RNS Number:1151L
Marlborough Stirling PLC
15 May 2003


                                                                 15 May 2003


Marlborough Stirling plc

Launch of new business and acquisition



Marlborough Stirling, a leading provider of software and services to the
mortgage, life, pension and investment market sectors, today announces the
launch of Otter Risk Solutions as a provider of third party underwriting and
claims risk management services to insurers, re-insurers and intermediaries in
the life and protection markets.



Otter represents a highly complementary extension of Marlborough Stirling's life
and pensions outsourcing activities, providing significantly increased process
expertise that sits at either end of its existing long-term administration
activities. It is also expected that Otter will provide synergies with
Marlborough Stirling's planned development of distribution propositions,
including Exweb, by helping adapt traditional underwriting processes for use in
e-commerce.  This will maximise the number of new business submissions that are
accepted automatically and facilitate the throughput of cases that are initially
rejected due to adverse risk ratings.



Otter is a recently established company in which Marlborough Stirling is
acquiring a minimum shareholding of 74 per cent. The remaining shareholding in
Otter will be held by Graham Spittles and John Dearing who will be Managing
Director and Operations Director of Otter respectively.  Otter will be operating
initially from Marlborough Stirling's offices in Cheltenham and Basingstoke.



Marlborough Stirling is making no payment in respect of Otter's existing
negligible net assets but expects to invest over #0.5 million in Otter in the
form of new share capital and inter-company loans. Marlborough Stirling will
have an option to buy the minority shareholdings in Otter at any time between
five and ten years from the initial investment at a price dependent on Otter's
financial performance at the time the option is exercised.



David Power, executive director life & pensions, comments:



"Otter complements Marlborough Stirling's existing outsourcing and distribution
propositions in a sector of the market where sales continue to grow.  These new
services can help companies reduce costs in line with the business models that
regulatory pressure is demanding, whilst providing quality underwriting and
claims services tailored to specific needs.  We believe these services will be
of tremendous value to the life and protection markets in the UK and potentially
further afield."



Further information:


Marlborough Stirling                                         +44 (0)1242 547000
Bob Beveridge, Finance Director
David Power, Executive Director Life & Pensions


Citigate Dewe Rogerson                                      +44 (0)20 7638 9571
Toby Mountford
Alex Brown









About Marlborough Stirling



Marlborough Stirling (www.marlborough-stirling.com) provides software and
services to the mortgage, life, pension and investment market sectors.  Its
software and services enable financial service providers and intermediaries to
meet consumers' demand for financial products that are flexible, capable of
being distributed through a variety of channels and processed efficiently.



The group employs approximately 1,900 people and has offices in Cheltenham,
Basingstoke, Brighton, Cobham, Dudley, Halesowen, Hitchin, Dublin, Douglas in
the Isle of Man, Cape Town, Madrid, Milan, Toronto and Vancouver.



Clients of the group include Alliance & Leicester, Bank of Scotland, CIBC,
Clerical Medical, Co-operative Insurance Society, Coventry Building Society,
Egg, Legal & General, Nationwide Building Society, NBS Bank, Royal London,
Sanlam and Sun Life Financial of Canada (UK).




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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