Answer Financial Uses STC'S e*Gate as Cornerstone Infrastructure Technology for Online Insurance Marketplace.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000

B2B Integration Pioneer Continues Aggressive Push Into The

Financial Services Market

STC (Nasdaq:STCS), a leading global provider of eBusiness Integration (eBI) solutions, today announced Answer Financial, Inc. (AFI), will deploy STC's flagship product, e*Gate(TM) Integrator, to enable it to achieve faster and deeper integration with its product providers and strategic partners. The implementation will also help Answer Financial's subsidiary -- Insurance Answer Center (answercenter.com) -- add to its existing set of digital links with insurance providers to drive out unnecessary costs and generate lower premiums for AFI customers.

Answer Financial has created a virtual venue to simplify the process of buying insurance and serve the growing number of consumers who want to research and purchase insurance over the Internet. Through the site, AFI's 13 million members, from participating employee and affinity groups, have an unprecedented ability to assess their individual financial needs, evaluate alternative solutions and purchase banking and insurance services online, including homeowners insurance, automobile insurance, healthcare insurance, vision care, discount prescription plans, home warranties, prepaid legal services, pet insurance and Internet banking.

"Insurance is typically the third largest expense in an individual's household budget," said Ritch Haynes, CIO for Answer Financial, Inc. "Ranging from mandatory automobile insurance to optional life insurance, households must think about how to intelligently budget their insurance portfolios. STC's e*Gate lets us establish direct linkages to insurance carriers, enabling us to take significant costs out of the buying process, which results in lower premiums to our customers. Our customers are powerfully enabled through education and choice to select the right insurance for their needs at reduced prices."

The site is a sophisticated and powerful Internet service integrated with a toll-free customer call center staffed by licensed insurance agents. The operation required a tightly integrated information system, to connect customers, partners, insurance agents and management over the Internet. Built upon cutting-edge technologies, Answer Financial is adding STC's e*Gate platform and production proven e*Way(TM) Intelligent Adapters to ensure the seamless flow of information within the business and among its partners. By automating this costly process, Answer Financial will offer consumers the ability to access comparative insurance information instantly and at a reduced cost.

"Answer Financial is transforming the way people shop for and buy insurance and financial services," said Frank Fallon, vice president of the global financial services business unit for STC. "Our initiative with this insurance leader demonstrates e*Gate's flexibility to support the most innovative business models, across all dimensions of the financial services market."

About STC's e*Gate Integrator

STC's e*Gate(TM) Integrator is the fourth generation of the eBI product implemented at more than 1500 customer sites worldwide. It is fully Internet-enabled and, with unprecedented speed and reliability, allows companies to tie together new Web-based applications with existing systems such as ERP and CRM, regardless of platform or technology. e*Gate's revolutionary distributed, scalable, network-based architecture enables information to seamlessly flow within and among enterprises, not just today, but in the future as businesses grow and applications evolve.

About STC

STC (Nasdaq:STCS) is a leading global provider of eBusiness Integration (eBI(SM)) solutions enabling the seamless flow of information within and among enterprises. With its flagship solution, e*Xchange eBusiness Integration(TM) Suite, STC provides the industry's premier comprehensive strategic eBusiness infrastructure to unlock the true potential of eBusiness with unprecedented performance and reliability. Since shipping its first product in 1991, STC has successfully integrated systems at nearly 1,300 organizations worldwide, including Barnes & Noble.com, Fluor Corporation, Hewlett Packard, HypoVereinsbank, PETsMART and Pfizer. Key global systems integration partners include Andersen Consulting, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Computer Sciences Corporation, EDS and KPMG Consulting.

Software partners include BroadVision, Oracle, SAP and Siebel Systems.

Software Technologies Corporation (STC) is headquartered in Monrovia, Calif., with marketing and sales headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif. For more information, please visit www.stc.com.

About Answer Financial Inc.

Answering the tough financial questions facing today's working families and individuals, Answer Financial Inc. is dedicated to helping members reduce risk and improve peace of mind, while maintaining current lifestyles and making informed financial decisions tailored to individual needs and preferences. Through its wholly- owned subsidiaries, Answer provides auto, home, life, health, dental and personal accident insurance, as well as annuity products; prepaid legal services; A Good Deal More(SM), a program that provides discounts on travel and leisure services not typically available to consumers; home warranty and vision plans; online banking; discount prescription plans; and pet health insurance from over 150 providers. Answer Financial and its subsidiaries can be contacted over the Internet or by toll-free phone service 24-hours a day.

Answer has attracted America's leading companies, including global consulting and investment firms, credit unions, banks, technology companies, manufacturers, retailers and law firms. Product providers do not pay to participate on the platform, and Answer Financial does not accept incentives to advertise or promote any give product or carrier over another.

Note to Editors: e*Xchange eBusiness Integration, e*Gate, and e*Way are trademarks of STC. eBI is a servicemark of STC. All other trade names are the property of their respective owners.