Intuit and Gates...
https://www.netaction.org/msoft/finance/MS-Intuit.html
The wife of intuit founder is a publisher. Not so sure Intuit and Microsoft have ever really been compeititors since 1994. Base on above, intuit, m/s and a small third party approached the banks with the dev of a protocal for communication. Then they may not have shared that protocal with any other vendors. Possibly a Cartel with M/S holding the weak second position to keep the market fully controlled?
