RISK-MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY NEWSFLASHES

Barra, the Berkeley, Calif.-risk management technology vendor, released Barra Credit, a new Web-based, ASP-product designed to help credit analysts and portfolio managers to identify default risk earlier and more accurately. Featuring quantitative measures of credit risk from the bond, equity and derivative markets, Barra Credit enables managers to screen a large number of assets down to an actionable number, focusing their attention and additional analysis on the biggest problems and opportunities.

Fiserv has acquired RegEd, a privately held provider of Web-based compliance-management software and distance-learning systems for the insurance and securities industries, for an undisclosed sum. RegEd's products help clients efficiently handle compliance regulations and include an automated audit-tracking system, online annual-compliance questionnaire, customer-compliant tracking tool, an advertising-review module and securities-regulation and license- management tool. Under the deal, North Carolina-based RegEd will take over the operations of Fiserv's distance-learning firm, Emerald Learning Solutions. All of RegEd's 75 employees are expected to transfer to Fiserv.

Israel Discount Bank of New York (IDBBank) has implemented the Dart Math Library " part of the Dart derivatives product suite from London-based AFA Systems " in its treasury department and its broker/dealer business ID Capital. According to AFA, the Dart Math Library will complement the bank's existing treasury application by providing a price discovery system that will deliver fast and accurate trade analysis. The product combines mathematics as well as real-time pricing and modeling with a flexible-system interface and data distribution capabilities. AFA Systems will also deliver support services to the bank on an ongoing basis.