Abstract: An automatic Financial Risk Cover configuration which receives returns behaviors connecting statistical behavior of each potential allocation of a submanager to a resultant statistical behavior of a Financial Risk Cover associated with a client portfolio, creates a total set of Financial Risk Cover configurations using genetic optimization processes to produce unpredictable variations of configurations, simulates and models each configuration in the total set against a set of potential or expected transient market events representative of a plurality of combinations of transient events, removes from the total set each configuration which fails to meet performance objectives during the modelling from the total set of configurations; and outputs each remaining configuration in the total set, wherein each configuration represents a plurality of investment instruments, each investment instrument being associated with an initial cash position.

Abstract: A targeted advertisement placement system allows an advertiser to place an ad in front of an audience based on specific interests of the users in that audience, and based on the advertiser's own specific interests in users who should view the ad. The ad placement system collects information about a population of users and a population of advertisers to create profiles that can include both explicit and implicit criteria defining the user's/advertiser's interest. The explicit criteria can be explicitly provided to the ad placement system, can be extracted from documents provided by the user and/or the advertiser, etc. The implicit criteria include information learned by the system about the interests of both advertisers and users based on preferences implicitly expressed when providing feedback on search results. Using these criteria collected from advertisers and users to build profiles, the system can compare the profiles for matches to determine the best audience before which to place an advertisement.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for determining the volatility of weather derivative option contracts. Volatility levels are initially determined with conventional methods. Unreliable volatility levels are then replaced with futures contracts volatility levels. If the futures contracts volatility levels are not available or appear unreliable, meteorological volatility levels are utilized. The data may be reduced to a three dimensional surface and used when determining margin account requirements.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating financial transactions over a network include a merchant device, a client device and a payment processing device. The merchant device is adapted to allow a merchant to provide items for purchase via the network. The client device is adapted to allow a user to access the merchant device via the network and view the items for purchase. The client device is adapted to provide a payment mechanism to the user. The user generates a purchase request for an item by selecting the one item, dragging the item to the payment mechanism, and dropping the item over the payment mechanism. The payment processing device is adapted to receive the purchase request from the client device via the network and authorize the user to purchase the item from the merchant based on information passed with the purchase request.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for maintaining a leveraged or reverse exchange traded product is provided which includes electronically monitoring, with a computer, a change in value of a product sold on an exchange, ECN, or ATS; and calculating, with a computer, a leverage ratio, wherein the leverage ratio is dg(r)/dr=c(1+r)c?1, and wherein r is a current cumulative return of the product during a current trading day, and c is a constant, and wherein the leverage ratio is equal to the number of underlying shares required to provide the target return with respect to one share of the product.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed for generating filters to determine whether a consumer is likely to have a scoreable credit record based on non-credit data, and to determine a potential risk level associated with an unscoreable credit record based on non-credit data. Existing scoreable and unscoreable records are compared to determine factors correlated with having an unscoreable record, and a multi-level filter is developed. Unscoreable records having at least one entry are compared to determine whether they are “good” or “bad” risks, factors correlated with either condition are determined, and a filter is developed. The filters can be applied to records comprising demographic data to determine consumers that are likely to have unscoreable records but represent good risks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that provide for automated financial resource allocation and accountability among various groups of budgeted accounts, which are overlaid on at least one actual account. The method provides for the user to establish the accounts to be budgeted. The user then establishes a preset spending allocation amount for each account. Each time the user makes a spending allocation for that particular account, the account reflects the amount spent and notifies the user of the remaining amount allocated for that account during a given period. Thus, the user has a more accurate accounting of an established budget with respect to the established accounts, the resources allocated to each account, and the funds actually spent from each account.

Abstract: A method for performing financial trading amongst a plurality of alternative trading systems using a common financial computer platform. The method including the steps of receiving at the common financial computer platform a buy-order for a prescribed number shares at a prescribed price. Electronic communication is then established between the common financial computer platform and each of the plurality of alternative trading systems. At least a portion of the buy-order is then submitted from the common financial computer platform to each of the plurality of alternative trading systems. The common financial common platform then monitors each of the plurality of alternative trading systems to determine if at least a portion of the buy-order was executed by one of the plurality of alternative trading systems.

Abstract: A credit risk framework and systems and methods for using the same. The credit risk framework provides information regarding the eligibility of loans to be sold (delivered) to a purchaser, such as in the secondary mortgage market. The credit risk framework includes determining categories of potentially eligible loans. At least one risk segment is determined and an eligibility grid associated therewith. The eligibility grid is organized using two data elements as axes and forming boxes representing ranges of the two data elements. Each box is then further associated with additional information regarding any restrictions on loans that would fall in the box. Each risk segment may have its own level of delegated authority so as to tie risk to a delegation structure.

Abstract: A system and method are directed towards identifying advertisement keywords within a variety of content types, identifying similarity rankings of advertisements based on the keywords, and to the guiding of keyword purchases. In one embodiment, a search is performed based in part on defined selection criteria, and/or scheduling rules. Content that may include advertisements is processed to identify advertisement keywords. A similarity ranking of different advertisements based on keywords therein may be determined. The similarity rankings may be used, with keyword pricing data, to identify instances of keyword arbitrage, guide purchase of keywords, and to control traffic flow to and from advertisements to obtain a benefit from price differentials between what one keyword seller charges for a keyword and what a click buyer will, pay for traffic directed to advertisements with the same or related keyword.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus are provided for integrating advertisements with a multimedia stream to create a resultant media stream. The depicted embodiments analyze a text-based data stream a multimedia stream to identify advertisement insertion points. Further, the depicted embodiments communicate with a rule-based database to acquire cue requirements and an advertising database to receive the advertisements. The cue requirements are used to incorporate the advertisements into with the multimedia stream to produce a resulting content stream. The resulting content stream may be provided to a user and/or computing device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating financial transactions over a network include a merchant device, a client device and a payment processing device. The merchant device is adapted to allow a merchant to provide items for purchase via the network. The client device is adapted to allow a user to access the merchant device via the network and view the items for purchase. The client device is adapted to provide a payment mechanism to the user. The user generates a purchase request for an item by selecting the one item, dragging the item to the payment mechanism, and dropping the item over the payment mechanism. The payment processing device is adapted to receive the purchase request from the client device via the network and authorize the user to purchase the item from the merchant based on information passed with the purchase request.

Abstract: A method for modeling insurance coverage includes displaying within a user interface, claim scenario parameters for an insurance policy issued to a member, wherein the insurance policy includes a coverage limit associated with damage to the property and injury to the person. The method also includes receiving a value associated with each of the plurality of claim scenario parameters, generating a claim scenario, using the processor, the data related to the plurality of claims, and the values associated with each of the plurality of claim scenario parameters, and generating, using the processor and the claim scenario, a plurality of coverage parameter disparities including a difference between the coverage limit associated with damage to the property and the monetary amount for the damage to the property and a difference between the coverage limit associated with injury to the person and the monetary amount for the injury to the person.

Abstract: An automatic Financial Risk Cover configuration which receives returns behaviors connecting statistical behavior of each potential allocation of a submanager to a resultant statistical behavior of a Financial Risk Cover associated with a client portfolio, creates a total set of Financial Risk Cover configurations using genetic optimization processes to produce unpredictable variations of configurations, simulates and models each configuration in the total set against a set of potential or expected transient market events representative of a plurality of combinations of transient events, removes from the total set each configuration which fails to meet performance objectives during the modelling from said total set of configurations; and outputs each remaining configuration in the total set, wherein each configuration represents a plurality of investment instruments, each investment instrument being associated with an initial cash position.

Abstract: An apparatus, a system, and a method are provided to pay a dispensing fee to a pharmacy and configured to replenish a pharmacy's inventory with prescription drugs by a wholesaler at no cost. Rather than being replenished for any prescription drug dispensed to a patient, a pharmacy would be paid a dispensing fee. To compensate for the wholesaler for replenishing the pharmacy at no cost, the wholesaler would receive an administrative fee. Furthermore, order rights are maintained for each participating pharmacy and wholesaler and monitor and record the transfer of order rights from a pharmacy to a wholesaler and the execute or the use by the wholesaler of the order rights. The order rights may include, in the alternative, a right assigned to the pharmacy to replenish the prescription drug dispensed or a different prescription drug for credit.

Abstract: In a trading environment that comprises buy side traders and securities brokers, a computer process capable of preventing securities brokers from receiving information irrelevant to a commission payment for a securities transaction. The process comprises means for providing an overview of commission payments for a predetermined time period, means for providing details of step-out payments for the predetermined period, means for adjusting step-in amounts and frequencies, means for providing notification that a commission payment has been stepped out and is capable of being credited, means for automatically suggesting and performing step-ins and step-outs, and means for assessing the step-outs and step-ins against a predetermined budget.

Abstract: A business reply mail payment system and method is provided. A business reply mail payment system establishes a master account with the postal system for the payment of business reply mail. A plurality of mailers each establish a separate account with the payment system and transfer control of payment for business reply mail accepted under their respective permit imprints to the payment system. When the mailer will be receiving business reply mail, a request for payment of postage is made to the payment system, which processes the information related to the business reply mail. The post office acceptance site communicates with the payment system as the business reply mail is received and compares the received business reply mail with the information processed by the payment system to determine if it should be accepted or rejected. If the business reply mail is accepted, the master account is debited for payment.

Abstract: A computer-based method and system to enable a benefit plan sponsor to design a plurality of benefit plans to be offered to a given participant population and for determining the cost of sponsoring the plans for the participant population by predicting utilization for each of the plans based upon historical utilization data for the population, projected plan selections based upon presumed participant objectives, and/or survey or historical data from a sample of the given population or from preexisting statistical samples exhibiting analogous demographic characteristics to the given participant population relating to expected benefit utilization and plan preference criteria.

Abstract: Secure image bidding system process for financial transactions, including structured investment products, escrows and interest rate swaps. Some embodiments provide a secure image bidding system and process for image-based bid transmissions where each of a plurality of bids received by the system is encrypted and held in a digital “Vault” until the specified end of the bid period, at which time a package containing the encrypted bids, a log of server activity, and a digital checksum of the original bid file is sent via electronic mail to the bid broker and other participants. A second electronic mail message is sent to the bid broker and other participants containing the decryption key. During the bid process, no party has access to the bid information and there is no human interaction in the receipt, conversion to image, encryption, storage or conveyance of compiled information.

Abstract: An architecture and method for bill presentment using a web-based tool is disclosed. A common architecture collects billing data from multiple business technology systems and present the billing data on a bill. A user-friendly tool allows internal billing personnel and system administrators to configure the content and format of a bill before presenting it to customers. A method provides external customers with drilldown ability, enabling them to view both summary and detailed billing data and related information necessary to understand and pay the bill.