Ellie Mae Inc. and First Franklin Financial Corp. Forge Alliance

One of the Nation's Largest Non-Prime and Alt-A Lenders Partners Up with Top Internet Mortgage Solutions Provider

Pleasanton, CA-March 25, 2002-Ellie Mae Inc., a provider of Internet and software solutions for mortgage originators, announced the addition of First Franklin Financial Corp. to its growing list of ePASS® Business Center partners. San Jose, Calif.-based First Franklin, a National City (NYSE: NCC) company, is one of the nation's largest non-prime mortgage lenders and one of the many top lenders this year to join the ePASS platform.

As an ePASS lender, originators will have the ability to seamlessly submit loans originated in their Calyx® Point®, Genesis 2000® 2000, or The Loan Handler® loan origination systems (LOS) to First Franklin's underwriting engine directly from their LOS through the embedded ePASS Business Center portal as early as May 2002.

"Joining ePASS Business Center underlines our goal to use technology in increasing the level of efficiency and ease of use for our clients," said Kelly Williams, chief information officer of First Franklin Financial Corp. "First Franklin works with more than 18,000 mortgage brokers and bankers, so improving our features and services as an ePASS lender was a natural move in maintaining our commitment to provide these mortgage professionals with the best solutions available."

With this agreement, First Franklin joins Ellie Mae's expanding group of ePASS partners, including many of the nation's top mortgage lenders and third-party service providers. Ellie Mae's ePASS Business Center provides its partners with Internet connectivity to 90 percent of the originator desktops via their Loan Origination System.

"As the mortgage industry continues to gain momentum in its technological advances," said Rich Roof, senior vice president of Lender Services for Ellie Mae, "Ellie Mae is committed to providing the industry with state-of-the-art connectivity and technology so that mortgage professionals are equipped with the best tools to do their job effectively. The addition of First Franklin to our distinguished list of lending partners is another example of our dedication to aiding the industry's progress."

About Ellie Mae®

Ellie Mae, Inc., headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., is the leading Internet enabler for the mortgage brokerage industry and the largest Loan Origination Software (LOS) provider in the U.S. Offering brokers the ePASS (electronic Processing And Submission System) Business Center, a B2B e-commerce platform, as well as customized Web sites, hosting services, and LOS packages, Ellie Mae enables mortgage originators to harness the power of the Internet, giving them a competitive advantage in the fast changing residential mortgage arena. For additional information visit www.elliemae.com or call 877-355-4362. Some of the information in this news release may be forward-looking information under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information, which includes forecasts, projections and predictions of future events or performance, is subject to and involves risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information. As a result, investors should not rely unreasonably on the accuracy of forward-looking information.

About First Franklin Financial Corp.

First Franklin Financial Corporation, a leading nationwide mortgage lender, is a National City (NYSE: NCC) company. First Franklin employs over 1,000 mortgage professionals and originated $6.3 billion in non-prime mortgages in 2001. First Franklin is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and maintains 27 sales branches throughout the country. For more information about First Franklin or their Direct Access mortgage-lending product, call 800-464-8203 or visit www.first-franklin.com .

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