BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to an improved method and associated computerized system for providing efficient processing of investment data including transactional data and holdings and more specifically, it relates to such a method and a related system which will facilitate determination of credit assignment for compensation and other purposes and will provide detailed information regarding investment transactions, customers and clients.
2. Description of the Prior ArtIt has long been known to employ computers to receive data, process the same within a computer and store the same for retrieval from a database.
In the field of investments, the very high volume of investment transactions and wide range of determinations that need to be made and records provided have led to the recognition that a computerized system for receipt, processing, storing and outputting various types of investment data in various formats would be advantageous. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,749,077 and 5,393,079.
One of the problems that exists in connection with the processing of large volumes of investment transactions and holdings is the monitoring of customer activities and assets and accurate computation of the various segments of the investment community interacting on behalf of a given customer directly or indirectly in a given transaction thereby making the computation of the financial credit or compensation due difficult.
There remains, therefore, a real arid substantial need for an effective automated system which can accurately and rapidly process large volumes of investment data received from multiple external sources and apply rules to the same so as to permit determination of credit assignment resulting therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention has met the hereinbefore described need.
In a preferred method of the present invention, a server which supports a database is structured to receive, process and store investment data. For simplicity of disclosure herein, the term “server” will be employed to refer to and include a database and/or rules engine supported by the server regardless of whether the database or rules engine is physically a portion of the server or is operatively associated therewith through suitable interaction.
Rules engines are provided in order to facilitate determination of credit assignment from investment data including rules data. Investment data from a plurality of external services is introduced into the server through a suitable interface with user access preferably through the internet being permitted so as to respond to user queries and to deliver the information to a plurality of users in predetermined report form or any other desired logical form or other form. The user interface also permits a data steward to provide input to revise information which will be provided on the host server.
A corresponding computerized system is also provided.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a computerized method and associated system for receiving investment data from a plurality of external sources and receiving, processing and storing the same in a desired format.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a method wherein investment data for making an accurate credit assignment resulting from investment transactions or asset valuations can be made rapidly and accurately.
It is another object of the present invention which facilitates application of appropriate rules so as to process investment transactions and make accurate credit assignments.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such automated systems which facilitate simultaneous introduction of data from external nonuser sources into the system and simultaneous access to the system by a plurality of users as well as a data steward, while storing the investment data in the server in desired location and format to facilitate ready review and retrieval as well as credit assignments.
These and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the invention on reference to the illustrations appended hereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG.1 is a schematic illustration showing a form of system of the present invention structured to facilitate practice of the methods of the present invention.
FIG.2 is an expanded schematic illustration of the system of the present invention which is suitable for use ire practicing the method of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSAs employed herein, the term “data object” means an interchangeable software logic component usable with other data objects in a data object interface to perform essentially the same function in different ways.
As employed herein, “data interface object” means a functional interface for conversion of external investment data of different formats>into a common format with each data object interface including at least two data objects. The data object interface may be composed of a group of data object interfaces.
As employed herein, the term “investments” shall expressly include, but not he limited to, mutual funds, common and preferred shares of stocks, whether listed on an exchange or not, high-yield corporate bonds and high-grade corporate bonds, municipal bonds, United States Treasury bills, notes and bonds, mortgage-related investments and short-term securities such as commercial paper, bankers acceptances, re-purchase agreements and supporting currencies.
As employed herein, the term “investment data” means data dealing with investments or organizations or individuals who are involved in investments and shall expressly include, but not be limited to, those occupationally involved as well as their customers and clients and shall expressly include information relating to brokers, dealers, clients, main offices, branch offices, addresses, telephone numbers, identify of individuals as well as titles and responsibilities and similar access and identifying information.
As employed herein, the term “credit assignment” means a determination of the individual or entity entitled to credit for a transaction or, entitled to total or partial credit for a transaction or holding involving investments with the determination being made for purposes including but not limited to financial, administrative, personnel, management, compensation, revenue sharing, or statistical purposes and shall expressly include, but not be limited to, assignment of credit for orders, settled trades and investment holdings.
As employed herein “rules data” means data sufficient to permit determination of credit assignment based at least in part on investment data.
As employed herein “rules engine” means rules receiving software that uses rules data received from external sources to determine credit assignment.
It will be appreciated that in making a credit assignment determination so as to make sure that accurate compensation, decisions and payments are made can involve a complex matrix of individuals, organizations and transactional evaluations. For example, one might from a business entity standpoint determine what individual firm, dealer, branch, satellite branch and representative would be entitled to participate in compensation for a transaction. Also, the state, zip code, specific mutual fund, social code, plan or account may enter into the determination, the particular line of business, sales region or territory, product distribution information, external wholesaler and internal wholesaler factors may also need to be considered.
The status of the transaction as to whether it is an order or a settled trade or if it relates to asset holdings may also be involved. Internal rules which govern such transactions must also be considered.
Referring toFIG.1, a plurality ofexternal sources2,4,6 of investment data which in the form shown have been given #1, #2 through # N may be a plurality of sources of nonuser financial data provided to the system. Asuitable interface10 which is preferably a data interface object of the type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/878,763 entitled “A Computerized Method of Processing Investment Data and Associated System”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein be reference, is preferably employed.
The investment data is introduced intodatabase server12 which is programmed to receive, process and store the investment information in desired au mat and location for suitable retrieval. In applying the standards for automated determination of credit assignments, the data which includes rules data is processed according by rules engine which may be in the form of a separate module or incorporated into the server. Adata steward40 and/or plurality ofusers30,32,34 which have been identified as #1, #2 through # N may simultaneously access theserver12 throughinterface36 andrules18 to deliver an inquiry and to receive the desired information regarding credit assignment output of the rules engine which may be disposed within theserver12 in a predetermined report form or in another manner.
For example, the desired information in addition to or in lieu of a predetermined report form could be provided in html.xml, pdf tiles or in other desired form. Adata steward40 also may interact with theserver12 throughinterface36 andrules18 in order to supply rules data to rules engine and review server content and make revisions thereto. Therules18 may be resident in the database ofserver12 as will the investment data which contains rules data which will be processed by the rules engine employing the rules data received in the investment data
An advantage of the present invention is that users may access the system through the internet or other means such as an internal network. subject to whatever desired security access restrictions are imposed.
In addition to theusers30,32,34 and steward,40 accessing theserver12 throughuser interface36,users30,32,34 anddata steward40, other computer andexternal systems42 may access theserver12 directly. Such access may be effected through the internet by other means such as internal network, for example, theusers30,32,34,data steward40 andexternal system42 may access the system through user interface16,rules18 ordatabase server12.
As shown inFIG.1, access byexternal system42 may be respectively throughpaths44.46, or47.
Referring now toFIG.2, an expanded schematic view of the method and associated system of the present invention will be considered. In this form for clarity of illustration, theserver12 has been shown as separated fromdatabase48 other than being operatively associated therewith. It will be appreciated that the physical unit may be combined in one housing or be in separate housings which are functionally interconnected. For simplicity of disclosure herein, the server will be regarded as supporting the database and will collectively be referred to as the “server”.
FIG.2 shows theserver12 receiving external investment data50 through thedata interface object52 which in turn outputs the investment data with or without processing to thedatabase server48 with the internal database receiving the data fromdata interface object52 being identified by thereference number60. Also shown inFIG.2, theusers68 access the system through web-baseduser interface70 in a bidirectional manner as does thedata steward72. The output of theuser interface70 is received in business logic andrules module74 for making sure that the data has the form and content desired with the business logic andrules module74 outputting the investment data to thedatabase48 for receipt indatabase module60.
Also shown within thedatabase48 wherein the received investment data coming from the external nonuser sources50, and theuser68 anddata steward72, communications are provided to and fromdatabase60. Shown as being stored for retrieval within thedatabase60 arecustomer account information80, customerinvestment holding information82 and customerasset position information84. Also shown as stored in the desired format and location for ready retrieval arecredit assignment information90, credit assignment rulesinformation92 and client information. Examples of the client information are the clientorganizational structure information100, the external businessentity structure information102, client trading information104, address, telephone andlocation information106, settledtrade information108 and pendingorder information110. Also shown are processing exception information112 which may, for example, consist of new or updated external business entities, client trading information, investment product information added or updated in thedatabase schema60 by the data interface objects52 andinvestment product information114.
It will be appreciated that the present method and associated apparatus provide efficient, computerized processing of nonuser externally delivered investment data which is received, processed and stored in an organized manner in a server with a plurality of external users being able through the internet to obtain access to the information and a data steward being able to review and revise the same. All of this facilitates employing the desired transaction and asset holding information with the complex credit assignment arrangements to permit rapid accurate determination and reporting of credit due.
Whereas particular embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details may be made without departing from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.