Grendel, MarketScope & Commonwealth

Tech Bits appears on the web and in IN Daily every Friday. Comments are welcome at IN Editor@InvestmentNews.

Grendel rolls out supervisor module for its online adviser-management console
Big Brain Works LLC will announce next week the release of version 2.0 of the Supervisor Module for their application, Grendel.
Designed for broker/dealers to oversee their advisers, this latest version provides improvements that increase compliance and supervisory capabilities for broker/dealers, according to chief executive Aaron Guidotti.
New compliance features include comprehensive remote audit capability, integrated compliance management, and file policy management.
Grendel is an information management system for advisers, their clients, and their supervisors that offers CRM, unlimited account aggregation, compliant digital filing, practice management, portfolio overview, a client portal, among other features.
In addition, the Supervisory Module allows a broker/dealer to remotely audit advisers, manage compliance issues, maintain files and file retention policies.
Costs vary depending on the mix of components an adviser subscribes to, but a non-account-aggregation “lite” version starts at $3,500 for one year and one adviser; a full version with account aggregation is $5,000.
For more information visit grendelonline.com.

S&P MarketScope Advisor has new client communications module
Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services this week introduced the Advisor Communication Service module for MarketScope Advisor, a Web-based central source of real-time qualitative stock analysis, thematic research, strategic asset allocation, and market commentary.
The new communications module is available to users at no additional cost and can be used to tailor information for each of an adviser’s investor clients based on the asset classes in their portfolio and the adviser’s preferred investment style.
It provides a mechanism for sending out e-mails that combine research and analytical content from MarketScope Advisor as well as an adviser’s own messages and materials.
Advisor was built with Java and is therefore has a highly flexible interface.
Any of its six — make that seven with introduction of ACS — self-contained modules can be dragged around an adviser’s screen and opened or closed.
A subscription costs $2,000 a year.
For more information go to www.marketscope.standardandpoors.com.

Commonwealth improves automated alert system
Commonwealth Financial Network this week announced that enhancements are now available on its Web-based Practice360º Alerting system. The system provides Waltham, Mass.-based independent broker-dealer’s affiliated advisers with online and e-mail-based alerts that are triggered when market or other conditions meet preset rules.
A sampling of the more than 25 alerts include bond calls, debit accounts, margin calls, maturity notices, check exceptions, GTC order executed, and GTC order expired.
These alerts can be accessed and viewed from both the home page of COMMunity Link (Commonwealth advisor’s web-based portal) or from the main Practice360° page.
“The real beauty of the system is the flexibility it offers. From one central location [Practice360°], advisers can see all triggered alerts that have been triggered across their entire practice, their associated rules, and manage who gets notified when a rule is triggered,” Darren Tedesco, director of business systems and strategic development at Commonwealth Financial Network wrote in an e-mail.
For more information go to www.commonwealth.com.

Davis D. Janowski is the technology reporter for InvestmentNews.