“Before allowing our reps to use social media, we needed a technology solution to handle our complex regulatory needs,” says Chad Oppedal, assistant director of compliance for the Principal Financial Group.

Morningstar, Inc. has launched a new alternative investments center as part of several enhancements to MorningstarAdvisor.com, a free website that provides advisors with practice management information, investment trends, and industry insights.

SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro told a financial services subcommittee of the House of Representatives that the federal regulator intends to spend $100 million of its $1.6 billion requested budget for fiscal 2013 on information systems and another $50 million on modernizing the EDGAR stock information database and www.sec.gov, its public website.

Investment Technology Group said it released an algorithm that will capture matching orders in the opening auctions of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market.

Goldman Sachs said it expanded its suite of algorithms for electronic trading in Brazil, as a part of a “firm-wide focus’’ on the South America market.

Many investors put off making final IRA contributions until the last minute, and now Fidelity Investments has an app for that.

The first 725,000 Smith Barney customer accounts moved over to a fresh Morgan Stanley system over the President's Day Weekend. Algo-driven, personalized training of financial advisors and client support personnel is key to the move of records involving nearly $1 trillion in assets.

Wedbush Securities has launched a trading platform provider that the firm says will dramatically speed up trades for fund managers and other institutional investors, as well as give them better control over their transaction costs.

Portfolio management and accounting software supplier Tradar said it is working with financial data aggregation and reporting software supplier Nedelma to launch a mobile portfolio reporting app that can be accessed via the iPad and other tablets.

Wells Fargo & Company will offer a new mobile application for its brokers in 2012 to address a growing need for new advisor tools in digital media.

Mutual fund firms such as Vanguard and Fidelity Investments are finding themselves at the top of the Kasina Social Media Index.

Here's a compilation of images from this month's T3 Technology Tools for Today Conference in Dallas.

Bloomberg introduced what it called a “step change” in its core business, known as the Bloomberg Professional market data service.

The new design emphasizes simplicity. Bloomberg has cut the 30,000 functions available in its previous desktop product by about half.

BATS Global Markets said the SEC's Division of Enforcement is looking at its methods for developing new order types as well as how it develops its information technology systems.

The capital markets industry will increase its spending 8.5 percent a year on technology that combats financial crimes, through 2015.

About 60% of those with SIMPLE-IRAs were not aware that employer tax filing is not required.

Wells Fargo is using Twitter to spread the word about saving for retirement. The banking giant has been promoting “America Saves Week” by using its Twitter account, @Ask_WellsFargo.

Thomson Reuters has introduced a model that can determine which stocks are likely to be bought and sold from a fund manager’s portfolio.

Deutsche Boerse Group said it will be “gradually expanding” its global network this year.