S&P, Lewtan Partner to Enhance Structured Finance Coverage

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Usman Ismail
Executive Vice President
Lewtan Technologies, Inc®
781-672-1217
uismail@lewtan.com
www.lewtan.com

NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's) and Waltham, MA (Lewtan) Oct. 10, 2001 - Standard & Poor's has enhanced its surveillance efforts on ABS by expanding its relationship with Lewtan Technologies Inc., a leading provider of software, data, and analytics to the global securitization industry.

"This technology allows us to provide our customers with the crucial information they need to run their businesses," said Vickie Tillman, executive vice president of Standard & Poor's Credit Market Services. "With our enhanced surveillance efforts and improved information delivery capabilities, we are setting the standard for the market."

"This is a win-win situation for everyone involved," said Stuart Lewtan, chief executive officer of Lewtan. "Standard & Poor's will receive additional performance data from one standardized vendor, and the structured finance community will benefit from greater deal coverage on ABSNet."

The partnership allows Standard & Poor's to advance its goal of providing investors with more timely and accurate performance information, while Lewtan is able to provide the structured finance community with greater transaction coverage on ABSNet(tm) (ABSNet.net), a leading Web-based data and information resource serving over 9,000 registered users in more than 50 countries.

The data will also be available to subscribers of RatingsDirect (ratingsdirect.com), the first integrated on-line source of Standard & Poor's credit ratings and research, with a user base of more than 8,000 fixed-income professionals worldwide. RatingsDirect covers all segments of the structured finance market, including ABS, commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities, real estate companies, non-U.S.-domiciled transactions, and servicer evaluations. In addition, it serves as a vast source of information for sovereign, corporate, public finance, infrastructure finance, and financial services, as well as general fixed-income commentary.

Standard & Poor's and Lewtan initiated their partnership in 1998 to organize, standardize, store, and electronically transmit data for more than 20 asset classes. Today, they announced that they have extended that original relation to include data on both public and private ABS transactions. In addition to auto loans and credit cards, new information will be provided on asset-backed commercial paper, manufactured housing, student loans, recreational vehicles, health care receivables, small business loans, tax liens, royalties, and other asset classes.

Lewtan, based in Waltham, Mass., is a leading provider of software, data, and analytics to the global securitization industry. Founded in 1986, the company serves more than 200 securitization customers worldwide. For additional information, visit lewtan.com.

Standard & Poor's is a leader in providing highly valued financial data, analytical research, and investment and credit opinions to the global capital markets. Among the company's many products are the S&P Global 1200, the first real-time, global equity index; the S&P 500, the premier U.S. portfolio index; and credit ratings on more than 220,000 securities and funds worldwide. With more than 5,000 employees in 18 countries, Standard & Poor's is an integral part of the world's financial architecture. Additional information is available at standardandpoors.com.

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Cos. is a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education, and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, Business Week, and McGraw-Hill Education. The corporation has more than 300 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2000 were $4.3 billion. Additional information is available at mcgraw-hill.com.

For additional information, members of the media may contact Lisa Tibbitts, media relations manager, at (1) 212-438-7530, or lisa_tibbitts@sandp.com, or Usman Ismail, Lewtan, executive vice president, at (1) 781-672-1217, or uismail@lewtan.com.