WEBMETHODS JOINS ACORD IN SUPPORT OF XML
STANDARDS INITIATIVE FOR THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY

webMethods Commits to Supporting ACORD Standards
for Interoperable Business Systems

ACORD TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE '99, ORLANDO, FL (May 23, 1999) - webMethods, Inc., the leading provider of XML-based solutions for business-to-business e-commerce and integration, today announced that the company has joined ACORD, a non-profit industry association dedicated to developing open standards for interoperable insurance systems. webMethods will be building upon partnerships with existing customers and working with other ACORD members to accelerate the adoption of XML in the Insurance Industry.

"ACORD has long championed interoperable standards in the insurance industry. We believe that XML will enable our member companies to leverage the Internet for more efficient and effective integration with business partners and customers," says Gregory A. Maciag, ACORD president and CEO. "We welcome webMethods expertise in XML and business-to-business technologies in our efforts to aggressively embrace XML in the ACORD standards."

As an ACORD member, webMethods will provide its expertise on XML to help define standards for the Insurance and Financial Services Industries. The development of XML-based standards will enable insurance companies and agents to implement effective and efficient integration solutions over the Internet, providing real-time access to business-critical information. webMethods commits to supporting ACORD standards throughout its webMethods B2B product suite and to promoting ACORD standards to its partners and customers.

"We're delighted to join ACORD and to participate in ACORD's initiative to leverage XML standards for the insurance marketplace," said Charles Allen, Vice President of Product Marketing for webMethods, "webMethods technologies, partnerships, and customers demonstrate that we now live in a world of seamlessly interoperable systems that cross corporate boundaries. ACORD's commitment to XML-based standards will vastly simplify requirements for interoperable systems in the insurance and financial services industries."

webMethods B2B™ is a suite of cross-platform, XML-based products that work in concert to deliver business-to-business solutions which enable real-time integration of a company's enterprise applications with those of its customers, partners, and suppliers. webMethods B2B is unique in its ability to integrate ERP and legacy applications across corporate firewalls, with secure, guaranteed XML-based messaging. As the adoption of XML-based standards continues to accelerate, webMethods B2B ensures the development of open trading communities across multiple industries as it supports all existing business-to-business initiatives and XML standards including ACORD, OBI, Microsoft BizTalk, Commerce XML (cXML) and RosettaNet.

About ACORD
ACORD is a nonprofit insurance association whose mission is to increase the efficiency of the agency distribution system and the insurance industry as a whole. ACORD accomplishes its mission by remaining an objective, independent advocate for sharing information between diverse platforms and among all data partners. ACORD's Standards and services assist in reducing costs and duplication of work, while increasing the industry's ability to exceed its customers' expectations. Nearly 1,000 insurance companies are affiliated with ACORD, as are 29,000 agencies, the major agency software providers, the national producer associations, user groups, and other industry associations. For more information about ACORD, visit www.acord.org.

About webMethods
Named one of Red Herring's Top 50 Privately Held Companies for two consecutive years (1999 and 1998), and to the 1999 Upside Hot 100, webMethods is the leading vendor of XML solutions for business-to-business e-commerce and integration. webMethods B2B products enable corporations to use the open standards of the Web for inter-enterprise applications such as supply chain integration and automated procurement. webMethods delivers real business value to companies that want to leverage their investments in legacy, ERP and Web-hosted applications to link their business processes with those of their key business partners. webMethods' award-winning products are in use at leading companies including DHL Airways, Hewlett-Packard, Dun and Bradstreet, Cisco Systems, 3Com, Orbital Sciences Corp., and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. webMethods has strategic partnerships with Microsoft, SAP AG, Sterling Commerce, Ariba Technologies and Intelisys Electronic Commerce.

Founded in 1996, venture-backed webMethods, Inc. is based in Fairfax, Va., with offices in San Francisco; New York; Boston; Dallas; Columbus, Ohio; and Chicago.

For more information, contact webMethods Inc., 3975 University Drive, Suite 390, Fairfax, VA 22030. Phone: 703/352-8501; Fax: 703/352-0370; Email: info@webMethods.com; Web: http://www.webMethods.com