Patent ID: 7685057
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for facilitating unified trading and control for a sponsoring organization's money management process using a plurality of asset managers to manage the sponsoring organization's investment portfolios, the method comprising: defining a plurality of investment portfolios each of which has a particular investment strategy; assigning an asset manager for each investment portfolio, wherein the asset manager makes investment recommendations for its respective investment portfolio; receiving at the sponsoring organization from the asset managers the investment recommendations in the form of orders comprising a number of shares to buy or sell for each security based on the recommendations, wherein the investment recommendations are entered through an order entry system comprising a computer-based graphical user interface and associated software program and are received through a computer-based communications network; determining, for each order, using a high touch-low touch engine, whether the sponsoring organization or an asset manager is given discretion for executing a trade for the each order, wherein determining the discretion depends on whether an expected market impact of the trade is low or high, wherein the high touch-low touch engine comprises a graphical user interface and associated software program linked to a computer rules-based logic engine that enables each buy or sell order to be analyzed in real time; enabling the sponsoring organization to, using a compliance engine, review and either approve for execution or hold from execution the each order before trade execution, wherein the compliance engine comprises a graphical user interface and associated software program linked to a computerized rules-based logic engine that enables each buy or sell order to be analyzed in real time; enabling the sponsoring organization to, using the compliance engine, review allocation of shares to an investment portfolio resulting from high-touch trades where review prior to the trade is not feasible; facilitating the execution of the high-touch orders by the at least one trading organization selected by the asset manager given discretion; facilitating the execution of the low-touch orders and the modified orders expected to have low market impact by the at least one trading organization selected by the sponsoring organization; receiving, through the computer-based communications network, a plurality of trade fill reports for the trades executed by the sponsoring organization; receiving, through the computer-based communications network, a plurality of trade allocation reports and trade fill reports for the trades executed by the plurality of asset managers; and reconciling, by the sponsoring organization, the plurality of trade allocation reports and trade fill reports through a computerized trade reconciliation system for the investment portfolios.