1st Metropolitan Selects Encompass for Originations; National Broker Offers Online Connectivity to Branches.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- 1st Metropolitan Mortgage, a national mortgage broker and a division of Empire Equity Group, Inc., announced that it is partnering with Ellie Mae, a provider of software and services for the mortgage industry, to implement the Encompass Mortgage Management System, a loan origination, management and connectivity solution. The system will allow 1st Metropolitan branches to be more efficient and operate with less paper by giving originators access to information via the Internet. In addition, 1st Metropolitan will customize business rules in the Encompass interface to validate regulatory compliance prior to submitting to underwriting.

1st Metropolitan, which has been dedicated to providing the most advanced technology available to its nearly 220 MetroBranches nationwide, plans to start rolling the system out to branches in July. Encompass will provide 1st Metropolitan with data security, branch connectivity and enterprise-wide continuity. During the next 60 days, Ellie Mae will offer 1st Metropolitan originators free training on customized Encompass system to help with the transition.

"We are really excited about working with Ellie Mae because of the company's track record and commitment to making sure the customer's needs are met," said Daniel Jacobs, CEO of 1st Metropolitan Mortgage. "The addition of Encompass to our system will help us continue to be one of the leading technology-forward brokers in the country."

1st Metropolitan made the announcement of selecting Encompass during its annual conference earlier this month. Robert Madsen, vice president of new customer acquisition at Ellie Mae, was on hand to offer preliminary information on the system and provide a snapshot of what the system offers.

"We are delighted that 1st Metropolitan/Empire Equity has chosen Encompass," said Joe Langner, SVP Sales at Ellie Mae. "The adoption of Encompass by this respected industry leader provides further validation that Ellie Mae's solution addresses the challenges mortgage brokers have, as they strive to grow their business in today's competitive environment. We look forward to a long and productive relationship."

Encompass will collect loan data in a centralized database and offer three views of that data for the loan officer, processor and the 1st Metropolitan home office. The system is integrated with Ellie Mae's ePASS Network, which offers secure electronic transmission of borrower information to lenders and settlement service providers.

One MetroBranch manager has been using Encompass on a preliminary basis for a year and has found that it allowed him to service his customers in a timeframe he wanted.

"In this business, I'm trying to service my clients as fast as I can, and I wanted a system that would allow me to do that," said Juan C. Escobar, a 1st Metropolitan branch manager in Bakersfield, California. "Encompass gives me the speed and access to lenders that I need to do my job as efficiently as possible."

Escobar, who was so committed to using the system that he tested while the rest of 1st Metropolitan used another system, pointed out that Encompass features a dashboard that helps him track loan locks and the status of loans.

"Encompass will help us achieve a solid foundation for a better future and allow our branches to create an enhanced customer-focused atmosphere," said Ron Steele, CIO for 1st Metropolitan.

About 1st Metropolitan Mortgage

1st Metropolitan Mortgage, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and a division of Empire Equity Group since 2002, is a national mortgage brokerage, offering products from such lenders as Countrywide Home Mortgage, Chase Mortgage and Washington Mutual. The company is licensed in 48 states with approximately 250 branches nationwide. Leveraging the 22 years of experience of its parent company, 1st Metropolitan has an aggressive business development strategy. 1st Metropolitan's strategic theme for 2005 is setting the PACE (Partnership to Achieve Customer-Focused Excellence). For more information, visit www.1stmetro.com.

About Empire Equity Group, Inc.

Empire Equity Group has been in business since 1983 focusing heavily in the Northeastern United States. Since the acquisition of 1st Metropolitan, Empire has established development programs for branch managers, additional infrastructure to meet the needs of branches and installed the latest technology, such as an expanded intranet site and an innovative online loan origination system. For more information, call [phone].

About Ellie Mae, Inc.

Ellie Mae is an award-winning provider of software and services for the mortgage industry, which has been recognized in each of the past three years as one of the fastest growing companies in the California Bay Area, and recently was named to the Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing private companies. Ellie Mae provides a comprehensive line of products and services including the company's flagship Encompass(r) mortgage management system, Contour(tm) and Genesis 2000(r) loan origination software, Encompass Websites(tm) for mortgage brokers, and Ellie Mae Docs(tm) services for document processing. Ellie Mae's ePASS(r) Network is the mortgage industry's online transaction platform enabling 40,000+ mortgage companies in the United States to easily do business online with leading lenders and nearly 100,000 settlement service providers. Ellie Mae is based in Dublin, California. To learn more about Ellie Mae, visit www.elliemae.com or call [phone].