Fiserv and Early Warning, a fraud prevention and risk management company, Tuesday announced that they have partnered to expand the availability of real-time capabilities in the U.S.

The partnership will initially facilitate real-time bill payment and deposit capabilities for users of the NOW Network from Fiserv or the good funds network from Early Warning, according to a press release.

The companies said they will inititally focus on enabling real-time payment for bills issued by financial institutions — such as those for mortgages and credit cards — and real-time deposits. The partnership will also enable Fiserv to integrate its 5,300 account processing clients into the Early Warning Deposit Chek Service suite and its good funds network, facilitating instant posting of bill payments and immediate funds availability for deposits. The companies plan to pilot these services in early 2016 as they work together to commercialize these services for general availability later in the year.

"Our partnership with Early Warning expands the selection of real-time services we can offer clients, enabling them to deliver the speed their customers desire," said Rahul Gupta, president of billing and payment for Fiserv. "Interoperability is a key characteristic of the NOW Network from Fiserv, and by working with other strategic networks such as Early Warning we can make real-time payment options available to consumer and small business users through financial institutions of all sizes."