Abstract: A payment card processing system and method is provided that allows an account holder to upgrade a private label card to a dual card. The dual card may be used for both private label transactions and bankcard transactions. Methods for upgrading to the dual card account include selecting a private label account having associated monetary and non-monetary data and maintained on a first processing platform for upgrade to a dual card account, creating the dual card account on a second processing platform, transferring the non-monetary data associated with the private label account from the first processing platform to the second processing platform for association with the dual card account, and initiating a trailing activity process to identify monetary and non-monetary activity associated with the private label account and update a cross reference table to associate the trailing activity with the dual card account.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating trading of financial instruments. According to one embodiment, an application receives an indication of interest to trade a financial instrument by a first party, provides the indication of interest to other parties without disclosing a side of trade, receives an offer to trade the financial instrument by a second party based on the provided indication of interest, a side of trade being associated with the offer by the second party but not disclosed to the first party, and receives either a rejection or an acceptance of the second party's offer by the first party.

Abstract: A semi-quantitative analysis on the risk management process increases the possibility of performing an accurate risks comparison, making easier the identification of which risks shall be prioritized and shall receive the greatest mitigation efforts. Specifically, the semi-quantitative risk analysis enables an improved risks comparison for evaluating the consequences of each risk considering its impacts on the project's Net Present Value (NPV), reflecting the project's cash flow at different times. The use of such method makes the prioritization process more efficient, helping the managers and other personnel involved on the process to focus their efforts to the most critical risks for the project's success. In this sense, the risk management process becomes more efficient and better able to provide better support to the project decision makers.

Abstract: The invention relates to an investment risk minimization system involving a venture capital investor and a venture needing investment from the venture capital investor. In such a system, an exemplary method can include providing an investment to a venture having an intellectual asset, and receiving a security interest in the intellectual asset. The security interest secures an ownership right upon failure by the venture to meet established parameters. Further, if the venture receiving the investment fails to meet the established parameters, the method includes obtaining an ownership interest in the intellectual asset, valuing the intellectual asset, and transferring the intellectual asset to a charitable organization.

Abstract: A method, computer system, and computer program for determining suspect entities engaged in financial transactions. A focus entity and peripheral entities are selected such that each peripheral entity has financial transactions with F within a period of time that is subsequently partitioned into at least two time intervals. Directed graphs are generated for each time interval. Each directed graph consists of a focus node, a plurality of peripheral nodes, and edges between the focus node and the peripheral nodes. The focus node represents F. Each peripheral node represents one of the peripheral entities. Each edge has a weight that is a function of the financial transaction between F and the peripheral node within the time interval. Out-of-norm edges are determined from the directed graphs using edge-selection criteria. Potential suspect entities are identified from the out-of-norm edges. The suspect entities are determined from the potential suspect entities.

Abstract: A trading screen displays market information, such as working orders, buy and sell orders, and other items of interest, in association with values on a value axis. Each item of interest is therefore displayed in relation to the value axis to provide a trader with an intuitive display of the market. In one embodiment, a user can select a location associated with a particular value on the trading screen and upon an selection, for example, by a click of the mouse button, the value axis is repositioned so that the selected value is moved to a predefined location. During which, market information is moved to new locations that are associated with their respective values on the value axis.

Abstract: The present invention provides apparatus and methods for measuring multimedia demand and for maximizing broadcast channel utilization. A first, two way communications channel or channels, from a customer to a broadcaster are provided, as well as a second broadcast channel, which may be, in some embodiments, combined with the two way channel. A bid cycle is established for available programs, whereby one or more programs is listed as available on said two way channel, whereupon one or more customers may bid on those programs in order to view those programs. If the aggregated bids reached a threshold value, the broadcaster will then broadcast the program to the bidding customers, thus closing the bid cycle. If the threshold is not reached, the bid cycle is unsatisfied.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for verifying a customer's financial information is disclosed wherein a seller accepts information about the details of price and quantity of the goods to be purchased, and accepts information about customer's financial account. Payment is authorized for desired goods in two or more separate transactions, the amount of each transaction totaling the total price of the goods. Then the amount of each transaction is received from the customer and compared to the amount charged to the bank. If the two amounts match then the goods are shipped to the customer and payment is settled. In an alternative embodiment a ratio of the two amounts received from the customer is used rather than the amounts themselves to compensate for currency variations.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for creating a financial index related to healthcare costs. A financial derivative instrument can be created from the index. Using the financial derivative instrument, an entity can hedge against unexpected fluctuations of healthcare costs.

Abstract: A trading screen displays market information, such as working orders, buy and sell orders, and other items of interest, in association with values on a value axis. Each item of interest is therefore displayed in relation to the value axis to provide a trader with an intuitive display of the market. In one embodiment, a user can select a location associated with a particular value on the trading screen and upon an selection, for example, by a click of the mouse button, the value axis is repositioned so that the selected value is moved to a predefined location. During which, market information is moved to new locations that are associated with their respective values on the value axis.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of debt recovery is provided. The method includes providing a device to a consumer owing a debt to a creditor. The device has a utility that becomes available to the consumer after being activated by the creditor. The method also includes indicating to the consumer that the utility of the device will be activated if the consumer contacts the creditor.

Abstract: A client terminal displays on a graphical interface a first indicator of a price associated with a lowest traded price of a tradable object during a predetermined period of time, a second indicator of a price associated with a highest traded price of the tradable object during the predetermined period of time, along with at least one quantity indicator associated with at least one order to buy/order the tradable object. The first indicator, the second indicator, and the at least one quantity indicator are displayed in relation to a static axis of price, and the client terminal dynamically updates the first and second indicator to new lowest and highest traded prices based on market updates received from an exchange.

Abstract: A system and method for extending a balance reduction offer to a set of borrowers selected from a pool is provided. A lender, for instance a financial institution issuing credit cards to a pool of borrowers, selects a subset of borrowers based upon a criterion. The balance reduction offer includes a financial incentive to encourage the borrower to accept the offer. When the borrower accepts the offer, the lender credits the account for a payment received. In one embodiment, an issuer of credit cards may employ the invention to facilitate selected borrowers transferring outstanding balances to another credit card. In such an embodiment, the borrower may complete the transaction with the assistance of a cash wire transfer company.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for facilitating and managing health care between a medical provider and a patient. In one aspect, the system and method includes providing a patient having a first criteria, which includes a medical symptom. The system and method also include selecting a subset of medical providers having expertise in treating the medical symptom, generating a care request to obtain a treatment proposal for the medical symptom of the patient, and updating the care request with medical information associated with the medical symptom. The system and method further include receiving at least one treatment proposal of the medical symptom from the medical providers and selecting a treatment proposal of the medical symptom from the medical providers.

Abstract: A system determines insurance parameters for insuring online auctions. The insurance parameters may be based on predicted auction results. An insurance policy reflecting the insurance parameters may be offered to an online auction buyer, seller, or other market participant. The insurance policy may insure, for example, that an item for sale will obtain at least a price specified by the insurance policy.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a child support payment and child support disbursement system at a processing entity (such as a state disbursement unit or any other commercial, governmental, or other entity), wherein an employee (who is a noncustodial parent who owes a child support obligation) authorizes a child support payment and child support disbursement to an employer and the employer processes the child support payment and child support disbursement through a processing entity. The processing entity processes the child support payment as a debit-based transaction and processes the child support disbursement as an addendum-based transaction. The payment may be made to the processing entity, to a state, or to any other entity. The disbursement may be made to a custodial parent, to a state, to a state entity, or to any other recipient.

Abstract: A user interface for an electronic trading exchange is provided which allows a remote trader to view in real time bid orders, offer orders, and trades for an item, and optionally one or more sources of contextual data. Individual traders place orders on remote client terminals, and this information is routed to a transaction server. The transaction server receives order information from the remote terminals, matches a bid for an item to an offer for an item responsive to the bid corresponding with the offer, and communicates outstanding bid and offer information, and additional information (such as trades and contextual data) back to the client terminals. Each client terminal displays all of the outstanding bids and offers for an item, allowing the trader to view trends in orders for an item. A priority view is provided in which orders are displayed as tokens at locations corresponding to the values of the orders. The size of the tokens reflects the quantity of the orders.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a charging network, including: a service unit, a charging system and a charging agent apparatus; the charging agent apparatus is responsible for connecting the service unit and the charging system, receiving a charging event sent from a service unit, determining a corresponding charging system and generating a charging request according to the information carried in the charging event, and sending the generated charging request to the corresponding charging system. Also, a charging agent apparatus and a charging method are provided by this invention. The charging agent apparatus is added into the charging network, responsible for interacting with service units and charging systems, thus reducing the complexity of the service units as well as the charging network.

Abstract: A system and method for displaying and controlling risk related information in an electronic trading environment are described. One method includes creating a display interface including a data structure and a display grid. The data structure may be a tree-based data structure with a plurality of data nodes associated with trader-related risk information, where the data in the data nodes is automatically updated based on fill information being received from at least one electronic exchange. Also, the data structure includes the ability to select, manipulate, and group the data nodes based on user preferences. The method further includes selecting data nodes to be mapped to the at least one data grid, and displaying trader-related risk information corresponding to the selected data nodes on the at least one data grid.

Abstract: An automated futures trading exchange is provided that rewards market participants that provide liquidity to a central processing system and charges a fee to market participants that remove liquidity from the central processing system. The liquidity maker and the liquidity taker in each transaction is identified, and it is further determined whether the liquidity maker and/or the liquidity taker is a member of a market making class. By assigning a credit or a debit to the accounts of each market participant based upon whether a market participant to a transaction is a liquidity maker or liquidity taker or based upon whether the market participant is a market maker, a multi-factored and dynamic system is provided for promoting and controlling market liquidity. Additionally, different rates of debits and credits may be applied, using volume-tiered rates and the trading status of the trader.