Company Selects Commercial Title Industry Veteran Frank Gootrad to Lead New Initiative

Mountain View, Calif., April 11, 2001 -- BridgeSpan Inc., the nation's first and only complete online title and closing solution for the real estate and mortgage industries, today announced it is expanding its innovative services to the commercial real estate industry.

The company also announced that it has hired highly experienced commercial title industry executive Frank Gootrad to head up its new commercial initiative. Gootrad, along with longtime commercial escrow officer and branch manager Judy Brown, will be based in the company's San Mateo, Calif., office.

This development comes just weeks after BridgeSpan announced it reached the
$2 billion mark in transactional volume.

"Real estate and mortgage professionals and their customers have overwhelmingly embraced our title and closing services," BridgeSpan CEO Mark Evans said. "With Frank and Judy on board, we're excited about the opportunity to expand our services into the commercial real estate industry."

In addition to its already proven residential title and closing services, BridgeSpan is now handling title and closings for industrial, retail, office, multifamily, development and real estate owned (REO) properties, Evans explained.

Unlike any other company, BridgeSpan controls all aspects of the closing process by delivering high-quality services at competitive prices, using its Web-based technology (www.BridgeSpan.com), central processing, and its own team of closing specialists who are based in local offices. Through its unique business model, BridgeSpan doesn't charge a fee to lenders, real estate professionals or other service providers for using its online closing platform or services.

Frank J. Gootrad, BridgeSpan Title Company's vice president and manager of special projects, brings nearly two dozen years of real estate sales, marketing and management experience to BridgeSpan.

Gootrad most recently served as vice president and manager of special projects, for North American Title Company in Northern California. His responsibilities included launching and managing the company's highly successful commercial / industrial / multifamily Division in Northern California. In just one year, Gootrad opened more than $500 million in orders.

His experience also includes executive positions with some of California and Nevada's best-known homebuilders, including Broadmoor Homes / The Lusk Company, Champion Homes, Bedford Properties and Signature Properties.

Judy Brown, BridgeSpan Title Company's branch manager of special projects, has worked in Northern California's escrow industry for more than 28 years, specializing in complex transactions, exchanges and commercial/industrial properties. As branch manager of North American Title Company's Northern California office, she created the office's commercial department and conducted commercial transactions with Gootrad. As a team, Brown and Gootrad handled hundreds of properties throughout California as well as the Western United States.

Brown, a former real estate sales professional who was active on the Belmont Board of Realtors in Redwood City, Calif., has worked at several of California's top real estate and title and escrow companies, including First California Title company, SafeCo Title Insurance Company, Celebrity Escrow and Commonwealth Land Title Company.

As part of its continued expansion, BridgeSpan is looking to hire 72 additional full-time employees, including engineers, product marketing professionals and title and closing specialists. For additional information on careers at BridgeSpan, go to http://www.bridgespan.com/about/jobs.html

Gootrad and Brown can be reached at the San Mateo office located at 1300 South El Camino Real, Suite 305, San Mateo, Calif., 94402, 650/312-7100.

About BridgeSpan, Inc.
BridgeSpan Inc. is reinventing the residential and commercial closing experience by providing Web-based technology solutions to the real estate and mortgage industries. Its subsidiary, BridgeSpan Title Company, is dramatically improving the way real estate transactions are closed, by combining technology, central processing and its own team of specialists to close transactions in 33 states.