U.S. patent application number 14/214047 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for system and method for optimizing collateral management.
This patent application is currently assigned to THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON. The applicant listed for this patent is THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON. Invention is credited to Brian BLANK, Bryan CHAN.
Application Number | 20140279697 14/214047 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46966873 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140279697 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BLANK; Brian ; et
al. |
September 18, 2014 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING COLLATERAL MANAGEMENT
Abstract
A computer-implemented system and method for managing collateral
allocations associated with Tri-Party repurchasing agreements and a
collateral allocation system includes one or more processors and
memory/database configured to store user-definable rulesets and
collateral characteristics relating to the Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements. A collateral allocation module recalls collateral from
the Tri-Party repurchasing agreements to a common Dealer Box, and
reallocates the collateral to the Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
utilizing a self organizing map, so as to minimize margins to
reduce over-collateralization and/or undercollateralization. Other
considerations, such as basket identifiers and cost of carry
considerations may be weighed in the reallocation as well.
Inventors: |
BLANK; Brian; (Manalapan,
NJ) ; CHAN; Bryan; (East Meadow, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
46966873 |
Appl. No.: |
14/214047 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13362980 |
Jan 31, 2012 |
8762246 |
|
|
14214047 |
|
|
|
|
61438195 |
Jan 31, 2011 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/36R |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/36.R |
International
Class: |
G06Q 40/06 20120101
G06Q040/06 |
Claims
1. A system for managing collateral allocations in one or more
Tri-Party repurchasing agreements, the system comprising: one or
more processors; one or more memory elements coupled to the one or
more processors and configured to at least store deal attributes
including rulesets associated with the buyer, and one or more
collateral characteristics for collateral provided by the seller
that are associated with each of the Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements; at least one collateral allocation module, configured
through the one or more processors to: recall collateral originally
associated with the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
into a common dealer box, identify under-collateralized ones of the
one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements; identify, using a
self organizing map and one or more of the rulesets and the
collateral characteristics, groups of the collateral; sort said
groups of collateral such that smaller average margins are given a
higher priority while larger average margins are given a lower
priority; assign the groups of collateral from the common dealer
box to each of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements to
in order from the higher priority to the lower priority, to
collateralize said Tri-Party repurchasing agreements; and replace
at least a portion of the collateral assigned to the one or more
Tri-Party repurchasing agreements based on the self organizing map
to collateralize a maximal number of the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements with remaining collateral in the dealer box
and/or collateral assigned to the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the collateral allocation module
is user configurable to designate at least a portion of the
collateral to be reallocated back to the originally associated one
or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one collateral
allocation module is further configured through the one or more
processors to determine, based on a user input, any deals to
undercollateralize if insufficient collateral is available for all
Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the determination is based on one
or more of a basket schedule, a market deadline, an internal short
prioritization, and a dealer prioritization.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the collateral allocation module
is configured to receive a priority ranking for the one or more of
the basket schedule, the market deadline, the internal short
prioritization, and the dealer prioritization.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one collateral
allocation module is further configured through the one or more
processors to determine, based on a user input, which deals to
prioritize in collateralization, based on a weighting of margins
and cost of carry.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein, the at least one collateral
allocation module is configured to process at least some of the
collateral and/or the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
in parallel across the one or more processors.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one collateral
allocation module is configured to match collateral to the one or
more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements via vertex degrees in a
bipartite graph created between a set of positions in the
collateral and a set of one or more of the Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements.
9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface is
operatively coupled to the one or more processors via a network
connection.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises an
Internet web portal.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors
comprises a plurality of interfaced processors, and wherein the at
least one collateral allocation module is further configured to
synchronize at least a portion of the collateral characteristics
among the plurality of interfaced processors to prevent different
ones of the plurality of interfaced processors from simultaneously
replacing the same portion of the collateral.
12. A computer-implemented method for allocating collateral for one
or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements, the method comprising:
providing one or more processors and one or more memory elements
coupled to the one or more processors and configured to at least
store deal attributes including rulesets associated with the buyer,
and one or more collateral characteristics for collateral provided
by the seller that are associated with each of the Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements; recalling, via the one or more processors,
collateral originally associated with the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements into a common dealer box, identifying, via
the one or more processors, under-collateralized ones of the one or
more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements; identifying, using a self
organizing map and one or more of the rulesets and the collateral
characteristics, groups of the collateral; sorting, via the one or
more processors, said groups of collateral such that smaller
average margins are given a higher priority while larger average
margins are given a lower priority; assigning the groups of
collateral from the common dealer box to each of the one or more
Tri-Party repurchasing agreements to in order from the higher
priority to the lower priority, to collateralize said Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements; and replacing at leak a portion of the
collateral assigned to the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements based on the self organizing map to collateralize a
maximal number of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
with remaining collateral in the dealer box and/or collateral
assigned to the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a
user-input for designating some of the collateral to be reallocated
back to the originally associated one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, based
on a user input, which deals may remain undercollateralized when
there is insufficient collateral for all tri-party repurchasing
agreements.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining is based on one
or more of a basket schedule, a market deadline, an internal short
prioritization, and a dealer prioritization.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining further
comprising weighing a priority ranking for the one or more of the
basket schedule, the market deadline, the internal short
prioritization, and the dealer prioritization.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, based
on a user input, which deals to prioritize in collateralization,
based on a weighting of margins and cost of carry.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein at least some of the collateral
and/or the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements are
processed in parallel across the one or more processors.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said assigning comprises
matching collateral to the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements via vertex degrees in a bipartite graph, created between
a set of positions in the collateral and a set of one or more of
the Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors
comprises a plurality of interfaced processors, and wherein the
method further comprises synchronizing at least a portion of the
collateral characteristics among the plurality of interfaced
processors to prevent different ones of the plurality of interfaced
processors from simultaneously replacing the same portion of the
collateral.
Description
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/362,980, filed Jan. 31, 2012, now allowed,
which in turn claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/438,195, filed Jan. 31, 2011. Both applications
are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This application is directed to a computer-implemented
system and method useful for managing collateral associated with
Repurchase Agreements ("Repos"). In particular, this application is
directed to a computerized system and method for efficiently
allocating the collateral managed by a third party agent (a
"Tri-Party agent") in Tri-Party Repos.
[0003] In a Repo, a seller (dealer/borrower/cash receiver) sells
securities for cash to a buyer (lender/cash provider) and agrees to
repurchase those securities at a later date for more cash. The Repo
rate is the difference between borrowed and paid back cash
expressed as a percentage. The buyer typically utilizes Repos to
invest cash for an agreed upon duration of time (typically
overnight, although the term may vary), and would receive a rate of
interest in return for the investment. The seller typically
utilizes Repos to finance long positions in securities or other
assets in the seller's portfolio.
[0004] Repos are financial instruments used in money markets and
capital markets, and are economically similar to a secured loan,
with the buyer receiving securities as collateral to protect
against default. Virtually any security may be employed in a Repo,
including, for example, Treasury or Government bills, corporate and
Treasury/Government bonds, stocks/shares, or other securities or
financial instruments. In a Repo, however, the legal title to the
securities clearly passes from the seller to the buyer, or
"investor". Coupons (installment payments that are payable to the
owner of the securities), which are paid while the Repo buyer owns
the securities are, in fact, usually passed directly onto the Repo
seller. This may seem counterintuitive, as the ownership of the
collateral technically rests with the buyer during the Repo
agreement. It is possible to instead pass on the coupon by altering
the cash paid at the end of the agreement, though this is more
typical of Sell/Buy Backs.
[0005] Although the underlying nature of a Repo transaction is that
of a loan, the terminology differs from that used when talking of
loans because the seller does actually repurchase the legal
ownership of the securities from the buyer at the end of the
agreement. Although the actual effect of the whole transaction is
identical to a cash loan, in using the "repurchase" terminology,
the emphasis is placed upon the current legal ownership of the
collateral securities by the respective parties.
[0006] In a Tri-Party Repo, the collateral is managed by a
Tri-Party agent (typically a bank), who may match the details of
the trade agreed upon by the buyer and the seller, and assume all
of the post trade processing and settlement work. The Tri-Party
agent controls the movement of securities, such that the buyers do
not actually take delivery of collateralized securities. The
Tri-Party agent acts as a custodian for the collateral, and allows
the flow of collateral and cash between buyers and sellers across
one or more deals.
[0007] In some Repo agreements, the seller/dealer may have numerous
assets that are being managed by the Tri-Party agent. In these
cases, it may be desirable for the Tri-Party agent to allow for the
restructuring of the collateral of the deals, so that the seller
may free up some assets while placing other agreeable assets in the
legal ownership of the buyer, during the deal. Such movements would
generally be agreed to by the buyer and the seller when entering
the agreement to be managed by the Tri-Party agent.
[0008] Among other things, what is needed is a system and method
for managing collateral in financial transactions. What is further
needed is a computer-implemented system and method that simplifies
and improves the allocations of collateral associated with
Tri-Party Repos in a dealer's portfolio.
SUMMARY
[0009] Through various embodiments described herein, the system and
method of this disclosure enhances the allocations of collateral
associated with a plurality of Repo agreements. For example,
various embodiments provide functions relating to determining
overcollateralization and undercollateralization across the Repos,
and ascertaining enhanced or optimal restructuring of the
collateral associated with the Repos, to satisfy the requirements
of the deal, and the preferences of those participating in the
deal.
[0010] Various embodiments of this disclosure may be used in
conjunction with existing financial services platforms, for example
the Bank of New York Mellon's Tri-Party repurchase agreement
products (RepoEdge.RTM.) which allow clients to outsource the
operational aspects of their collateralized transactions, and
Derivatives Margin Management (DM Edge.RTM.), which helps clients
manage credit risks associated with derivatives transactions by
enabling them to accept, monitor and re-transfer collateral. These
services, among others such as Repo Margin Management (RM
Edge.RTM.), MarginDirect.sup.SM, and Derivatives Collateral Net
(DCN), may be delivered to clients through AccessEdge.sup.SM, a
real-time, web-based portal.
[0011] The operator/manager of the system and method of this
disclosure acts as a third-party service provider to the two
principals to a trade, and the various functions performed by the
system and method provide value-added services which mitigate risk
and lead to greater efficiencies for both parties.
[0012] According to an embodiment, a system for managing collateral
allocations in one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
includes one or more processors and one or more memory elements
coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memory
elements are configured to at least store deal attributes including
rulesets associated with the buyer, and one or more collateral
characteristics for collateral provided by the seller that are
associated with each of the Tri-Party repurchasing agreements. The
system further includes at least one collateral allocation module,
configured through the one or more processors to recall collateral
originally associated with the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements into a common dealer box. The collateral allocation
module is further configured to identify under-collateralized ones
of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements, and identify,
using a self organizing map and one or more of the rulesets and the
collateral characteristics, groups of the collateral. The
collateral allocation module additionally is configured to sort
said groups of collateral such that smaller average margins are
given a higher priority while larger average margins are given a
lower priority, and assign the groups of collateral from the common
dealer box to each of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements to in order from the higher priority to the lower
priority, to collateralize said Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
Furthermore, the collateral allocation module is configured to
replace at least a portion of the collateral assigned to the one or
more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements based on the self organizing
map, to collateralize a maximal number of the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements with remaining collateral in the dealer box
and/or collateral assigned to the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements.
[0013] According to another embodiment, a computer-implemented
method for allocating collateral for one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements includes providing one or more processors
and one or more memory elements coupled to the one or more
processors, configured to at least store deal attributes including
rulesets associated with the buyer, and one or more collateral
characteristics for collateral provided by the seller that are
associated with each of the Tri-Party repurchasing agreements. The
method also includes recalling, via the one or more processors,
collateral originally associated with the one or more Tri-Party
repurchasing agreements into a common dealer box. The method
additionally includes identifying, via the one or more processors,
under-collateralized ones of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements, and identifying, using a self organizing map and one or
more of the rulesets and the collateral characteristics, groups of
the collateral. The method further includes sorting, via the one or
more processors, said groups of collateral such that smaller
average margins are given a higher priority while larger average
margins are given a lower priority. Furthermore, the method
includes assigning the groups of collateral from the common dealer
box to each of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements to
in order from the higher priority to the lower priority, to
collateralize said Tri-Party repurchasing agreements. The method
additionally includes replacing at least a portion of the
collateral assigned to the one or mote Tri-Party repurchasing
agreements based on the self organizing map to collateralize a
maximal number of the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements
with remaining collateral in the dealer box and/or collateral
assigned to the one or more Tri-Party repurchasing agreements.
[0014] The system and method of this disclosure provides various
capabilities as discussed more fully in the detailed description
below.
BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 provides a functional block diagram of an embodiment
of a computer-implemented and networked system for collateral
management;
[0016] FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate a logic flowchart that implements a
collateral allocation optimization algorithm and other rules
relating to collateral allocation in an embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of reallocations of securities
throughout the operation of the optimization algorithm;
[0018] FIG. 4 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation template modification screen that may be used in a
graphical user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 5 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation template review screen that may be used in a graphical
user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 6 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation template list screen that may be used in a graphical
user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 7 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation submission screen that may be used in a graphical user
interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 8 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation history search screen that may be used in a graphical
user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 9 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation history search results screen that may be used in a
graphical user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure;
and
[0024] FIG. 10 provides an illustrative screen shot representing an
allocation history detail report screen that may be used in a
graphical user interface of an embodiment of this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] In the discussion of various embodiments and aspects of the
system and method of this disclosure, examples of a processor may
include any one or more of, for instance, a personal computer,
portable computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), workstation,
or other processor-driven device, and examples of network may
include, for example, a private network, the Internet, or other
known network types, including both wired and wireless
networks.
[0026] Those with skill in the art will appreciate that the
inventive concept described herein may work with various system
configurations. In addition, various embodiments of this disclosure
may be made in hardware, firmware, software, or any suitable
combination thereof. Aspects of this disclosure may also be
implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium,
which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A
machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or
transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a
computing device, or a signal transmission medium), and may include
a machine-readable transmission medium or a machine-readable
storage medium. For example, a machine-readable storage medium may
include read only memory, random access memory, magnetic disk
storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and
others. Further, firmware, software, routines, or instructions may
be described herein in terms of specific exemplary embodiments that
may perform certain actions. However, it will be apparent that such
descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in
fact result from computing devices, processors, controllers, or
other devices executing the firmware, software, routines, or
instructions.
[0027] Described herein is an exemplary algorithm which may be
implemented through computer software running in a processor to
determine optimal collateral allocations based on user-selected
criteria. This algorithm is not intended to be limiting, but is
merely provided to describe one way of accomplishing the functions
associated with determining optimal collateral allocations.
[0028] In the discussion of various embodiments and aspects of the
system and method of this disclosure, examples of trading parties
include, but are not limited to, broker-dealers, institutional
investors, and hedge fund managers.
[0029] In various embodiments, a web-based collateral management
system or platform links dealers with investors to conduct
collateral transactions in a safe, efficient, and reliable way.
Online dealers and investors can manage collateral among a diverse
range of instruments, including Tri-Party repo agreements in all
major currencies, securities lending transactions, municipal
deposits, bank loans, derivatives transactions, letters of credit,
and structured trades, for example. The system may be managed by
the Tri-Party agent, and may additionally provide, for example,
daily mark-to-market valuations, haircuts/margins, and
concentration limits (i.e., maintain percentages of market
capitalization, dollar amount limits for a particular security, or
a percentage of the portfolio in a particular security, for
example), as well as manage, track, and settle collateral
transactions across global capital markets by working
collaboratively with clients to provide collateral transparency.
The enhanced collateral allocation aspect of this disclosure may
allow dealers (i.e. the sellers in Repos) to control and/or
automatically permit the shifting of collateral associated with a
plurality of deals that are under the management of the Tri-Party
agent, even though the collateral is titled to the buyers in the
Repo. Such transfers may "optimize" the allocations, so, for
example, the fewest number of deals are under-collateralized or
over-collateralized, while the collateral allocations meet buyer
and/or seller requirements for the deals, as described in greater
detail below.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of an
embodiment of post-trade management system 100. Post-trade
management system 100 is established to permit seller 110 and buyer
115 to access collateral management system 140 via network 130 and
platform manager 120, or optionally bypasses platform manager 120.
Collateral management system 140 may utilize one or more processors
(not shown), housed within one or more computers, which may be
networked together by any appropriate mechanism, including, for
example, network 130. The one or more processers are configured to
run one or more modules, as described below. For example, the
modules of collateral management system 140 may include network
communication module 145, configured to process external
communications between collateral management system 140 and network
130. Account search module 150 may be configured to search one or
more databases associated with client assets held in custody for,
or for the benefit of various existing clients of platform manager
120. Account search module 150 may be configured to search for a
particular type of security or asset, a particular security issuer,
or a security rating, for example. In some embodiments, account
search module 150 may be configured to access memory storage
device(s) 155, which may include one or more databases 160 therein.
Memory storage device 155 may be any type of conventional storage
mechanism for example, one or more hard drives, solid state drives,
network storage, random access memory (RAM), combinations thereof,
or so on. Database 160 may be any type of appropriate database, as
would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art, for
example. Operator input/output and display module 165 represents
various techniques and computer peripheral devices for providing
operator input and output to collateral management system 140. In
some embodiments, operator input/output and display module 165 may
communicate with network communication module 145, to provide
seller 110 and/or buyer 115 with remote access to collateral
management system 140 via network 130.
[0031] Collateral management system 140 may additionally include
reporting and messaging module 170, which may be configured to
provide standard and/or custom report and messaging formats that
may be transferred to network 130 by collateral management system
140, (optionally) through platform manager 120, or through an
alternate communications path illustrated by the dashed
double-ended arrow in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, collateral
management system 140 may include payment processing module 175,
indicated in dashed lines, which may have optional functionality
associated with business payment activities for services rendered
by the system manager (i.e. the third party agent) in processing,
evaluating, and optimizing reallocation of collateral for managed
deals such as the Tri-Party Repos. As further shown in FIG. 1, and
described in greater detail below, collateral management system 140
further includes collateral allocation module 180, which may be
configured to us the one or more processors to evaluate various
security positions that are being utilized as collateral for a Repo
deal, or may be eligible to be utilized in a Repo deal, and
ascertain the allocations of the security positions across a
plurality of Repo deals.
[0032] FIG. 2A depicts a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a
method/process of collateral allocation (process 200), which may be
configured to optimize or otherwise enhance or make more efficient
the allocations of collateral across a plurality of the Repo deals.
In some embodiments, process 200 may be implemented by one or more
algorithms which may be configured to operate in collateral
allocation module 180. Although reference herein will be made to
elements of post-trade management system 100 described above, in
other embodiments, process 200 may be operable through another such
system, or over a plurality of systems. Process 200 starts at 205,
and continues to 210 where data associated with the collateral
allocation is loaded into memory. In an embodiment, the data may be
read from database 160. In an embodiment, the data may be copied
from the database residing on a durable storage medium to a faster
access storage medium (i.e. from a hard drive to random access
memory). In various embodiments, the data may include one or more
of Tri-Party repo deals, positions, security data, rulesets,
concentration limit data, or so on. In an embodiment, application
locks may be read into the memory as well, so as to prevent
duplicate allocations from running simultaneously. In an
embodiment, the data may be responsive to a query implemented on
account search module 150. For example, in some embodiments, the
data may be narrowed to include data involving a particular buyer
115, or a particular class of collateral, as described in greater
detail below. In an embodiment, the data loaded at 210 may be
over-inclusive, so to minimize access of database 160, which may
otherwise increase network latency when memory/storage device(s)
155 are located away from the one or more processors. In an
embodiment, each of a plurality of processors may be associated
with only a subset of the deals to manage primarily that subset,
however data corresponding to all deals may be loaded into memory
associated with each processor, to balance the load of processing
said data, regardless of any interrelatedness of the data. For
example, in an embodiment wherein process 200 is operable on a
clustered computing architecture, each of a plurality of message
passing interface (MPI) nodes may be responsible for a subset of
the deals returned by the query.
[0033] Once the data is loaded at 210, process 200 may continue to
initialize the data at 215. Data initialization at 215 may be
configured to structure the data in a manner that may permit
greater efficiency of data handling further in process 200. For
example, data initialization at 215 may include at 220 performing
eligibility testing of the positions against the rulesets, basket
identifier (BID) schedules, and collateral preference schedules
(CPS) for all relevant deals. In an embodiment, only the MPI nodes
responsible for a given subset of the deals will test eligibility
for those deals. In an embodiment, each node may process multiple
deals in parallel, using, for example, an OpenMP architecture. Data
initialization at 215 may further include at 225 creating a margin
array data structure, such that non-eligible positions for a given
deal will have a margin of zero, while eligible positions will have
their margin or haircut loaded into the structure. In an
embodiment, the margin array may be a double array indexed by repo
number and position number, however may be stored as a single
contiguous area of memory. In an embodiment, different parts of the
margin array may be populated by different MPI nodes, however may
be synchronized across the cluster of MPI nodes. In an embodiment,
deals sharing a group level concentration limit are grouped onto
the same node so that concentration limit data does not have to be
communicated through the cluster to help improve performance. In an
embodiment, a load balancing algorithm is used to authorize a node
as manager of a specific deal so that each node in the cluster has
an equal work load.
[0034] Data initialization at 215 may further include at 230
refreshing the margins in database 160 for any margin of the array
that is different from previously allocated margins loaded into
memory at 210. Such differences may arise, for example, due to
changes in security data or rulesets. At 235, data initialization
continues with populating a concentration linked list for Repo and
position combinations. Such a list may permit allocation and
de-allocation of positions by iterating through the linked list to
update concentration buckets without reparsing the ruleset to
identify applicable concentration limits. In an embodiment,
concentrations that were not correctly populated in database 160
for previously allocated positions are refreshed in database 160.
Data initialization at 215 may further include at 240 populating a
Cost of Carry array, which may be a double array indexed by deal
and position. In an embodiment, the Cost of Carry array may be
populated by MPI nodes managing their associated deals, and then
synchronized across the cluster of MPI nodes. Data initialization
at 215 may further include at 245 taking a snapshot of a previous
allocation, then returning all previously allocated positions back
to a Dealer Box in the memory.
[0035] Once data initialization at 215 is completed, process 200
may continue at 250 by performing pre-optimization of the positions
for the deals. Such pre-optimization may allow selection of various
features for particular deals, which may override optimized or
otherwise enhanced allocations performed later in process 200. In
an embodiment, pre-optimization at 250 may include at 255
allocating all collateral that is eligible for a given deal to that
deal, even if the deal becomes over-collateralized. In an
embodiment, any collateral allocated to those deals may be locked,
and not utilized for other optimizations. In an embodiment,
pre-optimization at 250 may include at 260 a minimum modification
feature, which may be associated with a given deal such that an
attempt would be made to reallocate any collateral previously
allocated to that deal (i.e. indicated in the backup snapshot at
245) back to the deal. In an embodiment, if the position is no
longer eligible, would break a concentration limit, or would
over-collateralize that deal, then that position might not be
allocated, or might be partially allocated. In an embodiment, any
position allocated to the deals designated for minimum modification
would not be accessed for optimization, or otherwise reallocated
for the remainder of process 200. In an embodiment, the deals
selected for minimum modification may still have additional
positions allocated to it to prevent under-collateralization. For
example, if the account is short, additional collateral may be
allocated to the deal. Furthermore, if the account is
over-collateralized, some collateral may be removed, but not enough
to make the account under-collateralized. Again, any collateral
already allocated would remain collateral; however this may exclude
collateral that is no longer eligible collateral, if the rulesets
for the deal are modified. In an embodiment, the allocations during
the pre-optimization at 250 may utilize a parallel replacement
algorithm, described in greater detail below.
[0036] Once the pre-optimization phase at 250 is complete, process
200 may continue with mathematically optimizing the collateral
allocations at 270, where the one or more processors may be used to
find an allocation of the portfolio that minimizes current required
collateral across the plurality of deals. In an embodiment, seller
110 and buyer 115 may agree to allow such movements of the
collateral in their deals, either automatically or at the request
of one or both parties. Typically, as seller 110 has agreed to buy
back the collateral at a later time, seller 110 would be the one
who would want to shift collateral, so that additional collateral
may be freed up which may be utilized for other purposes. In an
embodiment, the mathematical optimization at 270 may also utilize
the parallel replacement algorithm, again described below, which
may be iterated repeatedly until the portfolio comes fully
collateralized, or when the derivative of the weighted average of
the previous ten iterations becomes zero or negative.
[0037] The mathematical optimization at 270 may include, at 275,
indexing and sorting the deals based on position eligibility. In an
embodiment, a bipartite graph may be created between the set of
positions and the set of deals. Edges may be drawn showing
eligibility between the sets of positions and deals. In an
embodiment, vertex degrees are calculated for each set,
representing the number of edges connecting to each member of the
set. In an embodiment, the sorting may include sorting the set by
vertex degree, such that repo accounts may subsequently be
collateralized in the increasing order of their vertex degrees.
Such collateralization may allow allocation of positions which have
lower eligibility.
[0038] Mathematical optimization at 270 may further include at 280
creating groups of positions, which may be utilized to parallelize
the allocation process. In an embodiment, a self organizing map
(SOM)/Kohonen map, or other similar neural network technique may be
utilized to create the groups. The SOM may use vectors of margins
for individual positions as inputs to train the network in a
learning mode. A mapping mode may then classify a new input vector.
In an embodiment, the SOM algorithm may utilize the Euclidian
Distance formula to categorize and group the positions. In an
embodiment, the vectors may include the margins for a position
applied to each deal. Once the positions are grouped at 280, the
position groups may then be sorted at 285. In an embodiment where
the best use of margins is the basis for enhancement/optimization,
sorting the position groups at 285 may comprise ordering the groups
according to the average margins of positions within the group. In
an embodiment, the SOM algorithm may be configured to split the
position into a number of categories. In an embodiment, the number
of categories may be equal to the number of MPI nodes. In some
embodiments, the SOM algorithm may ensure that positions in the
same category would have similar margins across all associated
deals.
[0039] As an example, if the margins for each position within each
Repo Account (RA) corresponds to what is reflected in Table I
below, then when the positions are grouped and sorted as reflected
in Table II, the groups may be ordered such that the group with the
lowest margins has higher priority in allocation, as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I Position Margins Repo Accounts Positions RA1
RA2 RA3 RA4 RA5 RA6 RA7 RA8 023824574 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.01 1.00 1.02
1.01 1.01 024519660 1.05 1.05 0.00 1.06 0.00 1.04 1.05 1.05
024814742 1.01 1.02 0.00 1.01 1.00 1.02 1.01 1.01 025088212 1.02
1.02 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.01 026104335 1.06 1.06 1.07 1.05
0.00 1.06 1.05 0.00 026649103 1.01 1.02 1.02 1.03 1.01 0.00 1.01
1.01
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE II Group sorting Position Groups Group1 (G1)
Group 2 (G2) Group3 (G3) Repo Accounts 23824574 24814742 25088212
26649103 26104335 24519660 RA1 1.01 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.06 1.05 RA2
1.02 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.06 1.05 RA3 1.01 0.00 1.01 1.02 1.07 0.00 RA4
1.01 1.01 1.01 1.03 1.05 1.06 RA5 1.00 1.00 1.01 1.01 0.00 0.00 RA6
1.02 1.02 1.02 0.00 1.06 1.04 RA7 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.05 1.05 RA8
1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 0.00 1.05 Position Avg 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.02 1.06
1.05 Group Avg 1.01 1.01 1.05 Sort Order 1 2 3
[0040] In an embodiment, where two groups have the same average
margins (such as G1 and G2 in the example of Table II), then the
group having positions with the lower eligibility may be awarded
the higher priority. In some embodiments, once the groups are
sorted at 285, the mathematical optimization at 270 may continue
with assigning the deals among nodes at 290. In some embodiments,
the deals are assigned to groups as part of loading the data at
210. Such assignment may be performed to parallelize the collateral
allocation process. In an embodiment, a deal or a group of deals
may be assigned to a particular node based on maximum/minimum
concentration limits. As noted above, in some embodiments the deals
may be balanced to the MPI nodes, which in some cases may account
for group level concentration limits, whereby deals sharing a group
level concentration limit are assigned to the same node, while
other deals are split across the remaining nodes. In an embodiment,
only the MPI node managing a particular deal would allocate
collateral to that deal, while any MPI node could de-allocate
collateral from a given deal. In an embodiment, the number of nodes
would equal the number of position groups for maximum efficiency.
In an embodiment, the position groups may be rotated across the MPI
nodes so that all nodes have an opportunity to allocate any
position from any position group. In an embodiment, the position
groups are assigned to a node using pipeline architecture to ensure
that lowest margin collateral are considered first for allocation.
An example of such allocation is depicted in Table III below.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE III Pipeline Architecture Allocation
Time-cycles T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 Node 1 G1 G2 G3 Node 2 G1 G2 G3 Node 3
G1 G2 G3
[0041] Once the groups are sorted in order of their vertex degrees,
and in various embodiments assigned to particular nodes, the
mathematical optimization at 270 may continue at 295 by performing
a maximal allocation. In an embodiment, the maximal allocation may
comprise sorting Repo Accounts by ascending order of vertex degree,
based on positions in the Dealer Box. The maximal allocation may
continue by sorting the sorted Repo Accounts by the vertex degree
based on position in an Allocated Securities Box (although in the
first iteration of the maximal allocation at 295, the Allocated
Securities box would be empty). Maximal allocation at 295 would
continue with the position groups being arranged such that those
with the lowest average of margins are allocated first.
[0042] Following the maximal allocation at 295, some of the RAs may
be left undercollateralized, with some collateral still left in the
Dealer Box. A replacement procedure may be implemented at 300 to
swap some of the collateral in the fully collateralized repo
accounts with the remaining eligible collateral in the Dealer Box,
and reallocate the freed up collateral to the undercollateralized
deals. As above, eligibility may be ascertained by any appropriate
mechanism, including but not limited to allowance by buyer 115 in
rulesets associated with the deals, preference by seller 110
through the BID schedule, or so on. In an embodiment, the
reallocation may again give greater importance to the margins. In
an embodiment, the replacement procedure at 300 may comprise
sorting the RAs first by vertex degree based on the positions left
in the Dealer Box, then by vertex degree based on the positions now
in the Allocated Securities box. During the replacement
allocations, securities in the Dealer Box would be considered
first, before securities in the Allocated Securities box. The
undercollateralized accounts would continue to be collateralized
with securities from the Allocated Securities box, once the
eligible collateral in the Dealer Box is depleted. In an
embodiment, the replacement procedure at 300 may be iterated across
all accounts until all accounts are fully collateralized, or there
is a shortage of collateral. In an embodiment, the replacement
procedure at 300 may utilize the bipartite graph method to
establish priorities for the replacement collateralization.
[0043] An example of the mathematical optimization performed at 270
is depicted in FIG. 3, wherein the complete collateralization of
all Repo Accounts R1-R8 is accomplished in three iterations (Iter
0, Iter 1, and Iter 2). For each iteration, the number of
securities allocated (SA) to a given account is presented, as well
as the number of eligible securities in both the Dealer Box (DB)
and the number of eligible securities in the Allocated Securities
box (AS). As shown, the order that the Repo Accounts are presented
following the replacement procedure reflects the order in which the
Repo Accounts are collateralized during that procedure: ascending
in order based on the number of eligible securities in the DB,
followed by the number of eligible securities in the AS, (or
R6.fwdarw.R8.fwdarw.R2.fwdarw.R7.fwdarw.R4.fwdarw.R1.fwdarw.R5.fwdarw.R3)-
. When making the collateral available, it would be in the reverse
order, starting with what is left in the DB (i.e.
DB.fwdarw.R3.fwdarw.R5.fwdarw.R1.fwdarw.R4.fwdarw.R7.fwdarw.R2.fwdarw.R8.-
fwdarw.R6). For example, when allocating collateral to account R6
in Iter 2, the collateral considered first will be the eligible
collateral in the DB (sorted internally by margins) followed by the
eligible collateral that was allocated to R3 (sorted internally by
margins) in Iter 1, followed by R5 in Iter 1, and so on. By
proceeding in this manner, collateral is being taken from accounts
that still have a large amount of eligible collateral left in the
Dealer Box, before moving on to taking collateral from Repo
Accounts that have more limited amounts of eligible collateral.
[0044] A stopping point for the mathematical optimization at 270
may be determined by any suitable determination criteria. In an
embodiment, the mathematical optimization at 270 may simply proceed
for a predetermined number of iterations. In another embodiment the
stopping point for the mathematical optimization at 270 may be
ascertained from a moving average calculated from the prior
iterations. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of process 200
in FIG. 2A, after the replacement process is run at 300, it may be
determined at 305 if an optimal collateral allocation has been
ascertained. If not, then the mathematical optimization at 270 may
continue by returning to 295 for further collateral reallocations.
In an embodiment, the optimal collateral allocation may be selected
from the processed iterations of the replacement process 300 at a
stopping point for the optimization calculations. An example of
ascertaining the optimal collateral allocations at 305 is depicted
in the example collateralization table presented in Table IV.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE IV Optimized Collateralizations for a given
Repo Account Moving Avg Slope (From Iteration Undercollateralized
(From Prior Ten Prior Ten Moving # Amount Iterations) Averages) 1
51,724,121,266.26 2 15,285,759,313.30 3 15,275,400,741.39 4
15,265,605,535.34 5 15,263,662,725.20 6 15,263,496,654.97 7
15,196,739,680.91 8 15,193,430,765.45 9 15,183,291,443.73 10
15,183,267,729.92 18,883,477,585.65 11 15,174,152,224.71
15,228,480,681.49 12 15,181,803,807.26 15,218,085,130.89 13
15,184,771,409.55 15,209,022,197.70 14 15,185,985,755.57
15,201,060,219.73 15 15,177,743,295.89 15,192,468,276.80 16
15,188,312,786.22 15,184,949,889.92 17 15,178,028,120.29
15,183,078,733.86 18 15,182,510,080.73 15,181,986,665.39 19
15,194,587,124.58 15,183,116,233.47 -3,700,361,352.17 20
15,189,709,194.54 15,183,760,379.94 -44,720,301.56 21
15,179,768,127.28 15,184,321,970.19 -33,763,160.69 22
15,177,527,310.43 15,183,894,320.51 -25,127,877.19 23
15,179,533,232.17 15,183,370,502.77 -17,689,716.95 24
15,184,357,609.62 15,183,207,688.18 -9,260,588.62 25
15,172,461,886.99 15,182,679,547.29 -2,270,342.64 26
15,178,898,307.02 15,181,738,099,37 -1,340,634.49 27
15,171,085,519.12 15,181,043,839.25 -942,826.14 28
15,168,148,512.90 15,179,607,682.46 -3,508,551.01 29
15,177,237,711.56 15,177,872,741.16 -5,887,638.77 30
15,171,969,148.08 15,176,098,736.52 -8,223,233.68 31
15,168,954,314.80 15,175,017,355.27 -8,876,965.24 32
15,169,906,453.98 15,174,255,269.62 -9,115,233,15 33
15,175,691,281.00 15,173,871,074.51 -9,336,613.67 34
15,185,598,578.23 15,173,995,171.37 -8,684,375.92 35
15,171,045,961.44 15,173,853,578.81 -7,884,520.55 36
15,175,794,410.25 15,173,543,189.14 -7,500,650.11 37
15,164,822,445.27 15,172,916,881.75 -6,690,800.71 38
15,175,593,402.76 15,173,661,370.74 -4,211,370.42 39
15,171,130,798.57 15,173,050,679.44 -3,048,057.08 40
15,175,304,543.67 15,173,384,219,00 -1,633,136.27 41
15,174,472,655.12 15,173,936,053.03 -319,216,59 42
15,172,036,275.24 15,174,149,035.16 277,960.65
[0045] As shown in Table IV, in an embodiment a weighted average of
the undercollateralized amount may be calculated from the previous
ten iterations of the replacement process at 300. The
"undercollateralized amount" indicates the amount by which the
account is undercollateralized at the end of the maximal allocation
process at 295. The Replacement algorithm at 300 attempts to
collateralize this amount by swapping eligible collateral between
RAs and the Dealer Box, before allocating the collateral to the
given RA. The slope may then be calculated, representing the
difference between the current iteration's weighted average and the
weighted average of the tenth prior iteration. In an embodiment,
the stopping point may be ascertained when this slope becomes
greater than or equal to zero. In Table IV, the stopping point is
reached with iteration 42, where the slope becomes positive. The
optimal allocation, having the least undercollateralized amount,
may then be selected from the calculated iterations, which in the
example of Table IV is found in iteration 37.
[0046] During the swapping of collateral, it may be observed that
the replacement algorithm at 300 continues to run iteratively
despite there not being any eligible collateral available in any of
the accounts. In an embodiment, instead of a set number of
iterations being run, as was depicted in Table IV, the optimized
collateral allocation determination at 305 may detect when the
collateralization value has become constant, indicating a lack of
further eligible collateral, recognizing that as a termination
point. In an embodiment, the optimized collateral allocation
determination at 305 may ascertain that the iteration should
terminate when the under-collateralized amount becomes zero. In an
embodiment, if the moving average value over ten iterations remains
constant or increases, the allocation may be ascertained at 305 to
be complete. The moving average may be a greater determination of
optimal collateralization, because in cases where larger collateral
is swapped for smaller collateral, the under-collateralized amount
value may increase for that particular iteration, however, this may
decrease again in subsequent iterations, and it may be desirable to
continue the iterations of the replacement process at 300.
[0047] Once it is determined at 305 that the collateral allocations
have been mathematically optimized, the mathematical optimization
at 270 may end, and process 200 may continue to A, which continues
at FIG. 2B. As is shown in FIG. 2B, process 200 may continue at 310
with a business optimization of the collateral. In an embodiment,
the business optimization at 310 may be implemented if there is
insufficient collateral to collateralize the entire portfolio. In
an embodiment, a determination of which deal or deals should be
left undercollateralized may be made at 315. In an embodiment,
multiple considerations may exist, which may be used together and
prioritized by seller 110 and specified via operator I/O &
display 165, as described in greater detail below. In an
embodiment, one such consideration may include basket
prioritization 320. Basket prioritization 320 may prioritize deals
classified as basket trades or having BID schedules over deals that
are not classified as basket trades, or do not have BID schedules.
In an embodiment, another such consideration may include internal
short prioritization 325. Internal short prioritization 325 may
collateralize older deals ahead of newer deals. In an embodiment,
another consideration may include market deadline Prioritization
330. Such market deadline prioritization 330 may prioritize deals
that accept collateral only from markets which are closed ahead of
deals that only accept collateral from markets which are still
open. In yet another embodiment, another consideration may include
dealer prioritization 335, wherein the dealer (i.e. seller 110) may
specify particular deals to have a higher prioritization. Again,
such demarcation of higher priority deals may be specified via
operator I/O & display 165, or any other interface with the
collateral allocation system running process 200. The
implementation of the undercollateralization determination at 315
may be by any suitable mechanism, including but not limited to via
the parallel replacement mechanism of the mathematical optimization
described above.
[0048] As further shown, the business optimization at 310 may
further include at 340 determining which of a dealer's preferred
collateral should be allocated to a deal. The dealer's preferred
collateral may be of any appropriate type, and may correspond, for
example, to the dealer's BID schedule, and the intersection of the
BID schedule with the deal's ruleset (which may specify the
collateral acceptable to buyer 115). In an embodiment, any
collateral that is allocated with a higher cost of carry may be
swapped with eligible collateral still in the Dealer Box that has a
lower cost of carry. In an embodiment, any collateral that is
allocated with a higher margin may be swapped with eligible
collateral still in the Dealer Box that would have a lower margin.
In an embodiment wherein deals are associated with particular MPI
processes, deals may be processed in parallel using shared memory
programming within the same MPI node. In an embodiment, for each
Repo deal managed by an MPI process, priority may be established as
either by margins 345 or by Cost of Carry 350. For each
deallocation position equal to the position DESC (in SQL syntax)
that is allocated to the deal, and for each allocation position
equal to the allocation ASC (in SQL syntax) that is available in
the Dealer Box, the dealer preferred collateral determination at
340 may include breaking out of the position DESC and position ASC
loops if the allocation position is equivalent to the deallocation
position. Otherwise, the determination algorithm may comprise
deallocating the deallocation position, allocating the allocation
position, and trying to fully collateralize the deal with the
position that was de-allocated. If the deallocation position was
fully removed, the loop over all MPI nodes may end. In prioritizing
by margin at 345, if a position is eligible for two different
deals, if there is a lower margin in one deal, it should be
allocated to that deal so that fewer positions are used to
collateralize the portfolio. In prioritizing by Cost of Carry at
350, seller 110 may analyze the collateral from a risk/desirability
standpoint, determining which collateral is the cheapest to
deliver, and how they believe the collateral's value will change
during the course of the deal.
[0049] Although in some embodiments, other business optimizations
may be included in the business optimization at 310, in an
embodiment process 200 may continue at 355 with a final allocation
of deals in the Dealer Box. In an embodiment, these final
allocations at 355 may be utilized to collateralize the portfolio
of deals if there are any positions in the Dealer Box after both
the mathematical optimizations at 270 and the business
optimizations at 310. In an embodiment, the parallel replacement
algorithm may again be utilized for the final allocations at
350.
[0050] In an embodiment, process 200 may continue with a submission
of allocation instructions at 360. For example, in an embodiment
the current allocations that were tracked at 245 may be compared
with the optimized portfolio calculated in process 200. The
differences between the pre-optimized allocations at 245 and the
newly optimized allocations may be forwarded to a separate
instruction allocation server, which may utilize instructions from
a collateral optimization server, such as collateral management
system 140, to implement the optimized instructions across the
deals. In an embodiment, removal of positions that shouldn't be
allocated would be performed by the instruction allocation server
first, followed by a reallocation of collateral to new deals. In an
embodiment, if there exists an instruction where the position
cannot be allocated due to eligibility, concentration limits, or so
on, the instruction server may update database 160 or another
storage construct with the reason for the failure. In an
embodiment, the instruction allocation server may then perform the
remaining position movements, collateralizing the deal associated
with the erroneous instruction at a later time.
[0051] In some embodiments, the instruction allocation server may
be configured to perform position movements so as to minimize
financial exposure to the Tri-Party agent, or other similar party.
As an example, where collateral is removed from multiple accounts
before being reallocated, the Tri-Party agent would be exposed for
the entire uncollateralized amount over the multiple accounts.
However if the collateral were reallocated from some of the
accounts to others of the accounts prior to removing collateral
from those other accounts, the exposure to the Tri-Party agent
would be reduced. As such, in some embodiments the movements of
collateral may be ordered to minimize shortage. As shown in the
simplified example of Table V, the Tri-Party agent would be exposed
by the value of each collateral removed from a given deal.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE V Example Position Movements to Minimize
Shortage/Exposure Scenario A Scenario B Aggregate Aggregate
Shortage/ Shortage/ Exposure Exposure Movement Allocation Amount
Allocation Amount 1 Remove Collateral X Collateral for A Remove
Collateral X Collateral for A from Account A from Account A 2
Remove Collateral Y Collateral for A Allocate Collateral X
Collateral for A from Account B and to Account B Collateral for B 3
Allocate Collateral Collateral for A Remove Collateral Y Collateral
for A X to Account B from Account B 4 Allocate Collateral NONE
Allocate Collateral Y NONE Y to Account A to Account A
[0052] In Scenario A, between steps 2 and 3, the Tri-Party agent
would be exposed by the value of collateral owed to Account A plus
the value of collateral owed to Account B. In Scenario B, however,
by allocating Collateral X to Account B immediately after removing
it from Account A, Account B is never shorted, reducing the
exposure to the Tri-Party agent. In more complicated embodiments,
where collateral is being reallocated over and between a greater
number of accounts, any number of determination criteria may be
utilized to ascertain the order of deallocation and reallocation,
to reduce exposure to the Tri-Party agent. In some embodiments,
multiple movements may be processed together (i.e. as a single
transaction), which may also reduce or eliminate exposure to the
Tri-Party agent. For example, if Movements 1-4 of either Scenario A
or Scenario B were performed as a single transaction, then there
would not be any exposure to the Tri-Party agent, as the account
holders would never see a shortage to the deals in their accounts.
In some such embodiments, an automatic cash crediting system for
providing credit from the Tri-Party agent to shorted accounts may
calculate at a transaction level, comparing differences in exposure
at the start of the transaction to the end of the transaction.
[0053] Returning to FIG. 2B, in some embodiments, statistics
regarding the data initialization at 215, and/or the optimized
allocations calculated in process 200 may be saved at 365. In an
embodiment, the save may be made to durable memory, such as
memory/storage device(s) 155 of collateral management system 140.
In an embodiment, the statistics may be recorded to database 160.
As noted, such statistics may include collateralization failures,
however may also include any other information calculated during
process 200, including but not limited to data regarding margins
and cost of carry. Finally, process 200 may end at 370.
[0054] As indicated above, in an embodiment optimization may
include consideration of BID schedules. In an embodiment wherein
there is insufficient collateral for a given deal, upgrades may
also be considered for the deals. For example, in an embodiment a
CPS (or an "upgrade" schedule) may be utilized to prioritize
collateral allocation. In an embodiment, the eligibility of
collateral may be simply indicated in the margin array. In an
embodiment, during the dealer preferred allocations 340 of the
business optimizations at 310, collateral with a high cost of carry
(determined by the CPS) may be swapped with collateral of a lower
cost of carry, which would utilize the CPS in a descending
direction. In an embodiment, the CPS may determine eligibility of
collateral in the ascending direction, while dealer preferred
collateral may be ascertained by reading the CPS in the descending
direction.
[0055] In an embodiment, if a given deal reaches a specified
maximum number of positions, an extra check may be performed after
allocating each position. In an embodiment, if the number of
positions equals the maximum allowable position count, and if the
current required collateral of the deal is greater than zero, then
the smallest allocated position may be removed, which may allow for
the potential of a larger position to be allocated.
[0056] As noted above, in an embodiment, the parallel design of the
computation of the deals is appreciated, wherein various memory
locks may be implemented to prevent multiple processes from
allocating positions to the deal. In an embodiment, however, any
MPI process may be configured to remove any position from any deal,
regardless of whether the specific MPI process is responsible for
managing that deal. In an embodiment, groups of RAs may be
allocated using a pipeline architecture, such that in a first
time-cycle, a first node will process a first group G1, while in a
subsequent time-cycle, the first node will process a second group
G2, while a second node will process the first group G1. Such
grouping of positions may allow multiple MPI processes to allocate
in parallel, preventing multiple processes from allocating the same
position at the same time. In an embodiment, the grouping of
positions may permit allocation of the lowest average margin
positions, which can reduce the number of positions used to
collateralize the portfolio of deals. In an embodiment, the
positions are synchronized across the MPI nodes between each
time-cycle allowing each MPI node to know the current state of all
positions in the group it is about to allocate from in the next
time-cycle.
[0057] The system and method of this disclosure may be implemented
in various ways. For example, as noted above, access to collateral
management system 140 may be provided via operator I/O &
display 165. In an embodiment, operator I/O & display 165 may
be accessible over network 130, such that seller 110 and/or buyer
115 may have access to collateral allocation module 180, for
example. In an embodiment illustrated in the "screenshot" of FIG.
4, graphical user interface (GUI) indicated generally by Letter "A"
may be provided to facilitate such access to collateral management
system 140. As shown, a GUI "A" may allow creation or modification
of an allocation template identified at Letter "B", which may
permit a user of GUI "A" to establish preferences for process 200
to optimize collateral allocations. At Letter "C", pre-optimization
options may be established. In an embodiment, the pre-optimization
options may correspond with the pre-optimization at 250. In the
illustrated embodiment, pre-optimization options "C" for allocation
template "B" permit selectively enabling the minimize modifications
features 260, which again would attempt to reallocate any
collateral previously allocated to a given set of deals. In an
embodiment, different accounts and/or deals that are added or
controlled over post-trade management system 100 may selectively be
associated with a minimum modification (MINMOD) tag, such that if
the minimize modifications feature 260 is enabled in
pre-optimization options "C", the collateral allocation module 180
would attempt to retain the collateral as allocated to those
accounts.
[0058] Optimization options for mathematical optimization 270 in
allocation template "B" may be controlled at Letter "D". As shown,
a number of features are controllable in the illustrated
embodiment. For example, in an embodiment, a Fussy Factor may be
presented, giving a user of the GUI "A" the ability to establish a
percentage of a position that is allocated in each iteration of the
optimization. A Forced Fussy Factor option may control how strictly
the Fussy Factor is enforced. In an embodiment, a Full Replacement
option may be presented to control the number of passes that may be
run in a full replacement algorithm for the optimization. An option
may be presented to selectively include MINMOD tagged accounts in
the replacement procedure at 300. Furthermore, it may be selected
that the replacement algorithm at 300 may run the deals with an
older stat date option, or a lower priority option. Another option
presented in the optimization options "D" may include a number of
times to retry the optimization and/or post-optimization phases
(i.e. mathematical optimization 270 and business optimization
310).
[0059] At Letter "E" options for the business optimization at 310
are presented. As shown, there may be separate sections for both
the determining of which deals to short at 315, and the determining
dealer-preferred allocations at 340. As shown, the user of GUI "A"
may prioritize from basket prioritization 320, internal short
prioritization 325, market deadlines 330, and dealer priority at
335. Again, for basket prioritization at 320, accounts assigned to
a basket tag should be allocated before accounts not assigned to a
basket tag. With internal short prioritization 325, deals with
older state dates, still undercollateralized, would be allocated
before accounts with earlier start dates. In market deadline
prioritization 330, accounts with closed Markets would be allocated
before accounts with open markets. In dealer prioritization 320,
undercollateralized deals with lower priority would be allocated
before accounts with higher priority. In the dealer-preferred
allocations at 340, the options presented in some embodiments may
include assigning a priority to use better margins compared to the
cost of carry. Likewise, a priority may be assigned to use a cost
of carry profile as compared to a better margin profile.
[0060] Although the options depicted in letters "C", "D" and "E"
are presented as drop-down lists that permit selection of "Yes,"
"No," numerical elements (such as for prioritization or
percentages) and so on, other graphical user interface elements may
also or alternatively be utilized in GUI "A". For example, a series
of push buttons or radio buttons may be presented to make the
applicable options selections. Furthermore, in some embodiments a
text based interface (or a text base element in a GUI) may be
utilized, allowing a user to type in an applicable response to an
option prompt. In some embodiments, combinations of GUI and text
elements may be utilized. For example, at Letter "F", instructions
for the instruction allocation server are input. As shown, the
applicable Dealer ID (identifying seller 110, for example) is a
text interface, while a "submit" dropdown box allows for a
constant, intermittent, or delayed submission of the optimization
instructions to the instruction allocation server.
[0061] Shown at letter "G" is a pushbutton that would reset the
values input at letters "C" through "F" to default values. Such
default values may be, for example, all "NO" responses, all "YES"
responses, zeroed numerical prioritizations, or so on. In an
embodiment, the default values implemented by the reset pushbutton
"G" may be the most commonly implemented response for each
optimization element. Pushbutton "H" is a submission pushbutton,
configured to accept the responses established for allocation
template "B". As shown, pushbutton "H" is a preview pushbutton,
which would advance the user to a summary page depicted in the
screenshot of FIG. 5. As seen in FIG. 5, a reporting of the
selections made for allocation template "B" is presented at Letter
"I", allowing a user of GUI "A" to review his or her responses. If
an error has been made in a response, a cancel pushbutton is
provided at Letter "J", returning the user to the screen depicted
in FIG. 4, allowing editing of allocation template "B". In an
embodiment, all responses in made previously to allocation template
"B" will remain, so that a user need only change the source of the
error. If the allocation template review at "I" is correct, a
confirmation pushbutton is provided at letter "K", saving the
allocation template responses. In an embodiment, the name
identifying application template "B", by which the template
responses may be saved under, is established prior to accessing the
options for allocation template "B". In other embodiments, a space
to label or otherwise demark a template name for the optimization
configurations may be provided either in the editing screen of FIG.
4, the preview report of FIG. 5, or following confirmation through
pushbutton "K". Clicking of the confirmation button "K" may in an
embodiment save the selected options in memory/storage device(s)
155. In an embodiment, the selected options may be recorded in
database 160, and may be associated with some or all deals for
associated with seller 110. In an embodiment seller 110 may run the
optimization for deals associated with a particular buyer 115, or a
series of buyers 115 all associated with the Tri-Party agent.
[0062] In an embodiment, a portion of GUI "A" may allow for a
listing of previously created templates, and the ability to create
new templates. In FIG. 6, a new template may be added at Letter
"L", wherein a template name may be input in the textbox at letter
"M". After clicking on the add button at Letter "N", the allocation
template editing screen of FIG. 4 may be presented, and would
ultimately be saved under the specified template name. As further
shown in FIG. 6, previous templates may be listed at Letter "O",
along with the option of modifying the templates, copying the
options from the template into a new template having a new name, or
deleting the templates. In the illustrated embodiment, allocation
template "B" appears on the list, wherein clicking the modify
button indicated at Letter "P" would return to the view of FIG.
4.
[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 7, in an embodiment a portion of GUI
"A" may provide user input to apply the settings of an allocation
template, such as allocation template "B" established in FIG. 4, to
optimize collateral allocations from the Dealer Box. As shown, the
allocation template may be selected at Letter "Q". In the
illustrated embodiment, the allocation template is selected by a
dropdown box, however in other embodiments the allocation template
may be searched for, identified by a text-box, or by any other
suitable mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, allocation
template "B" established in FIG. 4 is selected in the dropdown box
at Letter "Q". As shown, in an embodiment the allocations may be
performed by designating a particular Dealer Box, and a particular
Dealer ID, as is shown generally at Letter "R". In other
embodiments a dealer allocation group may be selected or otherwise
designated to submit an allocation, as may be selected by clicking
on the tab indicated at Letter "S".
[0064] FIG. 8 illustrates that in an embodiment, after an
allocation is submitted the status of the allocation may be
presented through a portion of GUI "A". As shown, the allocation
may be searched by a number of associated criteria presented
generally at Letter "T", including but not limited to allocation
date, allocation status, allocation type, Dealer or Purchaser ID,
allocation ID, Dealer Box, dealer allocation group, basket ID,
combinations thereof, or so on. In the illustrated embodiment,
basic selection criteria that includes at least a date range for
the allocations may be combined with more particular selection
criteria (i.e. the dealer/purchaser IDs, the allocation ID, the
Dealer Box, the dealer allocation group, or the Basket/Purchaser
IDs) when searching an allocation history. By entering the
associated search information and clicking the find buttons "U",
the associated allocations may be presented, such as is depicted in
FIG. 9.
[0065] In the embodiment of GUI "A" depicted in FIG. 9, the
allocations associated with the search terms entered at Letter "T"
in FIG. 8 are presented, and may include at Letter "V" the status
of the optimization process described above. As shown, in an
embodiment, the status of completed optimizations may be indicated
as "done", while "in progress" may designate that an optimization
is under way for the associated allocation ID. Also shown is that
certain allocations may be designated as "abort", which may
indicate the failure of the allocation procedure. In an embodiment,
clicking on the "abort" indicator may present information as to the
reason for the abortion of the optimization procedure, such as an
improper ruleset configuration, a computer failure, a time-out, or
so on. In an embodiment, selecting the allocation ID indicated
generally at Letter "W" from the allocation history results
illustrated in FIG. 9 may provide a detailed description page, such
as that depicted in FIG. 10.
[0066] FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed description page of GUI "A",
which may correspond to the allocation ID "W" selected in FIG. 9.
As shown, the allocation template utilized for the selected
allocation (which in the illustrated embodiment is allocation
template "B" established in FIG. 4) may be listed, as well as the
associated report for the allocation. As shown, a dropdown box "X"
may provide different types of report data associated with the
allocation. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the initial
screen may indicate the current amount of collateral associated
with or needed in the selected allocation. In an embodiment, other
reports may also or alternatively be provided, such as by selecting
a different report type from the dropdown box "X". In an
embodiment, the reports may include a list of the allocated
positions by the Cost of Carry. For example, the report may allow
comparison based on account ID, security ID, ID type, depository,
Dealer Box, par, collateral value, CPS ruleset, and/or the Cost of
Carry number. In an embodiment, the reports may be for all
positions, including unallocated positions. In an embodiment, the
weighted average of the Cost of Carry for the allocated positions
may be provided, where the weight is determined by the size of the
positions. In an embodiment, the positions that indicate zero Cost
of Carry (i.e. the Cost of Carry could not be derived) are
presented, so that a user may determine a gap in their schedule
designations (i.e. in the CPS) that prevents complete
prioritization. In an embodiment, the weighted margins for the
account(s) are presented, to indicate the excess in collateral
provided for a given account. Other reports are possible, and the
reports described above are provided solely as examples of how data
may be presented to users, so that users may use the GUI "A" to
determine if or how to best make associated collateralization
decisions. As further shown in FIG. 10, once a user of GUI "A" is
fished viewing the allocation reports, they may press the button
"Y" that may return them to the allocation history list of FIG.
9.
[0067] The above-discussed embodiments and aspects of this
disclosure are not intended to be limiting, but have been shown and
described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and
structural principles of the inventive concept, and are intended to
encompass various modifications that would be within the spirit and
scope of the following claims.
[0068] Various embodiments may be described herein as including a
particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every aspect
or embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,
structure, or characteristic. Further, when a particular feature,
structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an
embodiment, it will be understood that such feature, structure, or
characteristic may be included in connection with other
embodiments, whether or not explicitly described. Thus, various
changes and modifications may be made to this disclosure without
departing from the scope or spirit of the inventive concept
described herein. As such, the specification and drawings should be
regarded as examples only, and the scope of the inventive concept
to be determined solely by the appended claims.
* * * * *