1st Metropolitan Mortgage Names Carly Fulmer Director of Operations; Fulmer to Reinforce Company's Commitment to Superior Branch Service

Business Wire, March 21, 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- 1st Metropolitan Mortgage, a national mortgage broker and a division of Empire Equity Group, Inc., has promoted Carly Fulmer to director of operations. In her new position, Fulmer will continue to manage and develop 1st Metropolitan's branch support and quality control departments and develop the infrastructure and operations of the company with a strong focus on branch support and quality control.

"1st Metropolitan has created a branch management program that is recognized industrywide and is built on offering the best tools to our branches as well as the best service," Fulmer said. "We are is committed to providing top-notch support, and I am glad to have the opportunity to oversee and enhance this ongoing effort."

Prior to joining 1st Metropolitan, Fulmer was a loan processor at 21st Century Mortgage, which specializes in mortgages for mobile and modular homes. Fulmer joined Empire in 2000. During her tenure there, she has developed the quality control department's workflow to review files in two to three business days and formatted the department's main database.

Within months of joining Empire, Fulmer moved from the processing department to the pre-qualification department where she researched lenders and programs to offer consumers the right products for them. When Empire acquired the assets of 1st Metropolitan in 2002 to more of the MetroBranch model, Fulmer became head of quality control. In 2003, she developed the branch support division, which is a customer service center for 1st Metropolitan's 250 nationwide branches.

"We are constantly looking for the positions that best fit the members of our team at 1st Metropolitan," said Daniel Jacobs, chief executive officer of 1st Metropolitan. "Carly's ingenuity and drive to succeed makes her the perfect candidate to head of operations. She is a prime example of how people can quickly advance their careers and industry expertise using the resources available at 1st Metropolitan. Management is not all about making decisions but the ability to make quality decisions in a timely manner and to help guide other people with the corporate culture in mind.

"Carly understands the company's vision of ethics and quality delivery of services and in turn she has demonstrated the ability to consistently make good decisions that balance the needs of the company and situation."

About 1st Metropolitan Mortgage

1st Metropolitan Mortgage, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and a division of Empire Equity Group since 2002, is a national mortgage brokerage, offering products from such lenders as Countrywide Home Mortgage, Chase Mortgage and Wells Fargo. The company is licensed in 48 states with approximately 250 branches nationwide. Leveraging the 20 years of experience of its parent company, 1st Metropolitan has an aggressive business development strategy. 1st Metropolitan's strategic theme for 2004 is The Art of Being 1st: Opportunities Amid Change. For more information, visit www.1stmetro.com.

About Empire Equity Group, Inc.

Empire Equity Group has been in business since 1983 focusing heavily in the Northeastern United States. Since the acquisition of 1st Metropolitan, Empire has established development programs for branch managers, additional infrastructure to meet the needs of branches and installed the latest technology, such as an expanded intranet site and an innovative online loan origination system. For more information, call 704.552.0123.