FORTIS SELECTS FOUNDATION CLIENT/SERVER DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AS CORPORATE-WIDE
STANDARD

System to transform claims processing for major financial
services/insurance company

CHICAGO, November 15, 1993-- Andersen Consulting's FOUNDATION software
organization today announced that Fortis, Inc., one of the country's
fastest growing providers of insurance and financial services, has
purchased $1 million in FOUNDATION for Cooperative Processing (FCP) tools,
methodology and services, which it will use to establish enterprise-wide
standards for all client/server development.

The first system to be built using FCP will be a 1,000-workstation,
client/server imaging-based claims system that is expected to dramatically
reduce the time required to process the average claim to one day.

Fortis, Inc., the U.S. operation of the $46 billion worldwide organization,
is using FCP Version 2.0 to implement and support Fortis' corporate growth
strategy. This strategy requires coordinating the business operations and
systems development organizations of three Fortis offices, located in
Kansas City, Mo., Milwaukee, and Woodbury Minn.

"For Fortis to expand its presence in the financial and insurance markets,
we must leverage leading-edge information technology -- such as
client/server and imaging -- that enables the free flow of information
throughout the enterprise." said Cheri Rodolfo, a senior vice president at
Fortis. "The corporate-wide FCP framework will provide us with tremendous
productivity and cost savings by allowing individual departments to build
their own customized systems, which also can be shared and reused
throughout the company."

Development groups at Fortis' three Midwestern sites are working on the
first departmental systems to be built with FCP Version 2.0 -- a claims
processing application that incorporates data capture and analysis,
imaging, work management and processing. The new system, which combines
the capabilities of several existing systems, will reduce the time
required to process the average claim to one day. The new system also will
take advantage of FCP's support for heterogeneous computing environments
by integrating OS/2 workstations, UNIX servers and CICS mainframes.

Before selecting FCP, Fortis consulted with prominent industry analysts and
reviewed the leading client/server development tools. FCP was the only
tool to meet all criteria, including:

* Middleware communications capability to connect multiple
  platforms and provide future application portability
* LAN-based repository for capturing, storing and re-using
  business objects
* GUI-based rapid application development environment
* Client/server methodology

"Low-end point-and-click client/server tools are sometimes adequate for
isolated departmental systems, but they don't provide the scalability or
portability we need to support our long-term systems strategy," said Mark
Downey, second vice president of Fortis development. "No one knows the
operating system and hardware standards for the future. We need the
flexibility to choose the technology that is best for Fortis. Only FCP
could deliver that capability today."

According to Gordy Jager, second vice president of Fortis architecture,
"FCP's LAN-based repository enables this portability by storing
information and data for reuse in future systems. In addition, the
repository allows for collaborative management of this complex project
among developers in Fortis' three distinct development locations."

Claims System

Imaging and work management capabilities are integral to the new claims
processing system.

Imaging technology eliminates manual distribution of paper forms and
documents by creating an electronic image that can be passed along to
multiple workstations. This allows several claims processors to work on a
single document simultaneously .

For example, two processors can work on different aspects of a claim --
such as doctor validation and claimant history -- at the same time before
it is moved to the next processor. This greatly speeds process completion,
while ensuring consistency and eliminating errors.

The application's work management capability automatically evaluates claims
processor workloads and distributes work to appropriate employees
throughout the organization, regardless of location.

"This work management capability supports our managers and supervisors by
automatically assigning work, setting deadlines for completion and then
following up with staff through ticklers and reminders," said Rodolfo.

Fortis will use the work management capability from the claims systems as a
template for all subsequent development projects. Each future system will
contain a work management function largely based upon this initial
framework.

Fortis plans to use FCP Version 2.0 for further development beyond the
initial claims processing system. "With the FCP infrastructure and
architecture in place, we plan to continue on the client/server migration
path as far as it will take us," said Fortis vice president, Marguerite
Waldoch. "We view our departmental development options as virtually
endless. Upon completion of the claims system, we're considering
development projects in field sales support or customer service
departments."

FCP Version 2 was released in May 1993 and reflects FOUNDATION's experience
using the first-generation of FCP to build "industrial-strength" systems
that perform crucial business functions. The next-generation product
offers dramatic enhancements that ease and accelerate the process for
building heterogeneous client/server systems.

FOUNDATION introduced the initial version of FCP in April 1991. The product
is being used in strategic client/server development projects by more than
84 companies worldwide, including Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation,
Sprint Corporation, the State of North Carolina and British Columbia Gas.

Andersen Consulting is an international management and technology
consulting organization with more than 26,000 persons in 151 offices and
47 countries. The organization helps its clients link technology,
strategy, processes and people. Editor's note: Andersen Consulting is not
a subsidiary or division of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co.

Fortis, Inc. has approximately 6,000 employees and reported 1992 revenues
of $2.7 billion and net income of $134.8 million. Fortis, Inc.'s parent
companies are Holland-based N.V. AMEV and Belgium-based AG Group, each
owning 50 percent of Fortis. Fortis, Inc. is the parent of Fortis Benefits
Insurance Company, Time Insurance Company, the Fortis Financial Group and
Fortis Sales, Inc.

Andersen Consulting
69 West Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602
312-580-0069

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