Abstract: An existing customer of a financial institution may open a new account with their financial institution using an optimized online interface. Initially, the interface presents a standard application for a new account in which an extensive number of fields for personal and financial information must be completed. A link is provided on this long application for use by existing account holders only. Upon selection of the link, an existing account holder is instead presented with a short application in which only the account holder's name, a portion of their social security number, their existing account number, and their account confirmation identifier are required to be entered.

Abstract: An object oriented trade finance system designed to support a large-scale transactional work flow on a global basis. The system supports all facets of the trade finance business including but not limited to letters of credit, collections, bankers acceptances and reimbursements. A trade finance system organized into a central and distributed location hardware architecture having a user interface of a user work station which communicates with an application server including business objects. The business objects communicate with a database to obtain the data needed for the business logic and include all the business logic needed for the system. Work flow distribution rules are used to distribute the work items to a work item list for work group that can be distributed geographically in different time zones and to allow processing to continue when the originally assigned workgroup has reached an end of its business day.

Abstract: An Enterprise Management Portfolio Hub allows a user to perform enterprise portfolio management activities from a single point of control. EPMH relates information, analysis, display and control based on the organizing concept of the business components that comprise the CBM map of the enterprise by collecting portfolio information from existing portfolio management tools and generating a portfolio model. It allows the user to interact with or access information from various Portfolio Management applications and services through the portfolio model. EPMH supports evaluative techniques that can be used to identify areas for business transformation and to generate transition plans.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for providing a real estate auction system. In architecture, the system includes a server device on a network comprising a mechanism for posting a real estate property for auction, a mechanism for acquiring a plurality of data items describing the real estate property for auction from a seller remote device, a mechanism or making the real estate property available at auction to a bidder remote device; and a mechanism for accepting a bid on the real estate property for auction from at least one potential buyer for a predetermined period. The present invention can also be viewed as a method for providing a real estate auction.

Abstract: A collective investment vehicle that provides cash distributions. The distributions provide a cash flow to holders of the collective investment vehicle securities, and also allow the value of the collective investment vehicle securities to be reset to a target level. The distributions may be scheduled to occur periodically, or may be based on the occurrence of specific events including company events, economic events, political events, etc. In some embodiments, the funds required for cash distributions are obtained without incurring any capital gains, and the distributions may be treated as a return of capital.

Abstract: A financial product is based on a first fund that is traded on a trading marketplace in a first country. The financial product is registered in the first country. The first fund has the characteristics of being based on an index of securities that are traded in a second, different country. The first fund is arbitragable with a second fund that is based on the index and which is registered in a second different country. The first fund has a creation unit basis that is substantially the same basis as a creation unit basis for the second fund. The calculation of the net asset value of the first fund occurs at essentially or exactly the same time that second country fund has its NAV calculated. The agent for the first fund has the option of providing or accepting second fund shares or other securities, rather than cash, to cover “cash amount” obligations. Such obligations arise from the need to equate the value received or given for the first fund shares (e.g.

Abstract: In a method for obtaining capital, a convertible or exchangeable financial instrument having an accreted value and that earns returns over a lifetime comprising at least a first and a second time period is offered. During a first time period, at least some of the returns earned are paid in cash. During a second time period all of the returns earned are accreted to the accreted value of the financial instrument. Returns may be earned during each period according to a rate associated with each period. The rate associated with each period may be fixed or variable and may be modified by one or more rate modifiers, such as a minimum or maximum rate. The financial instrument may include a provision describing how the instrument is serviced when the current value of a rate is negative.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the buying power of an investment portfolio are disclosed which involve providing a set of compliance rules for an investment portfolio, receiving a request to analyze a proposed transaction, and calculating a transaction limit for the proposed transaction based upon the set of compliance rules.

Abstract: The disclosed technology involves estimating daily trading volume for a securities market for a next day, estimating daily trading volume for a particular security for a next day, and estimating intraday trading volume for a particular security for a next time bin in the current day.

Abstract: A method and system receives one or more target distribution amounts corresponding to currency totals for one or more foreign entities to distribute to one or more domestic entities in one or more years, the foreign entities being direct or indirect subsidiaries of the one or more domestic entities, then it receives entity data pertaining to tax relevant attributes for the one or more domestic and foreign entities over the one or more years, and receives distribution constraints for each foreign entity, the distribution constraints including a minimum distribution amount and a maximum distribution amount for each entity in each year. The method and system creates one or more distribution scenarios including corresponding tax costs based on the entity data and the distribution constraints and identifies a distribution scenario from the one or more distribution scenarios having the lowest tax and meeting the one or more target distribution amounts.

Abstract: A system for providing stabilized annuity payments, the system comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory. The computer program allocates the risks associated with an investment to the potential beneficiaries of the annuitant by controlling the allocation of assets between two investment pools. The annuitant pool is the pool on which annuity payments are based and the beneficiary pool contains assets that are provided to the beneficiaries upon the death of the annuitant. The beneficiary pool is used as a cushion to isolate the contents of the annuitant pool from fluctuations in value. If the underlying investments perform poorly, assets from the beneficiary pool are reallocated to the annuity pool in order to maintain the existing annuity payment. If the underlying investments perform favorably, increasing in value, excess amounts above a set trigger level amount will be periodically transferred to the annuitant pool.

Abstract: A financial institution may use the bank routing and account number information (ABA/DDA) of a checking account or the like, obtained from paper checks previously submitted by a customer, in an electronic payment program. When a customer who has previously paid a credit balance by check, for example, wants to enroll in the electronic payment program, an abbreviated enrollment process is provided in which the consumer only enters a portion of bank routing information, instead of having to enter the full ABA/DDA as in the standard enrollment procedure. In some cases, the customer may leave such information blank and needs only to confirm that the stored bank account information corresponds to the account being used for the electronic payment.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for modifying how market updates are provided in an electronic trading environment upon detecting one or more triggering events. One example method includes defining an event to be used to trigger modification of how market updates are provided to a client entity, receiving a market update from an electronic exchange, and, when the event is detected, modifying how the market update is provided to the client entity. As an example, the modification of how the market update is provided to the client entity may include providing less data in relation to market updates, and sending the market updates less frequently.

Abstract: In an embodiment one or more alternate entity structures are created in response to a base entity structure. A tax liability is determined for each alternate entity structure and the base entity structure; furthermore, a result is generated in response to comparing each of the determined tax liabilities with one another.

Abstract: A technique for evaluating fraud risk in e-commerce transactions between consumer and a merchant is disclosed. The merchant requests service from the system using a secure, open messaging protocol. An e-commerce transaction or electronic purchase order is received from the merchant, the level of risk associated with each order is measured, and a risk score is returned. In one embodiment, data validation, highly predictive artificial intelligence pattern matching, network data aggregation and negative file checks are used. The system performs analysis including data integrity checks and correlation analyses based on characteristics of the transaction. Other analysis includes comparison of the current transaction against known fraudulent transactions, and a search of a transaction history database to identify abnormal patterns, name and address changes, and defrauders.

Abstract: In one general aspect, a financial advisor support method is disclosed that includes presenting on a wireless handheld device a list of accounts of different types held by a household entity at different institutions, receiving through the wireless handheld device account selection commands for a selected account in the list presented in the step of presenting, and presenting on the wireless handheld device account information for the selected account in response to the step of receiving.

Abstract: A system for management, correlation, and combination of various analysis techniques is disclosed. Graphical user interface (GUI) controls and displays are provided to allow a user to configure different aspects of an analysis system. A financial analysis application allows a user to designate instruments whose data points, factors or other relevant data can be pre-processed with indicators. The outputs of the indicators are provided to advisors for calculation and grouping. A user is able to select the types of raw data to use, the instruments, the factors, the data feeds and other sources for data, the indicators that perform processing and the advisors that perform analysis, grouping and outputting of results for combining using machine learning mechanisms.

Abstract: A data feed from an electronic exchange carries certain pieces of market information. Software at the trading station receives the data feed and computes an effective bid price and/or an effective ask price based on a particular quantity to trade. Then, the effective bid price and/or effective ask price are indicated to the user. An effective bid price is an average price at which a certain quantity could be sold based on current market conditions. An effective ask price is an average price at which a certain quantity could be bought based on current market conditions. Depending on the available quantities in the market, the effective prices may represent spreads different from the actual spread of the inside market. Additionally, a derivative of price, such as yield, may be used to compute other types of effective bid and/or ask information.

Abstract: A method and system for pricing, designing, and marketing, insurance policy contracts is disclosed. The policy contracts comprise a first period of coverage for a first benefit amount for which a premium is paid to an insurer on behalf of an insured person by a sponsoring organization and a second period of coverage for a second benefit amount for which a premium is paid to the insurer by the insured person, wherein prior to the first period of coverage, the insurer obtains authorization from the insured to have premiums for the second period paid automatically from an account, comprising the steps of charging the sponsoring organization a premium for the first period of coverage upon entering into a policy contract between the insurer and the insured, and automatically charging one or more premiums to the account of the insured at the end of the first period and during the second period of coverage.

Abstract: A credit event referenced asset having a par value includes (a) a provision for a right of a creditor to receive interest on the asset for a credit term, wherein the interest is reduced if a credit event occurs with respect to a reference entity, and (b) a provision for a right of the creditor to receive the par value at a maturity date of the asset.