Ameritas Group Dental Provides eBusiness Solutions Through BenefitMall.com.

Business Editors

LINCOLN Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2001

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.--Group Dental has selected BenefitMall.com as an eBusiness solution for providing dental insurance products online to small businesses across the country. Through this agreement, Ameritas Group Dental will allow BenefitMall and its network of more than 15,000 independent brokers to offer its Preferred Dental Protection Plan(SM) (PDP(SM)) to small business groups. The PDP plan designs offer a flexible managed care alternative, optional vision coverage, and many other features optimal for groups of three to 24.

"Advances in Internet technology are creating new eBusiness opportunities for Ameritas to work more closely with insurance brokers in providing flexible and affordable dental and vision coverage to employers," said David Moore, LLIF, president of Ameritas Group Dental Division. "At Ameritas, we believe that small employers deserve quality dental and vision coverage. We're excited about the additional opportunities BenefitMall provides to reach these small businesses with our PDP plan."

Approximately 75 percent of the insurance brokers in the United States are using the Internet every day. BenefitMall gives Ameritas the competitive edge by providing increased access to brokers, expanded or new distribution channels, extended market position, and improved efficiencies in providing insurance plan proposals to brokers for their small business customers. "We believe that eBusiness solutions are an important part of our overall business strategies. Through BenefitMall, we can further enhance our sales and marketing efforts for Group Dental," Moore added.

"Our goal is to provide cutting-edge tools and quality insurance carriers like Ameritas Group Dental to support the brokers with whom we work," said Bernard DiFore, president and chief executive officer of BenefitMall.com. "By offering Ameritas Group Dental as one of our premier providers of dental benefits, we continue to significantly expand the selection of benefits products available to brokers and small businesses."

The agreement complements BenefitMall's current offerings of thousands of employee benefits plans with more than 100 leading insurance carriers, both regional and national, allowing small businesses to easily purchase benefits coverage through a national network of more than 15,000 independent brokers who are registered with BenefitMall.com.

About Ameritas Group Dental

Ameritas Group Dental--http://www.YourDentalSolutions.com--is a division of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. (est. 1887), an Ameritas Acacia Company, offering group dental and vision products nationwide. In New York, products are offered through First Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York. Ameritas' complete line of flexible and affordable dental solutions includes managed care, traditional indemnity, small group and voluntary products. Ameritas also offers expertise in dental block consolidation, partnering with companies that wish to exit the dental marketplace, improve the financial performance of their existing dental business, or diversify their product line and boost sales through the addition of Ameritas' enhanced dental product portfolio. Other Ameritas Acacia products and services include life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, banking, retirement strategies and investments.

About BenefitMall.com

BenefitMall.com is the complete online exchange for the buyers, sellers and providers of small business employee benefits. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, BenefitMall.com operates a national sales and service center to support Internet-based activities as well as sales and support offices in 21 markets throughout the country. The company currently manages more than $1 billion in annualized premiums and is selling in excess of $1 million per business day in new premiums through a national network of independent brokers who are registered with BenefitMall.com. BenefitMall.com is an independent company owned by Austin Ventures, Humana Ventures, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Venture Partners, Technology Crossover Ventures and company management. For more information, visit www.benefitmall.com.