Abstract: Machine and related manufacturer controlling multi-jurisdictional investment; a computer system arranged to receive information and locate said information into a memory, the information including investment specifications and pricing data for the financial product, the computer system further including: an input device for receiving the information and converting the information into signals; a program control to compute, from said signals, for calculating respective valuations of parts of investment in respective jurisdictions and a program control to trigger printing documentation, including said valuations, to carry out the implementation of the parts in the respective jurisdictions. In variations thereof, such as optimizing, separating, valuation, and execution are supported.

Abstract: A method and system provides for scanning a check and/or cash to create an electronic image of the front and the back of the check and/or cash. The image is then processed and transmitted electronically to a central location. The image may be recreated into a paper form at the central location, resembling the original paper check or cash, including a machine-readable regeneration of the MICR code line data captured from the original instrument. Paperless processing of checks and cash is thus provided, including local voiding and storage of the check without requiring immediate pickup, while still allowing the transaction to be process.

Abstract: A financial document item processing system processes checks transported from an upstream end of a check transport path to a downstream end of the check transport path. Endorsement data is transmitted to an RFID tag of a check transported along the check transport path from the upstream end to the downstream end. Alternatively, encoded data is transmitted to an RFID tag of a check transported along the check transport path from the upstream end to the downstream end. In some financial document item processing applications, both endorsement data and encoded data are transmitted to an RFID tag of a check transported along the check transport path from the upstream end to the downstream end.

Abstract: A market process collects orders from trading processes into a batch, the orders associated with respective liquidity curves. The market process uses the liquidity curve to determine a premium offered by or demanded for the order. The market process then pairs orders in the batch that have indicated willingness to bear the greatest amount of market risk, as demonstrated by their premiums. Greedy or risk averse orders, as indicated by their premiums, may not be paired during the batch.

Abstract: A system and method for providing market information are disclosed. In this application, updates are received for a tradeable object at a price level from at least one exchange. To the extent that the updates do not include enough details to compute the number of orders resting at a particular price level in a market, estimation may be used to provide order queue information. As a result, the number of orders which are pending in the market at various price levels may be determined using the techniques described herein. The interface disclosed herein may be used to display the number and/or quantity of the orders in the order queue.

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 system for facilitating the processing and settlement of a securities trade is provided. The system includes a computer which receives trade execution information indicative of an executed trade by a first trading party and trade allocation information indicative of an executed trade by a second trading party. The system also includes a database of trading party profiles accessible by the computer, the trading party profiles being indicative of acceptable trade parameters for each trading party. Executing on the computer is a matching program for comparing the trade execution information with the trade allocation information and for determining that a match exists if the trade execution information and the trade allocation information correlate within the acceptable trade parameters supplied in the trading party profiles for the first trading party and the second trading party.

Abstract: Providing interest to clients' deposited funds without 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 one or more deposit accounts 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 the deposit account(s), exemptions to the limitation on earning interest in demand accounts is facilitated; additionally, dispersing the deposit account funds among multiple banks allows the client to obtain FDIC insurance for all of the deposited funds, which may amount to insurance in excess of the statutory maximum allowed (presently $100,000.00).

Abstract: Methods and systems for auctioning units of securities research resources from a supplier of securities research services to potential consumers of the supplier's securities research are disclosed. According to various embodiments, the method includes the steps of receiving from a plurality of the potential consumers at least one bid for at least one unit of the securities research resources services of the supplier in at least one bidding stage, and allocating units of securities research resources services of the supplier to certain of the potential consumers (i.e., winning bidders) based on the received bids of the potential consumers. The units may be, for example, research time units of a research team of the supplier of the securities research. Also, the units may be a preferred service access level to a member of a research team of the supplier of the securities research.

Abstract: A hidden image game piece and a method by which a hidden image game piece is produced. A first pattern of colored ink is deposited on a transparent or highly translucent substrate at 110-180 density, forming the image which is to be hidden. Then a second pattern of colored ink, of a different color than first pattern's ink, is deposited upon the substrate on top of the first pattern, at 90-170 density. When the game piece is flooded with additive light of the same color as the second pattern's ink, the previously concealed image, composed of the first pattern's ink, becomes perceptible. Because a transparent or highly translucent substrate is used for the game piece, and because the density of the ink application is controlled within specific ranges, this game piece may be used with a computer monitor, or with other low-intensity sources of additive light.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a financing structure for generating a source of contingent capital for a company. According to various embodiments, the company enters into a put option agreement with an entity, such as a trust. The put option agreement permits the company to put preferred stock of the company to the trust. The company also enters into a warrant agreement with the trust. The warrant agreement permits the trust to buy equity securities (such as common stock) of the company or a corporate entity related to the company (e.g., a holding company) from the company. The trust issues to investors bifurcated convertible instruments. The instruments include a fixed income instrument and a warrant to purchase equity securities of the related corporate entity (e.g., the holding company). With the proceeds from the offering, the trust purchases eligible assets, such as low risk government securities which pay fixed or floating periodic interest or dividend payments.

Abstract: Preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise, for example, a method for measuring trade costs, comprising (1) capturing trade data over a predetermined time period; (2) capturing time stamp data corresponding to said trade data, wherein said time stamp data comprises open events and close events, data regarding when an order is received by a buy-side trading desk from a portfolio manager; data regarding when execution of said order is completed, and data regarding when a manager decides to engage in trading regarding said order; and (3) performing an investment level analysis based on said trade data and said time stamp data. Further embodiments comprise systems and software for implementing the above method (and others) and utilizing information obtained therefrom.

Abstract: In a software suite for enabling viewing and manipulation of data through a single portal accessible from a data-packet-network, a software interface for enabling proxy transfer of funds from one financial account to another is provided. The software interface comprises, an interactive main window for configuring transfer funds orders, viewing pending transfers, viewing transaction history, and viewing active account balances related to registered financial accounts, an interactive selection window accessible through the main interface, the selection window for enabling selection of individual accounts for grouping into a list of activated accounts and an automated confirmation window enabling confirmation of data parameters of a requested funds transfer. A user operating the main interface may initiate funds transfer orders to be performed between accounts at requested times by proxy in a fashion transparent at the time of execution to the requesting user.

Abstract: An approach to workflow-based data processing is described, wherein as part of the workflow a multiplicity of display pages is executed interactively by means of workflow control commands. A suitable computer system comprises at least one user terminal with a user interface for page display (802) and for input of user data and workflow control commands, one or more basic systems with associated basic databases, containing basic data, at least one cache database in which the user data and a selected extract from the basic data are cached (806), one or more service systems with services (810) for performing data processing steps on the basis of data sourced from the cache database and a mechanism (804) for generating a request directed at the invocation of at least one service (810) as a response to a workflow control command.

Abstract: Providing interest to clients' deposited funds without 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 one or more deposit accounts 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 the deposit account(s), exemptions to the limitation on earning interest in demand accounts is facilitated; additionally, dispersing the deposit account funds among multiple banks allows the client to obtain FDIC insurance for all of the deposited funds, which may amount to insurance in excess of the statutory maximum allowed (presently $100,000.00).

Abstract: A method is provided for identifying a cost-minimizing bid set in a reverse combinatorial auction subject to various business rules for all-or-nothing bundled bids. The method includes introducing a decision variable for each bid, introducing a counting variable to indicate whether bids from a supplier are chosen in an optimal bid set, modeling demand constraints for each item using the bid variables, modeling minimum and maximum numbers of suppliers based on the counting variables, introducing dummy variables to ensure existence of feasible solutions, for a given cost formulating an objective of choosing bids that arrive early based on an additional timestamped objective with the given cost level as a constraint, and introducing price modifications to handle the formulated objective of choosing bids that arrive early.

Abstract: An anonymous trading system comprises a network of broker nodes each of which perform price matching, deal execution and market distribution. Trader terminals on trading floors are connected to a given broker node via a trading agent node. Credit may be stored for a given trading floor at its trading agent node or at a credit agent node which stores credit limits for a group of trading floors. Where the credit limits of a party to a proposed deal are stored at a credit agent node, the deal execution process is routed through that credit agent node to check for available credit. The system allows institutions to adopt any combination of local and global credit assignments with counterparties with which it wishes to trade.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for assisting financial services firms and their representatives in efficiently managing their businesses, and in developing and maintaining strong customer service and loyalty. An integrated, preferably web based browser operated system is provided that uses one or more central databases to store customer, account, accounting, compliance, and other relevant information. Interfaces and tools are also provided for accessing the one or more central databases in a manner that is consistent with and supports how a representative actually works.

Abstract: A funds transfer system is disclosed that is responsive to a receipt of a payment request by performing a risk management assessment of an associated payer and payee. If the risk management assessment produces an adverse indication, the payment request is declined. Otherwise, the payment request may be processed by causing funds to be transferred between the payer and payee. The risk management assessment may be performed on the basis of credit and/or authentication information derived from customer information received with or prior to the payment request. Such customer information may, for example, include credit card account information and/or bank account information.

Abstract: A payment request associated with a transfer of funds is received and a risk management assessment for both sides thereof is performed. If the risk management assessment procedure produces an adverse indication, the payment request is declined. Otherwise, the payment request may be processed for delivery of a payment associated therewith. The risk management assessment may be performed on the basis of credit/authentication information derived from customer information received with (or even prior to) the payment request. Such customer information may include credit card account information and/or bank account information (e.g., checking account) information. In some cases, the risk management assessment may include an automated component and a manual (non-automated) component. Such a manual component may be needed where the automated component of the risk management assessment provides suspect information regarding one of the parties to the transaction.