Patent ID: 8219487

Claim:
A system for enabling a portfolio manager to obtain credit approval for an issuer of securities from a credit analyst comprising: a) a first database containing information regarding issuers of securities; b) a second database containing compliance rules providing guidelines for the purchase of securities for selected portfolios; c) means for permitting a portfolio manager to determine whether a particular issuer of securities is on a list of approved issuers for a selected portfolio based upon the compliance rules contained in the second database; d) means for permitting the portfolio manager to submit a credit approval request, with regard to the particular issuer of securities, to a credit analyst if it is determined that the particular issuer of securities is not on a list of approved issuers for the selected portfolio; e) means for permitting a credit analyst to evaluate the credit approval request submitted by the portfolio manager based on the issuer information contained in the first database; f) means for permitting the credit analyst to resolve the credit approval request and transmit the resolution of the credit approval request to the portfolio manager in real time; and g) a trade entry system configured to receive a trade request from the portfolio manager and execute a purchase order for a security issued by the particular issuer of securities after credit approval has been received.