Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a financial instrument includes a first tax-deferred account and first, second, and third guarantees. The first tax-deferred account has an account balance based in part on a deduction from wages paid to an employee. The first guarantee is a guarantee of a first protected value based upon a deposit growing at a minimum growth rate The second guarantee is a guarantee that a beneficiary may periodically receive a transfer of an amount of money for the life of the employee. The third guarantee is a guarantee that the first protected value may be transferred with the first tax-deferred account to a separate financial instrument including a second tax-deferred account, a fourth guarantee of a second protected value, and a fifth guarantee that a beneficiary may periodically receive a transfer of an amount of money for the life of the employee.

Abstract: A system that generates a financial aid application. During operation, the system determines whether a person has authorized access to a tax return belonging to the person for purposes of generating a financial aid application. If so, the system retrieves the tax return for the person, extracts information about the person from the tax return, and uses the extracted information to populate one or more fields in the financial aid application.

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 or processed for desired goods in a variable transaction amount that is not equal to the total price of the goods. Then the amount of the 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 if not already processed payment is settled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and process by which an existing and large network of devices can be used by consumers to authenticate themselves, and permits each consumer to apply any of the various payments mechanisms available to him. The existing broadly distributed network is active and passive radio frequency identification (“RFID”) devices held by consumers. Various types of accounts are linked to devices and allow users to perform various purchase transactions, as well as non-financial transactions.

Abstract: A method for obtaining financial data for use in a financial return of a tax paying entity, including: obtaining credentials of the tax paying entity; determining, by a computer processor, that the financial data is available for download from a data provider; sending a first text message to a mobile device of the tax paying entity indicating that the financial data is available for download; receiving, from the mobile device, a second text message requesting to import the financial data into the financial return; sending, to the data provider, a request to download the financial data, where the request includes the credentials; downloading, after sending the request, the financial data into a data repository; and sending, after downloading the financial data, the financial data to a tax preparation application, where the financial data is imported by the tax preparation application into the financial return.

Abstract: A method of providing a keyword advertisement and a system for executing the method are provided. The method of providing the keyword advertisement includes: generating and maintaining an advertiser history ranking by using an advertiser keyword purchase history; and ordering the keyword advertisement display with respect to a user keyword by using the advertiser history ranking. In this instance, the advertiser keyword purchase history includes mapping information between an advertiser and a keyword purchased by the advertiser for each advertisement group or for each advertisement campaign.

Abstract: Systems and methods for brokering data are invented and disclosed. A system for producing a data model comprises a message broker, filters, and a data collector. The message broker includes an interface configured to receive client requests from a plurality of communication devices, a transaction request identifier configured to identify a plurality of parameters associated with a client request, and a router configured to distribute the request responsive to at least one of the parameters. The filters are coupled to the router and apply and apply respective tests for determining when the client request should be processed by the system. The data collector is coupled to the message broker and forwards data from the client request to at least one of a plurality of data stores when at least one of the filters indicates that the client request should be processed by the system.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for processing multiple related financial transactions in a computer-based financial accounting system. The multiple related financial transactions have at least one of a common transaction type, a common transaction date and a common transaction amount. The method steps include receiving one or more of the common transaction date, the common transaction type, and the common transaction amount, receiving a set of parties, each party corresponding to at least one of the plurality of related financial transactions, and generating a plurality of related financial transactions, each related financial transaction of the plurality of generated related financial transactions comprising one of the set of parties and at least one of the common transaction date, the common transaction type, and the common transaction amount.

Abstract: Method of capturing interest associated with a whole or partial amount of money possessed or controlled by an owner/holder and held in a first account maintained by a home financial institution, associated with a monetary rights transfer (MRT) network operably connected to the infrastructure of the Internet and a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system, and the home financial institution or an external financial institution associated with the MRT network, maintaining a second account, interest bearing, for the owner/holder of the amount of money to capture interest.

Abstract: A system and method for generating, executing and maintaining electronic contracts in connection with indirect financing transactions involving an acquisition by a customer of an asset offered by a vendor with financing provided by an independent finance source. In one example embodiment, the system includes en e-contracting component configured to generate an electronic contract having one or more signature fields. The contract further includes a contract identifier and one or more signature identifiers embedded therein. The e-contracting component provides the generated electronic contract to one more contracting parties, including the customer, the vendor and the finance sources. The system further includes a holographic signature capture device configured to capture one or more holographic signatures indicating execution of the contract by the contracting parties. The capture device if further configured to transmit the captured signature information to the e-contracting component.

Abstract: A method, system and program product, the method comprising: accessing, one or more electronic databases, comprising: (i) aggregated account information for a plurality of government-backed insured and interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts held in a plurality of recipient depository institutions, with one or more of the recipient depository institutions with an interest-bearing aggregated deposit account having at least one associated aggregated transaction account having an overdraft facility; and (ii) client account information for each of a plurality of the respective client accounts; obtaining client account transaction information; obtaining a respective net transfer amount for the one or more sub-periods of time for each of one or more of the respective source institutions; for at least one or more of the sub periods of time where the net transfer amount requires a first withdrawal/transfer amount selecting at least one of the recipient depository institutions that has at least one aggregated tra

Abstract: A database used by a consumer reporting agency for storing application information data in association with transaction and experience information. A consumer applying for credit submits personal and financial information either verbally or by filling out a form. The application information data submitted verbally or by a form is submitted by an institution along with a request for a credit report on the consumer. The consumer reporting agency receives the request and stores the application information separately from the transaction and experience information. Each time an institution submits application information data related to the consumer, the data is accumulated in successive records and maintained. In response to a request for a report on a consumer, the consumer reporting agency forwards a response based on the application records accumulated.

Abstract: An electronic transaction method, funds transfer apparatus and method for facilitating a funds transfer. The methods comprise sending information from a purchaser or payor to a funds transfer system separate from a vendor system or payee, validating and confirming personal financial information at the funds transfer system, and transferring funds from a purchaser or payor account to the vendor or a payee account without exposing either party's financial and account information to the other. Additionally, a funds transfer apparatus is disclosed comprising connections to a payor and payee system and mechanisms for receiving and validating party and transaction information and a mechanism for transferring funds from one party to the other.

Abstract: A fair exchange is disclosed to reduce potential inequities in an electronic trading environment. Market data is sent from a host system to client devices through one or more synchronized local communication servers such that the data can be displayed simultaneously or nearly simultaneously at each client device. Market data sent to client devices might include price information. Likewise, a host system may transaction data sent from client devices via the local communication servers. The ordering of transaction data is based, at least in part, on when the local communication servers received the transaction data from the client devices. Transaction data sent to a host system might include order information.

Abstract: An electronic cash management system including a plurality of electronic cash safes each associated with a cash acceptor and a communicator under the physical control of a financial institution operating as a vault cash manager which owns the cash located therein and operative upon receipt of cash into one of said plurality of cash safes, verified by the cash acceptor to employ the communicator for providing a computer network notification to the financial institution indicating receipt of the cash as vault cash owned by the financial institution.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for automatically setting prices of financial products in a financial activity having a plurality of possible outcomes, includes receiving a first request from a participant terminal to purchase a financial product for one of the possible outcomes, i; and electronically computing a price for the requested financial product, in response to the first request, based at least in part on a first formula. Also included is a method for automatically updating the prices for all other outcomes, other than the outcome, i, based at least in part on a second formula. In one example, the financial products include contracts in a one-sided market of buyer participants where the outcomes are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

Abstract: A system that facilitates computation of a time-dependent variability value is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives a plurality of items, wherein each item has a timestamp corresponding thereto. The system further includes a value generator component that outputs a time-dependent variability value for an item in the plurality of items, wherein the time-dependent variability value is indicative of a recent frequency of use of the item in comparison to a frequency of use of the item over a defined period of time.

Abstract: A database used by a consumer reporting agency for storing application information data in association with transaction and experience information. A consumer applying for credit submits personal and financial information either verbally or by filling out a form. The application information data submitted verbally or by a form is submitted by an institution along with a request for a credit report on the consumer. The consumer reporting agency receives the request and stores the application information separately from the transaction and experience information. Each time an institution submits application information data related to the consumer, the data is accumulated in successive records and maintained. In response to a request for a report on a consumer, the consumer reporting agency forwards a response based on the application records accumulated.