UnumProvident will leverage the BenefitPoint platform to streamline Requests for Proposal (RFPs) and renewal workflows with the broker/consultants who have committed to the BenefitPoint platform, and will phase in the BenefitPoint solution within its United States operations over the coming months.

"We are very cognizant of the fact that technology is revolutionizing our industry and, as a result, we are partnering with companies like BenefitPoint who can help us create more efficient workflows within our existing distribution channels and for our employer customers," said Rick Wolf, Senior Vice President, Field Operations, UnumProvident.

The agreement with UnumProvident will bolster BenefitPoint's leading position as the technology enabler for the employee benefits industry. Over the past 12 months, the BenefitPoint platform has been adopted by over 120 of the nation's leading brokerage and consulting firms as their solution for web-based client management and procurement. The company is moving aggressively to grow its relationships with regional and national insurance carriers representing all major lines of employee benefits products and services. Through its core product offerings, set-up tools, and partnerships, BenefitPoint offers a comprehensive solution that provides the functionality to create efficiencies across the entire employee benefits distribution chain.

"We are pleased to welcome UnumProvident as a member of the growing BenefitPoint community," said Mark A. Pulido, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of BenefitPoint. "We are very excited about providing our technology solution to a company that is highly respected throughout the industry for its comprehensive portfolio of innovative products and services. We look forward to helping UnumProvident maintain its leading position in this industry."

About UnumProvident
The subsidiaries of UnumProvident Corporation offer a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of products and services backed by industry-leading return-to-work resources and disability expertise. UnumProvident is the world leader in protecting income and lifestyles through its comprehensive offering of group, individual, and voluntary benefits products and services. UnumProvident has operations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Japan, and elsewhere around the world.

About BenefitPoint, Inc.
BenefitPoint, Inc. delivers the leading Internet-based employee benefits infrastructure for the distribution and management of group insurance and financial products. As the central nervous system of the employee benefits industry, BenefitPoint provides a complete set of B2B services enabling benefits professionals to manage the entire group health insurance and benefits lifecycle. Building on the existing industry relationships among carriers, brokers, employers, and employees, the BenefitPoint solution combines the efficiency of the Internet with the established distribution model of the insurance industry to eliminate paper (saving everyone time and money), to make it possible to deliver more products and services (giving everyone more choices), and to make better information available (enabling everyone to make better decisions).

Releasing its first solution in December 1999, BenefitPoint has already received widespread industry adoption from regional and national insurance carriers as well as from more than 120 of the leading U.S.-based brokerage and consulting firms. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, can be reached at 415.277.5600 or at www.benefitpoint.com. BenefitPoint, Inc. is privately held.