Stock option control and exercise system

• US 6,173,270 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1997
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated (Bank of America Corp.)
• Inventors: Radcliffe, Eric, Cristofich, John, Warner, Susan, Howard, Deborah, Berkley, Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Retta, Yehdega
• Application Number:
  US08/935,709
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 705/37, 705/35, 705/36, 705/39
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A system and method for managing a plurality of stock option accounts each for a plurality of participants. The system invokes a particular option plan defined in the system that governs the transaction choices available to each participants The governing option plans are defined by the sponsoring company in terms of grant, vest and expiration date for the option contracts, and are defined in the system via a database of option holding information for each participant and an axiomatic rule system defining the criteria under which a given participant can exercise given options under the particular plan. The system implements the plans for multiple client companies providing several distinct modes for option exercise by the participant. The system preferably also allows for disbursement of proceeds in a currency different than that in which the underlying security for the option is traded, real time execution of the option transaction, and/or simulating the outcomes of different manners in which the participant may exercise vested options and the resulting economic outcome (disbursement, taxes, transaction fees).

Claims

1. A system for the management of a plurality of distinct accounts each corresponding to a set of privately issued option contract rights granted to a group of individuals in accordance with pre-established plan criteria, comprising:

addressable data storage means for storing in relation to said accounts (i) options holding information including demographic and employment-related information on each participant and information on the options granted, vested, and exercised by each participant, and (ii) an axiomatic rule system at least in part defining said plan criteria for the exercise of said options;

communication means for entry of option transaction requests and confirmation of stored information;

processing means for accessing said storage means, receiving said transaction requests, and validating whether and how to process the options exercise requests;

brokerage means for accessing market price data on the security underlying said option and implementing said option transaction in accordance with said option holdings information and said axiomatic rule system when said transaction request is validated; and

further comprising at least one processor system selected from the following;

for

(a) converting and disbursing currency received from implementing said option transaction into a different currency,

(b) operating said brokerage means in real time, and/or

(c) providing a participant and/or broker accessible simulation of one or more options transactions and the expected results from the transactions prior to the actual implementation of the option transaction requested.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor for operating said brokerage means in real time further includes one or more means for receiving input from the participant about, and for verifying, the participant'"'"'s account identification and password.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation calculates federal, state, and/or local tax consequences of the requested option transaction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation calculates transaction fees.

5. The system of claim 1, further including means for receiving option transaction information from said participant via telephone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiving means operates through touch-tone phone signals and navigates through an interactive menuing system and accepts information entered thereby from the participant.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiving means operates through modem communication and navigates through an interactive menuing system and accepts information entered thereby from the participant.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiving means operates through modem communication and navigates through an interactive menuing system and accepts information entered thereby from the participant.

9. A method for managing a plurality of separate accounts corresponding to individual option grants to a participant pursuant to a company-sponsored privately issued stock option plan, comprising the steps of:

accessing a device for storing in relation to said accounts (i) options holding information including demographic and employment-related information on each participant and information on the options granted, vested, and exercised by each participant, and (ii) an axiomatic rule system at least in part defining said criteria for said plan in accordance with which options are exercised;

receiving from said participant option transaction requests;

processing said transaction requests, and validating whether and how to process the options exercise requests;

brokering said option transaction request in accordance with said option holdings information, said axiomatic rule system, and the participant'"'"'s request when the request is validated; and

providing at least one system selected from the following;

for

(a) converting and disbursing currency received from implementing said option transaction into a different currency,

(b) brokering the transaction in real time, and/or

(c) simulating one or more options transactions and outputting the expected results from the transactions prior to the actual implementation of the option transaction requested.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the brokering in real time further includes one or more receiving input from the participant about, and for verifying, the participant'"'"'s account identification and password.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the simulation calculates federal, state, and/or local tax consequences of the requested option transaction.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the simulation calculates transaction fees.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving option transaction information from said participant via telephone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the option transaction information is received through touch-tone phone signals and navigation through an interactive menuing system, and accepting information entered thereby from the participant.

15. A method for managing J client stock option plans, wherein for each Jth client'"'"'s plan there are I participants in the plan, where J and I are positive whole numbers, comprising:

storing the identity of each client;

storing the identity of each participant for each said client;

creating one or more accounts, each said account associated with a participant;

storing information in each said account regarding stock options held by said participant under the stock option plan;

said information comprising;

the number of shares of stock remaining for each said stock option that may be executed;

the strike price of each said stock option; and

a target price at which each said stock option is to be executed, said target price set by an axiomatic rule system;

monitoring current market prices for all said companies;

comparing the current market prices with said stored target prices;

executing a trade on each said stock option when the market price equals or exceeds said target price; and

wherein trades are executed by accumulating orders from each Ith participant of said J clients and exercising said orders in blocks.

16. The invention of claim 15 further comprising:

performing at least one step selected from the following;

(a) converting and disbursing currency received from implementing said option transaction into a different currency;

(b) brokering the transaction in real time; and

/or

(c) simulating one or more options transactions and outputting the expected results from the transactions prior to the actual implementation of the option transaction requested.