Douglas County, Hart InterCivic Collaborate to Bring eRecording to Colorado; Universal eRecording Counter Makes Recording Real Estate Records Faster, Safer, More Efficient.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2003

Douglas County's introduction of eRecording is the culmination of a partnership between the County and Hart InterCivic to bring the next generation of electronic document recording to Colorado.

Douglas County selected Hart InterCivic's Universal eRecording Counter(tm) for electronic recording of official public records, becoming the first county in Colorado with the ability to electronically receive and automatically process property deeds and other real estate records. Universal eRecording Counter is a feature of Hart InterCivic's Anthem(tm), an integrated system for imaging, recording, indexing, archiving and retrieving official public records.

"eRecording is the next step in managing real estate documents," said Matt Walker, Hart InterCivic Vice President for eGovernment Solutions. "It is faster, more secure, and more economical than traditional recording methods. Douglas County combines a progressive, customer service-oriented attitude with concern for protecting the integrity and security of public records. We are pleased to be their partner in bringing this capability to the public."

eRecording refers to the electronic submission, receipt, indexing and archiving of official public records required to document a wide range of business and personal transactions. Title companies and other businesses involved in real estate transactions increasingly rely on electronic documents to increase the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of document filing. eRecording virtually eliminates the cumbersome mail process for both the title company and the county.

Not all title companies, however, create documents in the same format, leaving counties with the challenge of accepting documents in many different electronic formats. To help address this issue, the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA), a professional organization representing counties and title companies among others, are developing standards to govern the transmission and processing of these electronic documents.

Hart InterCivic developed the Universal eRecording Counter, which receives electronic documents that conform to the PRIA standards, regardless of the originator, and manages the submission of the document to the recording system.

The Universal eRecording Counter provides a standard, vendor-independent gateway to Hart InterCivic's Anthem imaging and recording system for public records. With the Universal eRecording Counter in place, counties that have installed Anthem or other open recording applications can receive electronic documents created by the software of leading eFiling vendors, eliminating the complex challenge of processing documents created in multiple proprietary systems.

"Douglas County's innovative approach to eRecording places them squarely in the forefront of this important and rapidly evolving industry," said David Hart, Chairman of Hart InterCivic. "With the Universal eRecording Counter in place, the County can record all documents that are submitted regardless of the system used by the title company and continue to fulfill their commitment to service excellence for all their constituents."

About Hart InterCivic (www.hartintercivic.com)

From electronic voting to the most effective technologies for automating local government processes, Hart InterCivic's name stands for exceptional expertise, absolute accessibility, and trusted transactions. Hart InterCivic is a leader in providing products and services that help redefine the relationship between state and local governments and the citizens they serve. Hart InterCivic, with offices in the U.S., including company headquarters in Austin, Texas, is working nationwide to bring governments closer to citizens through complete electronic government (e-government) solutions and election management solutions. More information about Hart InterCivic is available from the company's Web site at www.hartintercivic.com.

Anthem and Universal eRecording Counter are trademarks of Hart InterCivic Inc.