Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is a method for providing a financial instrument including determining a current account balance for a financial account and on a first periodic basis: determining a specified percentage of the value of the financial account, determine the greater of a particular limit and the highest value of the financial account multiplied by the specified percentage on a second periodic basis, and in response to a determination that the highest value of the financial account multiplied by the specified percentage on the second periodic basis is greater than the particular limit, stepping-up the particular limit to equal the highest value of the financial account multiplied by the specified percentage on the second periodic basis.

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 method and system that allows the valuation of financial, exotic, employee, and strategic real options using a family of highly flexible and customizable lattices, where the method can be used to solve real-life situations and conditions or to value financially engineered situations. The method uses specialized algorithms to solve complex and large models very quickly, and also allow simulation to be run on the inputs.

Abstract: Processes for reducing fraud risk in credit transactions, particularly those involving airline ticket purchases, include collecting the following additional transaction variables and their use in real-time authorization decisions: credit card holder name, reservation code, passenger name, origin city, destination city, travel date, routing description, class of service, e-ticket indicator, number of passengers traveling and carrier code. The additional transaction variables received during a transaction involving the purchase of airline tickets are passed, in addition to the transaction variables traditionally included in a real-time authorizations request, to a fraud risk evaluation model maintained by a financial institution or other entity responsible for authorizing a payment for the transaction. The fraud-risk models use historical behavior and optimal risk decision-making factors to authorize or reject the transaction in real time, without slowing standard authorization processing times.

Abstract: A system and method of providing a collateralized loan utilizing a clearing counterparty is disclosed. The method includes receiving an order at a match engine module, the order related to a futures contract based on an options box spread as the deliverable asset such that the futures contract represents a collateralized loan and such that the order includes an interest rate associated with the collateralized loan, analyzing, at the match engine, the order to determine a strike interval, scanning an order book module in communication with the match engine module, such that the scan is based on the determined strike interval, and automatically defining a first pair of options at a first strike price and a second pair of options at a second strike price, such that the determined strike interval defines the first and second strike prices, such that the first and second pair of options cooperate to define the option box spread.

Abstract: A system includes a computer and an attached database. The database stores inflation, unemployment, budget deficit, and gross domestic product (GDP) data for a variety of time periods for at least one country. The computer determines standard deviations, over a first time period, of an unemployment rate, a ratio of budget deficit to GDP, a GDP rate, and absolute value of an inflation rate. The computer also determines weights for each of the unemployment rate, the ratio of budget deficit to GDP, the GDP rate, and the absolute value of the inflation rate according to the ratio of the average of the standard deviations to the unemployment rate, the ratio of budget deficit to GDP, the GDP rate, and the absolute value of the inflation rate. The computer determines an economic health score for at least a second time period, the second time period being shorter than the first time period.

Abstract: Methods are provided for detecting price manipulation in assets by receiving data indicating returns on an asset, generating a histogram of returns data, determining a first area under a curve of the histogram in a first interval, determining a second area under the curve of the histogram in a second interval; and calculating a bias ratio which comprises a ratio based on the first area and the second area.

Abstract: A system and method to receive a financial transaction and transfer funds associated with the financial transaction into an account associated with an originator of the financial transaction to settle the financial transaction on the same day that the financial transaction is originated. The financial transaction may be one of a plurality of financial transactions and the financial transaction is identified as being eligible for same-day settlement using routing or transit numbers associated with an entity that receives the financial transaction.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for converting a scheduled loan payment between a composite amount and an interest-only amount. A scheduled loan payment may be converted between a composite amount and an interest-only amount. The composite amount may have a first component that includes outstanding principle and a second component that includes interest based on the outstanding principle. Loan payments in the composite amount may be received for a period of time. Upon request by the customer for activation of a payment schedule conversion feature, subsequent scheduled loan payments may be converted from composite payments to interest-only payments. After the payment schedule conversion feature is deactivated, the apparatus and methods may convert subsequent loan payments from interest-only back to a composite amount. Conversion to interest-only payments may be subject to satisfaction of lending risk attenuation criteria.

Abstract: A system and method for processing insurance claims using a set of adjudication rules. The method and system comprises receiving a claim for processing, such that the received claim having claim content including a claim date. Also provided is a database configured for accessing the set of adjudication rules appropriate to the received claim, the set of adjudication rules structured in containers including a primary rule container and secondary rule containers, each of the secondary rule containers being coupled to the primary rule container by a respective container reference, each of the secondary rule containers containing one or more adjudication rules adapted for processing the claim content of the received claim, each of the one or more adjudication rules being coupled to their respective secondary container by a respective rule reference, the set of adjudication rules defining a rule hierarchy.

Abstract: A method for designating accounts for funds from a check to be deposited is described. The method includes receiving, at a processing center having a processor, a direct deposit government entitlement check from a government entity to be deposited. The check may include an identifier. The method further includes comparing the identifier with a customer database to determine that funds from the check have been designated to be divided into sub-amounts and deposited into a plurality of accounts. Each of the plurality of accounts has account type and an associated expenditure designation. The method then receives a report of a total amount deposited from the check for each type of associated expenditure designation and each account type.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter includes a method of distributing a payment of funds made payable to two or more payees. In some embodiments, the method includes the following: receiving a payment of funds made payable to two or more payees; inviting each of the two or more payees to electronically select a preferred method of funds delivery; authenticating each of the two or more payees' identity; electronically receiving the preferred method of funds delivery selected by each of the two or more payees; and delivering funds from the payment of funds to one or more of the two or more payees according to the preferred methods of funds delivery received.

Abstract: A method for assigning a value to a debt is disclosed. The method includes entering, into a digital computer, bankruptcy data associated with a bankruptcy proceeding after a debtor has filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy data may include priority claim data associated with priority claims, non-precedence claim data associated with non-precedence claims, and bankruptcy plan data. After the bankruptcy data are obtained, the digital computer determines a present value associated with at least one non-precedence claim in the non-precedence claims.

Abstract: A method and system for tracking the compliance of a portfolio account used to finance benefit obligations containing a plurality of assets distributed among at least one fund category, containing at least one investment vehicle such as cash, stocks, bonds, insurance policies, is disclosed. The method monitors the balance of assets included in selected investment vehicles, e.g., stocks, equities and relates them to new or modified liability allocations. The method identifies a liability balance associated with selected ones of the investment vehicles within each of the fund categories, identifies an asset balance associated with the value of equities in the account and divests a portion of selected investment vehicles when the asset balance is in violation of a known regulation with regard to the liability balance. The method further provides an indication for reporting when the asset balance is within the known relation to the liability balance as required by appropriate regulations.

Abstract: The invention is a device for bank account management, comprising an input device adapted to receive information related to a diversification of an initial fund of a user, and a processor adapted to calculate a distribution of the initial fund comprising one or more selected currencies based upon the diversification information, convert the initial fund from an initial currency into a converted fund comprising one or more selected currencies based upon the calculated distribution, and record the information about the converted fund in a data file for the bank account.

Abstract: A quantitative system and method that utilizes data sources external to a company, and when available, traditional data sources, e.g., internal company information, to (i) provide for matching criteria such as, for example, demographic needs, to a database that can provide a number of potential recruits or customers and that can also be used to screen both current and prospective company employees matching the criteria, and (ii) generate a statistical model that can be used to predict future profitability and productivity of licensed professionals.

Abstract: A method and system for exchanging electronic files, such as digital images, digital documents, and/or digital audio files, via an escrow transaction. The method allows two transaction partners to store electronic files on a third party system and then grant each partner access to the files of the other partner only after both partners agree. The two partners can review partial information about the electronic files that is sufficient to determine if the files contain the expected data, but insufficient to derive meaningful information about said data. Instead of electronic files, it is also possible for one of the partners to provide payment in various forms in exchange for the electronic documents provided by the other partner.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for facilitating electronic funds transactions is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the method may comprise the steps of: issuing a transaction card to a cardholder by associating the transaction card with a demand deposit account from which the cardholder is authorized to electronically disburse funds; receiving an authorization request for an attempted transaction between a merchant and the cardholder, the authorization request containing information associated with the transaction card and the attempted transaction; processing the authorization request based on one or more predetermined business rules; authorizing the transaction without immediately settling the transaction against the demand deposit account of the cardholder; and settling the transaction, at a time subsequent to the execution of the transaction, through automated clearing house (ACH) from funds retained within the demand deposit account of the cardholder.

Abstract: A data driven and forward looking risk and reward appetite methodology for consumer and small business is described. The methodology includes customer segmentation to create pools of homogeneous assets in terms of revenue and loss characteristics, forward looking simulation to forecast expected values and volatilities of revenue and loss, and risk and reward optimization of the portfolio. One methodology used for modeling revenue and loss is a generalized additive effect decomposition model to fit historical data. Based on the model, a segmentation procedure is performed, which allows for creation of groups of customers with similar revenue and loss characteristics. An estimation procedure for the model is developed and a simulation strategy to forecast and simulate revenue and loss volatility is developed. Efficient frontier curves of risk (e.g., return volatility) and reward (e.g., expected return) are created for the current portfolio under various economic scenarios.

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.