Abstract: In various embodiments, a computer-assisted method for processing an electronic message includes the steps of reviewing the recipients of the electronic message, evaluating whether any of the recipients of the electronic message are potentially incorrect, and prompting the sender of the electronic message to evaluate whether the potentially incorrect recipients are correct. This computer-assisted method, as it evaluates whether a recipient may be potentially incorrect, may provide an effective warning to the sender of the electronic message as opposed to previous systems which automatically, and often, spuriously, warned the sender that a recipient may be incorrect without ever evaluating the recipients.

Abstract: Methods and computerized apparatus for shared business modeling involving multiple spreadsheet-based business models in a network of computers, report generation involving consolidation from at least two different spreadsheet-based business models as well as report generation involving multiple different spreadsheet-based business models are described.

Abstract: A user interface for providing information regarding a subject company to a user. The user interface may comprise a company tile, which may have an indicator of the subject company. A state of the company tile, such as, for example, its color, may indicate a property of the subject company. The user interface may also comprise a financial information module displaying financial information regarding the subject company, and a subject individual module displaying information regarding a subject individual related to the subject company. According to various embodiments, the user interface may also include a navigation toolbar including a second company tile comprising an indicator of a second company. Selecting the second company tile may cause the second company to become a new subject company.

Abstract: Computer-based systems and methods for computing a score (a “target score”) for the contacts of a research department. The target score may be computed for each contact for each analyst team of the research department. The target score indicates how resources should be deployed by the research department to maximize revenue for the research department. The target score is computed based on a number of metrics. These metrics can include both analyst-team-specific contact metrics that relate to the contact-analyst team combination, as well as account metrics that pertain to the investment accounts associated with each of the contacts. Weights for the metrics may be determined using an optimization algorithm.

Abstract: Methods for classifying computer objects. The methods may comprise receiving a tag for a first computer object. The tag may comprise at least two nested categories describing the first computer object. The methods may also comprise updating a hierarchy of categories for computer objects to include the at least two nested categories describing the computer object. In addition, the methods may comprise displaying a graphical representation of the hierarchy of categories, and displaying an indication of computer objects having tags comprising a first category when an indication of the first category is received.

Abstract: A system and method for providing access to data stored in encrypted form in a physically non-secure database without compromising security of the data in the physically non-secure database is disclosed. A representation of at least some of the data from the database in unencrypted form is stored in volatile memory associated with the server. The wildcard search is performed on the representation. Search results are displayed to the user to allow the user to select database contents to be retrieved. The user's selection is retrieved from the database and decrypted. Finally, the unencrypted selection results are provided to the user.

Abstract: A milestone manager receives a milestone message from a first application. The milestone message includes information associated with a periodic event. The milestone manager applies a rule based process on the milestone message information and sends a trigger to a second application in response to the milestone. The trigger initiates processing of the second application in response to the milestone.

Abstract: Methods of facilitating a party's purchase of an electricity-generating solar power system are disclosed. The methods may comprise entering into, by the lender, an agreement with the party whereby, in exchange for a payment amount paid by the lender to a seller of the solar power system, the lender owns and is to sell up to 100% of the electricity generated by the party's solar power system after installation for a contract time period defined by the agreement. The methods may also comprise paying, by the lender, the payment amount to the seller for the solar power system. The contract time period may extend, for example, until sales of the electricity by the lender after installation generate an aggregate payment amount that meets or exceeds a specified level. The contract time period or unit quantity might also be fixed. The lender may also receive environmental attributes from the party.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a brokerage commission owed by a client of a brokerage firm based on the principal volume (“PV”) of the client's eligible transactions over a time period. The system may comprise: (i) a database storing information about the client's transactions; and (ii) one or more processors in communication with the database. The processor(s) is programmed to determine the client's brokerage commission by: (i) calculating the cumulative PV of transactions made by the client through the brokerage firm over a time period; and (ii) calculating the commission for a billing time period based on the calculated cumulative PV. The applicable commission may be determined based on a tiered marginal commission rate schedule.

Abstract: A computerized data publishing method in which an action is received from a source. The action results in a data state change that must be propagated to multiple heterogeneous computer devices, in a manner that maintains the consistency of data among multiple heterogeneous computer devices. A record is saved in storage reflecting the data state change. The update process updates the impacted computer devices with the modified data using a publishing mechanism, and receives an indicator of whether the updating succeeded or failed. If the updating failed, a retry of the updating is initiated using the publishing mechanism. If all the updating of all of the impacted computer devices succeeded, the operation ends.

Abstract: Computer-based systems and methods for calibrating a surface. The surface may be a 1-D or multi-D surface, such as a volatility grid used to price financial instruments whose price depends on volatility. The computer system may comprise: a database that stores calibration input data; a processor in communication with the database; and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory stores instructions which when executed by the processor causes the processor to calculate entries for a vector representing the surface based on the calibration input data. The entries for the vector representing the surface are calculated based on a product of a matrix of a set of basis functions and a vector of coefficients for the set of basis functions, where entries for the vector of coefficients are determined based on the calibration input data. In various implementations, the set of basis functions comprises a set of b-spline basis functions.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods for determining a “liquidity cycle” for a tradable financial product. The liquidity cycle has a liquidity cycle time period that is made up of multiple discrete time intervals, and the liquidity cycle indicates an expected distribution of order flow at each discrete time interval over the liquidity cycle time period. The liquidity cycle is determined based on tick data for the financial product. The tick data can comprise time-stamped indicative price quotes for the financial product and/or time-stamped price data for completed transactions involving the financial product. The liquidity cycle can be used to compute a Flow-Weighted Average Price (FWAP) for the financial product over a specified FWAP trade time window. An investor may agree with the trader to buy or sell (depending on the side of the transaction) the financial product at the FWAP.

Abstract: An interactive user interface is disclosed. According to various embodiments, the interface includes a first field and at least one additional field. The first field lists a focal item and the at least one additional field contains a listing of items related to the focal item. Certain of the related items in the at least one additional field include a hyperlink which, when activated by the user, causes the item corresponding to the activated hyperlink to become a new focal item listed in the first field, such that the at least one additional field transitions to list items related to the new focal item. The focal item may be, for example, an identifier corresponding to a company, and the at least one additional field may contain a listing of identifiers corresponding to companies that are customers, suppliers or competitors of the focal item company.

Abstract: Computer-based systems and methods that optimize meeting schedules based on financial score metrics. The meetings may be optimized for, for example, research analysts that are conducting in-person meetings with contacts of a research department and/or corporate executives of a company who, along with an analyst, are meeting contacts of the research department.

Abstract: An apparatus is described including a central connection manager having a contact rules engine, the contact rules engine being configured to allow contact rule creation and to provide contact rule management such that created contact rules will apply to each of the multiple distributed applications and servers owned by each of the multiple distributed applications. A computerized method of managing contact information for deployed applications and deployed servers in a geographically distributed network is also described. The method involves maintaining an ownership relationship between the deployed applications and the deployed servers such that every server is owned by at least one application, maintaining a centralized repository of contact rules and managing the contact rules such that when a rule parameter of a specific rule changes, the change will be applied to all impacted deployed applications.

Abstract: Methods and computerized apparatus for shared business modeling involving multiple spreadsheet-based business models in a network of computers, report generation involving consolidation from at least two different spreadsheet-based business models as well as report generation involving multiple different spreadsheet-based business models are described.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing access to a computer account of a computer system that is not associated with a human user. The system comprises a password repository for storing a password for the computer account. The password is preferably encrypted with at least two secrets. The system also comprises a first data storage device for storing the first secret and a second data storage device for storing the second secret. The system additionally comprises a computer device in communication with the password repository and the first and second data storage devices for managing access to the computer account. The computer device is programmed to, in response to a request to perform an action under the computer account: (i) retrieve the first secret from the first data storage device; (ii) retrieve the second secret from the second data storage device; and (iii) decrypt the password with the first second secrets.

Abstract: A system and method for providing access to data stored in encrypted form in a physically non-secure database without compromising security of the data in the physically non-secure database is disclosed. A representation of at least some of the data from the database in unencrypted form is stored in volatile memory associated with the server. The wildcard search is performed on the representation. Search results are displayed to the user to allow the user to select database contents to be retrieved. The user's selection is retrieved from the database and decrypted. Finally, the unencrypted selection results are provided to the user.

Abstract: An automated regression testing intermediary configured to accept a first set of automated test instructions from an application testing tool. A data structure comprising predefined fields is configured so when a test instruction is received from the application testing tool, a command will be used to identify at least one field of the data structure that will be populated with a parameter test instruction. A library of generic target automated test instructions is provided. Each generic test instruction has a form and format different from the received test instruction. The intermediary is configured to select generic target automated test instructions from the library and populate selected generic target automated test instructions with parameters obtained from the data structure such that the resulting created target-specific automated test instructions can be used to regression test the application under test.

Abstract: Relating resources expended by a securities research entity to revenue received by a financial services firm including the securities research entity. A computer system may receive account revenue data indicative of revenue received by the financial services firm from a first customer investment account for at least securities trade execution by the financial services firm for the first customer investment account. The computer system may also receive account expense data indicative of expenses incurred by the securities research entity on behalf of the first customer investment account. The computer system may determine a market condition-adjusted elasticity for the first customer investment account.