Oklahoma City, OK  October 7, 2003 –  How do you quickly, seamlessly and efficiently connect tens of thousands of real estate appraisers with leading lenders and vendor management companies?

The solution chosen by a la mode and BCE Emergis, a leading North American provider of eMortgage solutions, involved the recently-completed implementation of a custom plugin for a la mode's Mercury Desktop product, connecting BCE Emergis' lender clients to the Mercury Network through Emergis® Vendor Services Exchange.

Emergis Vendor Services Exchange was launched in December 2002 to connect lenders with service providers electronically, with the goal to streamline the mortgage settlement process through real-time data and document exchange. It is part of a suite of solutions that leverage the BCE Emergis eLending platform that is designed for end-to-end paperless loan fulfillment, closing and storage.

a la mode's Mercury Network delivered more than 14 million electronic appraisals to lenders and appraisal management companies in the past 12 months. The Mercury Network is a Microsoft. NET-powered mortgage industry transaction platform supporting XML data standards. a la mode's appraiser customers subscribe to the Mercury Network to connect to clients while using the report form-filling software of their choice. The solution utilizes custom "plugin" products, like the one developed with BCE Emergis, which allow lenders to leverage a la mode's superior coverage, technology and reputation with real estate appraisers.

The BCE Emergis plugin involves routing appraisal orders, status updates and the final report through Emergis Vendor Services Exchange to Mercury-enabled appraisers. The custom Mercury Desktop plugin enables BCE Emergis to provide seamless, efficient ordering, status and delivery of electronic appraisals between its lender and vendor management clients and Mercury network members. Mercury Network appraisers may now choose to be listed on BCE Emergis' approved vendor directory with Mercury ordering enabled.

"In addition to providing mortgage originators using Emergis Vendor Services Exchange with easy access to more appraisers than ever before, the completion and distribution of a custom BCE Emergis Mercury Desktop plugin will also enable excellent workflow capabilities including custom compliance rules that run on the Mercury Desktop prior to the submission of the appraisal report," said Jennifer Miller, Mercury Project Manager with a la mode.

About a la mode, inc.
a la mode, inc. is the leader in the design, development and support of real estate related software, Internet solutions and electronic document technologies. The company's flagship product, WinTOTAL, is used by more than 50 percent of the nation's appraisers, nearly three times the share of its closest competitor. a la mode's Mercury Network (http://www.alamode.com/mercury) servers delivered more than 13.6 million electronic appraisals in the past 12 months, making it the undisputed leader in paperless real estate transactions.

More information on the company can be found on the Web at http://www.alamode.com.