O
services	O
and	O
banking	O
industry	O
as	O
to	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
account	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
–	O
principally	O
the	O
customer	O
and	O
web	O
site	O
loyalty	O
it	O
might	O
generate	O
for	O
providers	O
–	O
but	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
responsibility	O
and	O
commitment	O
by	O
the	O
providers	O
is	O
one	O
reason	O
for	O
skepticism	O
about	O
committing	O
to	O
those	O
same	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Account	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
evolved	O
with	O
single	O
sign-on	O
(	O
SSO	O
)	O
at	O
most	O
major	O
banks	O
such	O
as	O
Bank	O
of	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
2015	O
developments	O
such	O
as	O
open	O
banking	O
made	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
third	O
parties	O
to	O
access	O
bank	O
transaction	O
data	O
and	O
introduced	O
standard	O
API	B-General_Concept
and	O
security	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
