W.r. Hambrecht + Co., LLC

Cliff M Gerrish

Othar Hansson

Jordan M Hayes

Charles A Ocheret

Michael H Evelyn

Robert S Goldberg

Systems and methods for conducting an auction of securities on the Web. The system and methods provide a bid mechanism whereby bidders are rewarded for priority of anonymously revealing their bids and provide an allocation of the securities which allows winning bidders to pay a single market-clearing price that sells out the securities. In addition, the systems and methods allow all participants to monitor the auction in real time.

System and methods for pricing and allocation of commodities or securities

An auction server node is described for a computer network having user nodes for conducting an auction run by an auction adviser for awarding securities from an issuer to bidders of the auction. There is real-time monitoring of the auction as it occurs, a bid mechanism for receiving competitive bids from the bidders at the user nodes, including a quantity of securities to be purchased, an initial price revealed to the other bidders, and a firm price not revealed to the other bidders and within a predetermined range of the initial price. A single market clearing price is determined that allocates to the bidders all of the securities in the auction. An incremental adjustment of the market clearing price may be made by at least one of the auction advisor and the issuer, and an allocation made of the securities to the bidders at the adjusted clearing price.

System and method for pricing and allocation of commodities or securities

The present invention provides an economical, high performance, adaptable system and method (designated 'the OpenBook system') for conducting an auction of debt securities to institutional and individual investors on the Web. In the OpenBook system auction: (1) Bidders are rewarded for anonymously revealing their bids early; (2) All winners pay a single market-clearing price that sells out the securities; and (3) All participants can monitor the auction in real time. The OpenBook system thus creates a transparent and low-cost new issue market; offers all bidders equal access to securities; and gives both investors and issuers a 'seat on the syndicate desk.'

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Cliff M Gerrish