Abstract: Systems and methods for attributing return, risk, and risk-adjusted performance for an investment portfolio. Residual factors for the investment portfolio may be determined based on a matrix of custom factors. The residual factors may correspond to a matrix of factor exposures for the portfolio that may be obtained by orthogonalizing true factors for the portfolio to the matrix of custom factors. The return of the portfolio may be attributed to the custom factors, the residual factors, and idiosyncratic effects. The risk of the portfolio may be attributed to the custom factors, the residual factors, and the idiosyncratic effects. The risk-adjusted performance may be attributed to the custom factors, the residual factors, and idiosyncratic effects based on the return attributions and the risk attributions. The return attribution, risk attribution and risk-adjusted performance attribution for each of the custom factors, the residual factors, and the idiosyncratic effects may be stored.

Abstract: By providing a network photograph service, prompt service can be provided to a customer without losing the advantages of easier understanding of where to access when placing an order and easier collective data management. A service center receiving an order of a printing service, and a minilab or a special laboratory spread across a plurality of places, are able to communicate through a network. A center server in the service center selects and assigns which photo-finishing laboratory will print the ordered picture, in response to order information transferred from a customer via the network. Thus, the printing processing can be carried out by a photo-finishing laboratory specified by the customer, instead of at the center server.

Abstract: An auction system and method, which identifies at least one lot to be auctioned, having a plurality of units within the lot and associated auction parameters; transmits a remaining quantity of units within the lot from a central server to a plurality of remote locations; receives bid identifications for remaining units within the lot at the contemporaneous offering price from the plurality of remote locations; and decrements the offering price over time. The decrement may be adaptive to a bid activity pattern, and the bid activity pattern may be stored in a database. A local server may be provided to communicate between the central server and remote locations while changing the format of the information communicated. The packets preferably include compressed information, and preferably include quantity remaining information for a plurality of auction lots.

Abstract: The fair value of a fund is determined by analyzing various factors indicative of how each underlying asset of the fund would be valued on the open market. The fund may be an international mutual fund that includes underlying assets, which include international equities. Because some of the underlying assets may not be traded in a liquid market at the time of valuation of the fund, a reliable estimate of the value of such underlying assets must be made based on available data related through historical correlations. The fair value of the fund is determined based on the estimated or actual values of each of the underlying assets.

Abstract: A self-service terminal for reading wireless tags incorporated into media items is described. The terminal comprises a media acceptor for receiving media items, such as banknotes incorporating an RFID tag, and a wireless tag reader for reading received media items incorporating wireless tags. The terminal may also include a wireless tag reader for reading wireless tags in media items that are being transported to determine if multiple superimposed media items are present. The terminal may include a wireless tag reader for reading wireless tags in media items presented as a bunch, and subsequently retracted, to determine if any of the presented media items had been removed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for conducting a live auction that combines various features of traditional and online auctions. According to one aspect of the present invention, the live auction includes a live, in-person auction component and a real-time online bidding environment component. Bidding information associated with an item in the online bidding environment is updated to reflect a current bid associated with the item in the live, in-person auction. During the live, in-person auction, a bid is be accepted from an online bidder in the online environment that reflects the online bidder's bid price for the item. Subsequently, the system bids on behalf of the online bidder against other online bidders as well as one or more live bidders that are participating in the live, in-person. As such, the live auction enables real-time online bidding in a live, in-person auction.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically creating and presenting a network based application for any number of a plurality of products. The method and system upon receiving a request to apply for one or more of a plurality of products, dynamically creates an application pages that includes fields to input the specific information required to apply for the selected products. The application page is provided to the applicant through the network and the application data is received by the system. The method and system causes the application data to be processed and provides the results to the applicant. The applicant is provided the results of multiple specific applications in with minimal data input and in real time.

Abstract: A system an method for providing banks with access to a previously inaccessible existing international infrastructure. A provider bank first establishes on its system, a set of accounts for each of the customers of a client bank. (the client bank environment). The client bank environment has its own Demand Deposit Account (DDA) module to process account entries and calculate interest and its own funds transfer module to initiate and to receive funds transfers. The primary interface into the funds transfer section in the client bank environment is to the funds transfer section of the provider bank environment. The funds transfer section of the provider bank is coupled to the systems which constitute the international banking infrastructure that is able to process banking transactions on a global basis for the customers of the client bank. A customer requests a particular international transaction to be performed by its client bank.

Abstract: A system for conducting a commercial transaction between a buyer and a seller is disclosed. The system includes a transaction processing system for facilitating payment for a transaction between the buyer and the seller. In addition to the buyer and the seller, the transaction processing system also interacts with an issuer and an acquirer. An electronic invoice relating to the transaction is first posted to the system by the seller or another system. Upon accepting the electronic invoice, the system creates a payment instruction. Each time a payment instruction is created, the system applies certain pre-negotiated payment terms and conditions between the buyer and the seller to the payment instruction. After the payment instruction is created, the system seeks approval from the buyer. Upon approval of the payment instruction by the buyer, the system schedules the payment for the specified date in the payment instruction.

Abstract: A system and method for distributing information (collectively the “system”) is disclosed. The system can, but need not, include category-based and geography-based attributes to better “focus” the information distributed by the system. In the processing of listing-based attributes (e.g. attributes limited to a particular listing), the system can also be influenced by relationship-based attributes (e.g. attributes between the administrator of the system and the advertisers, and even potentially users). If desired, the system can accommodate the ability of advertisers to modify or enhance the display characteristics relating to information records in order to further differential listings and advertisers. The ability to organize listings into tiers can also be incorporated into the system. By organizing listings into tiers, the system may be more effective in maximizing competition at all ends of the listing continuum, and not just the competition for the top position or two.

Abstract: A market process facilitates trade negotiation between trading processes using three methodologies. In one methodology, when a fruitful negotiation opportunity is detected, the market process provides an alphanumeric message to one of the trading processes so that the owners of the trading processes can negotiate privately, such as by telephone. In another methodology, the market process provides the name of a broker to at least one of the trading processes; the broker may be a human or another software process. In a third methodology, the market process forwards messages between the trading processes. Each trading process can specify a disclosure level associated with orders left with the market process and with market inquiries. Each trading process can specify desirable or undesirable contra-parties, and the trading history of a pair of trading processes can be used to determine their desirability or undesirability as trading partners.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for a trusted entity such as a Post Office to process bills from a plurality of billers includes generating aggregated listings of bills to be submitted each identified customer and making the aggregated listings available to each identified customer. The trusted entity may then receive orders to effectuate payment of selected ones of the bills in the aggregated listings from customers. The first trusted entity may request that a second trusted entity designated by each identified customer (such as a bank) guarantee availability of funds sufficient to cover payment of the bills selected for payment. A third trusted entity (a central bank) may then be instructed to carry out the payments specified in each of the received orders in batch mode by transferring the payments from the second trusted entities designated by the customers to respective fourth trusted entities (e.g., banks) designated by the billers.

Abstract: A system and method for initiating multicurrency/multibank wire transfers and account reporting. Using a standard Internet browser, a customer of a financial institution accesses the funds transfer and information reporting system of the present invention. Access to the system is restricted based on the user's security profile and access rights. Once logged into the system, the user provides instructions to move funds from their accounts with the financial institution or funds from an account with any other financial institution. Furthermore, the customer is able to view the details of its accounts maintained at the financial institution or at any other financial institution in the same session. Wire transactions can be in the form of a pre-defined or free formatted instruction. Furthermore, the wire transactions can involve several banks and several different currencies.

Abstract: Providing interest to clients' deposited funds without the legal limitation on the number of demand withdrawals from deposit accounts is accomplished by an administration system that keeps all of the records for the clients' deposits and withdrawals, calculates the total of the deposits and withdrawals for all clients, and uses the calculation to determine whether funds are deposited to or withdrawn from a single deposit account in which all clients' deposit funds are kept. Clients can make unlimited withdrawals, such as by check, credit card, debit card, or electronic transfer, through the administrator. By placing the administrator as the holder of a single account, legal exemptions to the limitation on earning interest in demand accounts is facilitated.

Abstract: A credit application and routing system includes a central processor having and executing a program. The system includes data input capabilities for selectively receiving credit application data from respective applicants at remote locations, and routing capabilities for selectively forwarding the credit application data to remote funding sources and selectively forwarding funding decision data from the funding sources to the respective applicants. The computer program includes routines for receiving a credit application from at least one remote application input and display device, for selectively forwarding a received credit application to at least one finding source, for receiving a finding decision from the at least one finding source, and for forwarding a received funding decision to the at least one remote application input and display device. The system can also obtain credit report data from credit bureaus, and analyze and summarize the credit report data.

Abstract: Object oriented design strategies and patterns are applied to financial data processing systems for processing and modeling of financial products (also referred to as financial instruments) with an emphasis being on derivative products. The system employs valuation independent, well-defined financial components (also referred to as financial events) that can be combined to build new financial structures. A general purpose software model is provided for representing the structure and characteristics of these products. A declarative specification language is provided to describe financial instruments in a consistent manner that lends itself to processing in such an object oriented system. A general traversal process is provided that can be applied to the macro structure of a financial instrument to implement various functions that produce results based on such information, such as the stream of financial events associated with the instrument, or the pricing or valuation of the instrument.

Abstract: A convex parimutuel call auction implemented at a central market organizer computer includes receiving orders from market participants, calculating a quantity of accepted bids for each of the orders, and communicating to the participants the calculated quantity of accepted bids for each of the orders. Each order includes a specification by a participant of contingent claims on outcomes of a future event, a limit bid price, and a limit bid quantity. The calculation involves maximizing an objective function given by an approximate profit to the market organizer plus a weighted logarithmic penalty function. Because the formulation is convex, the solution may be computed in polynomial time using standard techniques, such as a path-following algorithm.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for conducting a live auction that combines various features of traditional and online auctions. According to one aspect of the present invention, the live auction includes a live, in-person auction component and a real-time online bidding environment component. Bidding information associated with an item in the online bidding environment is updated to reflect a current bid associated with the item in the live, in-person auction. During the live, in-person auction, a bid is be accepted from an online bidder in the online environment that reflects the online bidder's bid price for the item. Subsequently, the system bids on behalf of the online bidder against other online bidders as well as one or more live bidders that are participating in the live, in-person. As such, the live auction enables real-time online bidding in a live, in-person auction.

Abstract: A range bid model allows a buyer to input an upper limit for a desired product or service (with an assumption of a zero buyer lower limit), while a seller inputs a lower limit for the product or service (with an assumption of an infinity seller upper limit). Upon the occurrence of an overlap, where the seller's lower limit is below the buyer's upper limit, the overlap region is divided evenly between the seller lower limit and the buyer upper limit, and both the buyer and seller leave the transaction with a result better than what they were willing to accept. If, however, the buyer's upper limit is below the seller's lower limit, the model provides a “no match” indication or alternatively suggests a theoretical price point between the respective limits.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting electronic online auctions having disguised bidding is disclosed. Submitted bids are ordered on a basis of a comparative bid parameter used by an originator of an auction. The ordinal rank of a bid is reported to the bidder.