ELLIE MAE ANNOUNCES KEY LENDER TECHNOLOGIES AT MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

New offerings will usher in the truly paperless loan and enable lenders with web services

DUBLIN, CA—March 8, 2005—Ellie Mae Inc., the award-winning provider of innovative software and services for the mortgage industry, today announced two key new technologies for lenders that will dramatically improve operational efficiencies, lower costs, and shorten the time to fund a loan:

• Electronic Document Management (EDM) to enable true paperless loan creation and submission
• The ePASS® Gateway, a web services solution that extends Ellie Mae's revolutionary ePASS Network and makes it available for lender use through any enterprise application.

Electronic Document Management (EDM) - Driving Down Processing Inefficiencies, Costs, and Shortening the Time to Fund a Loan
Ellie Mae can now drive down processing inefficiences and costs for lenders with an Electronic Document Management (EDM) solution that delivers real benefits today and positions lenders for the advent of fully paperless loans. As automated underwriting drove "fat paper files" to "skinny paper files," EDM will drive skinny paper files to electronic files.

Paper handling is a major part of every loan transacted in the United States today. Every document that a broker receives on paper or in e-mail is printed out and placed into a hard-copy manila folder. When everything is collected, the broker has to make photocopies of all documents in the original manila folder, assemble them in a second folder in a specific stacking order, and mail or deliver the physical package to an underwriter or lender.

Ellie Mae's EDM solution allows the broker to compile all elements of a paper file in electronic form. Through a simple EDM software interface, accessible through the Ellie Mae's Encompass Mortgage Management System, the broker takes the compiled electronic file, places it into an "eFolder," and submits a complete electronic loan package to the underwriter or lender. The package will be electronically transferred in the appropriate stacking order for the underwriter or lender. The whole submission process takes seconds and requires no manual labor.

"While the concept of paperless loan origination is not new, the vision has not been a reality until today," said Jonathan Corr, Senior Vice President of Products, Ellie Mae. "Using Ellie Mae's EDM solution, the originator can process an electronic loan folder right inside the LOS workflow, assuring ease of use and rapid adoption."

Ellie Mae's Electronic Document Management system will save the borrower, broker, underwriter and lender significant time and money. Ellie Mae's EDM solution will drive down processing inefficiencies and costs by delivering a paperless solution from the borrower to the originator and then to the lender. A complete electronic loan file facilitates speedier conditions clearing, long-term secure storage, and compliance with the Graham Leach Bliley Act.

Key features of Ellie Mae's EDM solution include:

• Capture and integration of all document sources in an electronic folder (eFolder) such as
• LOS data (1003, GFE, etc.)
• Ordered settlement services through ePASS
• Faxed physical documents
• Uploaded scanned documents
• Import of conditions from GSEs or lender proprietary AU engine
• Automatic notification to originator and borrower of needed items
• Automatic clearing of conditions based on reception of documents

Seamless electronic loan transfer results in a myriad of advantages for lenders:

• Reduce time, labor, processes, and interdependencies to fund
• Workload balancing among people and locations
• Elimination of overnight shipping and paper handling costs
• Elimination of document scanning
• Elimination of paper document storage costs

ePASS® Gateway - Integration of ePASS Technology as Web Services
Ellie Mae's ePASS technology allows loan originators to access a complete array of settlement services-such as credit, appraisal, title, flood and closing documents-that are integrated right into the loan origination system. Every major settlement service provider, as well as thousands of smaller suppliers, is accessible through the ePASS Network. Now, with the ePASS Gateway, any organization can seamlessly integrate any or all of these services into their own B2B enterprise applications or website. This integration is made possible through delivering the ePASS Network as web services.

Web services securely integrate Web-based applications across the Internet, allowing organizations to share business logic, data, and processes. They are not tied to any one operating system or programming language, and do not have a graphical user interface (GUI) of their own. Rather, Web services are available to developers building a Web page or an executable program, in order to offer specific functionality to users. New enterprise applications that leverage all the thousands of services accessible through Ellie Mae's ePASS Network can be easily and quickly developed, deployed, and managed. For example, a lender's website can offer instant access to services from preferred providers, adding value to the website and motivating loan originators to return.

Unlike systems that require conformance to specific integration protocols, ePASS technology is flexible in design and powerful in function, which allows it to conform to each unique system. This unique approach allows for greater partner adoption and participation, and is part of the reason that ePASS technology offers the most comprehensive access to service providers and lenders available through a single network or platform.

"Organizations can rapidly integrate and deliver a vast array of financial services to their customers,without huge investments into building infrastructures to support them," said Richard Roof, Senior Vice President, Lender and Vendor Services. "As a result, the time-to-market cycle of new offerings is drastically reduced."

For additional information on Ellie Mae's solutions, visit www.elliemae.com or call 925.227.7000.

About Ellie Mae, Inc.
Ellie Mae, Inc. is an award-winning provider of software and services for the mortgage industry, which has been recognized in each of the past three years as one of the fastest growing companies in the California Bay Area, and most recently has been named to the Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing private companies. Ellie Mae provides a comprehensive line of products and services including the company's flagship Encompass® mortgage management system, Contour™ and Genesis™ loan origination software, Executive Web Sites for mortgage brokers, and Ellie Mae Docs services for document processing. Ellie Mae's ePASS® Network is the mortgage industry's online transaction platform enabling 40,000+ mortgage companies in the United States to easily do business online with leading lenders and nearly 100,000 settlement service providers. Ellie Mae is based in Dublin, California. To learn more about Ellie Mae, visit www.elliemae.com or call (925) 227-7000.

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Ellie Mae, Encompass, ePASS, and Genesis 2000 are registered trademarks, and Contour, Executive Websites, and Ellie Mae Docs are trademarks, of Ellie Mae, Inc. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:
Katie Drake
Ellie Mae, Inc.
925-227-7719
katie.drake@elliemae.com