WASHINGTON, DC., April 23, 2001 – Stock-Borrow.com, a financial services Web site that displays its member companies’ securities that are available for loan, announced today a partnership with Bantu, Inc., a leading provider of presence and instant messaging (IM) technology for enterprise software and services companies. Through extensive integration of Bantu’s Web presence and IM tools, Stock-Borrow.com’s 60-plus member companies, including American Express Financial Advisors, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and UBS PaineWebber, will be able to search for, communicate about, and negotiate loans on securities listed on the site more efficiently.

“Bantu’s platform will significantly speed up transactions between our member traders,” said Damian Henry, President and CEO of Stock-Borrow.com. “Throughout the Stock-Borrow.com site, presence technology enables traders to see which other members are currently online, and simply click on an icon to initiate real-time IM conversations with them,” said Henry. “By having instant access to one another for questions and exchanging information, borrowers and lenders can quickly resolve issues and close deals.”

Through the Bantu Presence Application Programming Interface (API), names of traders who are associated with a security available for loan can appear throughout the Stock-Borrow.com Web site (for example, on message boards or on a stock needs list). Wherever their names appear, they can be instantly contacted by a borrower or lender, regardless of whether they’re on that person’s IM contact list.

“Stock-Borrow.com’s partnership with Bantu demonstrates the growing desire of Web-based businesses to use presence and IM to increase their -more- competitiveness,” said Larry Schlang, President and CEO of Bantu, Inc. “Bantu’s platform is particularly well-suited for financial services companies and other organizations whose online communication exchanges must be highly secure.”

Bantu’s enterprise-focused IM platform addresses the unique security requirements of Stock-Borrow.com and other business-to-business exchanges. Through Bantu’s patent-pending technology, all messages sent between users are fully encrypted. In addition, the Bantu platform enables Stock-Borrow.com members to comply with regulations by saving time-stamped transcripts of trader dialogues.

About Bantu: \ban' too\ 1 : Swahili word for "The People;" 2 : Leading provider of presence-based, platform independent, instant communications technology for enterprise software and services companies. Bantu's flagship product, Bantu Messenger, is the first hosted instant messaging solution that easily integrates into enterprise software and services, enhancing their competitiveness. Based on patent-pending techniques, Bantu Messenger combines simple-to-use functionality with secure, interoperable technology. It is the only thin-client messenger that is easy to implement and customize, multilingual, and firewall friendly. Bantu Messenger interoperates with other IM Networks, including MSN, Yahoo! and ICQ. Bantu, Inc., is based in Washington, D.C., and boasts an impressive customer list including HighWired, Prospero, SageMaker, SAIC, Sequoia Software Corporation, Sprint, Stock-Borrow.com, and Texas Instruments. To learn more, visit www.bantu.com.

About Stock-Borrow.com: Stock-Borrow.com is a B2B Web site that displays its members’ securities that are available for loan. The purpose is to save time, make stock searches easier, reduce calls for locates and provide other valuable services. Stock-Borrow.com features four specific functions: Stock Locating provides timely box lists to all members, eliminating faxes and allowing members to obtain all information from one source. Hot Stocks lists securities at reduced rates. Needs List allows the user to enter a list of securities into the system, which then notifies the user when the positions become available. Message Bulletin Board allows the user to communicate with other members about specific security needs, loan positions, or information sought. Stock-Borrow.com’s members include current members of National Depositories Clearing Corporations and Hedge Funds, as well as non-clearing brokers, traders and retail branches. To learn more, visit www.stock-borrow.com.