Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention overcome the shortcomings of existing trading systems by providing an invoiceless trading system that creates incentives for customers to pay suppliers within a predetermined period of time, such as a settlement period. Specifically, the invoiceless trading system enables a customer to obtain a discount on orders placed with suppliers in return for an immediate payment (e.g., within 24 hours) by the customer. The supplier receives payment within the predetermined period of time, and the customer receives additional cash benefits by providing an early payment to the supplier. To communicate with and transfer funds between customers and suppliers, the invoiceless trading system may use an electronic gateway and a settlement bank. In addition to creating an incentive to embrace e-commerce, both customers and suppliers avoid the need to manually process orders and use invoices to complete transactions.

Abstract: An application is disclosed that receives from a host exchange a plurality of trade notifications, each trade notification corresponding to an executed trade, and for each executed trade of interest, may determine whether the executed trade belongs in an aggregated set with one or more other executed trades. The application provides an indicator for indicating whether the corresponding executed trade or aggregated trade traded on the bid side or on the offer side of the market, and which indicates whether additional volume is available at the associated trade price.

Abstract: Described is a technology for seamless initiation of a transfer of payment from a sender to a recipient by sending email, without requiring any account creation and/or login procedure. The technology can involve sending payment from one mobile device to another. In one aspect, the technology includes receiving a payment amount from a sender via the sender's mobile device, causing an email with pre-populated information to be generated using a native email application on the mobile device, and initiating the process to transfer the payment amount upon sending of the email. The technology enables a simplified payment transaction system for ordinary consumers without the hassle of having to sign up, to remember a user account and a password, and to login for sending or receiving every payment transaction, while not sacrificing the essential security feature of authenticating the user for every payment transaction.

Abstract: A controller comprising: a database; a control module associated with the database; and a network interface configured to connect, over a network, to a plurality of workstations and at least one machine for performing operations to handle cash and/or other physical financial documents. The network interface receives requests from at least some of the workstations over the network, each comprising a request to pre-order a respective one of the operations. The requests are stored in the database. The network further receives, over the network, a signal from or on behalf of a slave module of the machine for retrieving one of the requests from the database. The control module processes the signal and in response releases the respective operation, the release comprising issuing an instruction to the slave module over the network controlling the machine to perform the respective operation to handle the cash and/or other physical financial document.

Abstract: The gold and precious metal buying machine and method has a housing, a vault and inboard processing stations for: weighing, detecting constituent elements with x-rays and measuring volume based upon gas or fluid displacement. Weight, elemental data and volume is used to calculate gold weight and discounted market value based upon exchange rate, gold weight and a discount factor. Market value is displayed and if accepted, the system generates payment instruction and vault storage command. A rejection negates the acceptance upon request or error signal and generates rejection command. Machine transports item to various stations and, upon the storage command to the vault, and upon rejection to the item return port in the housing. An air displacement test uses a processor measuring a differential volume and a chambered item at a different pressure by a differential position of a piston movable in the chamber.

Abstract: The hybrid virtual account and token-based digital cash protocols provide a user with many pairs of secret and public keys. One of the pairs is the master pair, which consists of one master user private key and one master user public key. Other pairs are pseudonym pairs, wherein each consists of one pseudonym user private key and one pseudonym user public key. The use of a master key pair and pseudonym key pairs circumvents the need for blind signatures. None of the invention's protocols require blind signatures. The protocols comprise public key protocols, digital signatures and symmetric key protocols.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for determining hedging transactions to meet required characteristics of risks associated with an insurance instrument, and mitigating the risks associated with the insurance instrument by executing hedging transactions. The hedging transactions utilize hybrid derivatives. In general, the equity/interest rate hybrid derivative concept encapsulates any derivative, or any investment vehicle with an embedded derivative, that contains a payoff formula(s). At a minimum the formula(s), is/are a function of two items: equities, and any interest rates.

Abstract: A user may select a payoff date for a loan online, and may receive a corresponding loan payoff quote for that date. Additionally, the user may receive a per diem payoff amount. When a user selects a particular payoff date via a website associated with the lender, the loan payoff quote is calculated and provided to the user via the website, text message, or email.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. A multiplicity of active grid elements function in the grid for supply capacity, supply and/or load curtailment as supply or capacity, and are compensated through settlement for their functional participation in the electric power grid.

Abstract: Information regarding the current state in the market is used to prevent orders from crossing. In an example provided herein, when an order is entered into a market, information regarding current positions in the market is taken into account to determine whether the order will cross with other orders. If the orders would cross, appropriate action is taken to prevent the crossing of orders in a way suitable for the person or persons trading. The teachings described herein may be used for any reason to prevent orders from crossing. Moreover, they may be used in other areas of trading to assist the trader in obeying any other rule or regulation that might involve analyzing current positions in the market before taking action.

Abstract: A method, a system and a computer-readable medium for responding to a text message request are enclosed. A method, a system and a computer-readable medium for providing financial information to a customer via a text message are enclosed. A method, a system and a computer-readable medium for providing access to financial information via a text message are enclosed. A method, a system and a computer-readable medium for providing a text message to a customer are enclosed.

Abstract: A system for combining a payment mechanism with an offer to a consumer is described. The system includes a virtual payment account number generation engine to generate virtual payment account numbers that can be used by a consumer in a payment transaction at a merchant, the virtual payment account number generation service also operable to take a portion of the virtual payment account number and send it as a checkout code to a consumer using the consumer's mobile device, and an offer generation engine used to set rules for an offer to be sent to consumers, create a fund for the offer, and determine individual consumer's eligibility for the offer. The offer is associated with the checkout code such that the offer is processed as part of the payment during the payment transaction using the virtual payment account number.

Abstract: A trading platform and trading method that permit calculation of a price is described. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A trading screen may display price and quantity information for price levels in a static axis of prices. The static axis of prices may be divided into two or more different regions. The price and quantity information for one or more of the regions may be consolidated from price and quantity information from plurality of un-consolidated price levels.

Abstract: A data processing system compiles information about account holders, holdings, and other investment-related information. A hypothetical portfolio is generated to provide for a specified payout stream over a defined period of time, statistically evaluated, and compared by means of scaling to determine the best fit scale of the portfolio to the defined criteria. The composition of this scaled portfolio in comparison with the composition of the available assets defines a series of trades. The composition of the level of payout that can be expected to be supported by the new composition of available assets defines a series of insurance trades. Insurance providers can impose limitations and requirements on the assets managed by limiting or stipulating certain settings that a given account can be allowed to have.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a credit card gift certificate based on credit card transactions is disclosed. According to the method for operating the credit card gift certificate, a credit card gift certificate server adds the limit of the credit card gift certificate corresponding to an amount of money printed on the credit card gift certificate to the transaction limit of a credit card of a credit card user, and the credit card user uses the amount of money of the gift certificate through the credit card transactions within the additionally configured limit of the credit card transaction. An amount obtained by subtracting the limit of the gift certificate from an amount paid by the credit card is determined as a payment amount to be paid by the user on a credit card bill that is sent to the user.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for processing a loan application. The apparatus and methods may involve accessing a financial institution customer account that includes a plurality of transactions; identifying those transactions that belong to a predetermined transaction category; and summarizing the transactions. Summary information may be presented as part of an income and expenses flow report that at least partially characterizes the account or the applicant. A financial institution representative may query a database for the summary information and, optionally, initiate an underwriting process based on the loan application and the summary information.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for determining a margin requirement for a market participant includes maintaining, by a processor associated with an exchange, an exchange account reflecting an exchange position resulting from a trade executed on the exchange for a product available via the exchange, the exchange account being maintained separately from a custodian bank account associated with a custodian bank, the custodian bank account reflecting a repo position resulting from a repo transaction facilitated by the custodian bank between the market participant and a counterparty to the repo transaction. The method further includes receiving data reflective of the repo position via a communication interface between the exchange account and the custodian bank account, and determining the margin requirement for the market participant based on the received data and the exchange position.

Abstract: Embodiments describe a method and a system to link a secondary account to a primary account with an account management module associated with the primary account and to control access to funds in the secondary account with respect to a secondary account holder through the account management module. The secondary account includes a spending account and a savings account.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating post offer communication with a prospective borrower using an on-line lending system (110) are provided. The post offer communication is in response to non-acceptance of an electronic loan offer. The on-line lending system receives an electronic loan application (100) from client terminal (101). The electronic loan application (100) contains applicant credential data, such as personal information (202) and financial information (302). When a loan offer (500) is presented on the client terminal (101), the on-line lending system (110) waits a predetermined time for an electronic signal indicating acceptance of the loan offer (500). When such electronic signal is not received within the predetermined time, a pending loan offer application (800) is transmitted to a call center terminal (1414).