London – 14th March 2006:  Northern Arch today announced that Artesia Bedrijfsfinancieringen have selected 42™ as the single IT platform to support all their leasing activities. The solution will be made available for all employees in Artesia's head office, and throughout their branch network.

Artesia will use 42™ to support all aspects of their leasing operation; replacing four existing systems, and providing an integrated, end-to-end lease management and asset finance system. 42™ will be completely integrated into Artesia's existing IT environment for Receivables, Enterprise CRM, and Compliance Data Warehousing.

Mr. Herman Fledderus, Artesia, said: "We went through a rigorous selection process as prescribed by our Bank. After evaluating eight different solutions from all over the world, we chose 42 for all our leasing business. 42 scored highly on its ease of use, flexibility and scalability, all of which are very important for Artesia as we develop our business and plan for future growth".

"42 will offer us straight-through processing with front-to-back integration, incorporating comprehensive Application Management, CRM and Risk Management together with processing functions and Accounting, incorporating the Basel II requirements. This will assist us in our future development by helping improve overall operational efficiency and business processes, and enhancing our customer service capabilities".

"Northern Arch is a new supplier in the Dutch leasing market, but we were satisfied with the commitment from its management, and indeed the team's previous track record in the Dutch financial market", added Mr. Fledderus.

Henrik Schroter, Director, Northern Arch said, "Artesia recognises the importance of having the support of a strong Asset Finance solution when taking full advantage of the opportunities in the market. This implementation further demonstrates Northern Arch's commitment to the European market. We are pleased & excited by this opportunity to work with one of the most progressive asset finance organisations in the Benelux."

About Artesia (https://secure.artesia.nl/)

As an integrated part of its corporate banking asset financing services, Artesia provides financial and operational leasing of all capital goods in the Netherlands through its leasing subsidiary Artesia Bedrijfsfinancieringen. Artesia is a member of the Dexia Group.