April 26, 1998 - Lewtan Technologies, Inc.®(Lewtan) , the leading technology provider to the asset-backed securities (ABS) industry, announced plans today for a new service called ABSNet™, to deliver asset-backed performance data across the internet.  ABSNet™ is comprised of:

• Timely, standardized asset-backed performance data delivered to a subscriber's desktop

• Integrated tools for viewing and analyzing data, including comparisons across deals, issuers, and customizable benchmarks

• Alerts to identify and highlight user-defined conditions in incoming data

• Customized ABS news, research, and other content and resources useful to asset-backed professionals

ABSNet™ will address widely recognized problems with the infrastructure for communicating asset-backed performance data.  These problems include reliance on fax-based communication, lack of reporting standards across deals, the absence of a central data repository, and the inaccessibility of much of this data to many asset-backed investors.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P), as part of a previously announced partnership with Lewtan, will co-brand ABSNet™, and contribute asset-backed data and opinions to ABSNet™.  In addition to this contribution, S&P is a founding sponsor of ABSNet™, and will work with Lewtan Technologies and others to develop and promote standards for asset-backed performance data.

ABSNet™ will be demonstrated at S&P's asset-backed conference, which will be held April 26th through April 28th in Palm Springs, California. Further details on the launch of this service will be provided in the coming months.

Stuart Lewtan, President of Lewtan Technologies commented, "The integration of software, performance data and other content can be powerful and compelling.  That is especially true given the problems with the current asset-backed technology infrastructure.  We are excited to be working with a partner of the caliber of S&P, and one that shares our vision of a new infrastructure for the industry.  We look forward to working with other industry participants who also share this vision."

Founded in 1986 and based in Waltham, MA, Lewtan Technologies, Inc.™ has a proven track record of providing high quality software and consulting services to all areas of the securitization marketplace.  Lewtan's product offerings include VST (Visual Structuring)™, CM (Conduit Management)™, CA (Collateral Analysis)™ and The ABS System™.  Across 5 continents and 13 countries, over $48 billion in transactions are tracked with Lewtan software.