Appraisal Volume Indicators Point to Continued Strength in Mortgage Sector FNIS® Market Intelligence Completes Integration with a la mode’s Mercury Network


June 23, 2003
For Immediate Release

Oklahoma City, OK,  June 23, 2003 – a la mode, inc. announced today that FNIS® Market Intelligence, a division of FNIS (NASDAQ: FNIS), has successfully completed development and testing of new software which will connect the division’s appraisal and valuation services and service providers to a la mode’s Mercury Network.

The software, which is a custom plugin for the Mercury Desktop product, enables FNIS® Market Intelligence’s appraiser trading partners to deliver electronic reports directly into FNIS’ mortgage transaction platforms, including Empower! and the FNIS Exchange. The Mercury plugin for FNIS® Market Intelligence also enables real estate appraisers to deliver electronic reports in a structured manner that are automatically reviewed for quality assurance before being transmitted to the client.

“The FNIS® Market Intelligence plugin for Mercury provides a simple way for the appraiser to pre-process reports for compliance with our guidelines directly from their desktops," said Ray Ferrarin, Executive Vice President, Valuation Services for FNIS. “This new system enhances our appraisal review process and shortens turnaround times for our clients. It also improves data quality and eliminates much of the phone tag, retransmission and review of revised appraisal reports. These operational efficiencies should result in annualized cost savings and increased capacity,” Ferrarin concluded.

The Mercury Network connects loan officers, brokers, and management companies to real estate appraisers. Appraisers use the open architecture Mercury Desktop software product, which is based on Mortgage Industry-standard MISMO XML protocols, to deliver appraisal reports to their clients using their favorite form-filling software, regardless of the brand. The Mercury Desktop enables seamless and structured delivery of appraisal reports to national as well as local clients, while eliminating the need for appraisers to own several different programs simply to deliver appraisal reports to their clients. The functionality of the Mercury Desktop has filled a critical void for appraisers needing to connect efficiently with multiple clients who maintain many different electronic delivery requirements.

Eric Thompson, a la mode’s VP of Corporate Sales, commented, “The FNIS® Market Intelligence staff’s attention to detail and their commitment to excellence has made this a highly successful project that will significantly reduce redundant operational costs over the coming months. Increased satisfaction among their appraiser trading partners will also help with appraiser recruitment and retention – a great bonus for a leading vendor management company like FNIS® Market Intelligence.”

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 11.1 million electronic appraisals in the past 12 months, making it the undisputed leader in paperless real estate transactions.

About FNIS
Fidelity National Information Solutions, Inc. provides technology, data, solutions and services to lenders, real estate professionals, settlement companies, vendors and other real estate industry participants. The data segment targets the information needs of lenders, originators, real estate professionals and residential loan servicers and provides the data solutions that these mortgage professionals require in selling homes and underwriting mortgage loans. The solutions division provides technology products and services. FNIS is the nation's largest provider of Multiple Listing Services (MLS) systems and also supplies tools that allow real estate professionals to improve efficiency, lower costs, reduce risks and better manage and operate their businesses. The services segment adds value by combining manual intervention, outsourcing or process improvement with one or more of our technology, data, solutions or service offerings. FNIS was ranked 12th by Bloomberg on their Top 100 Hot Stocks in 2002 list.

FNIS is a majority-owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial Inc. (NYSE: FNF), a Fortune 500 Company and the nation's largest title insurance and diversified real estate-related services company. FNF's title insurance underwriters -- Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Ticor Title, Security Union Title and Alamo Title -- together issue approximately 30 percent of all title insurance policies nationally. The company provides title insurance in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.

 

Client Contact
Scott Kinnaird
1-800-ALAMODE
405-359-8612 (Fax)
scott@alamode.com