RNS Number:1009N
Marlborough Stirling PLC
03 July 2003


For immediate release                                             3rd July 2003


Marlborough Stirling plc


Trading update


Marlborough Stirling plc today issues a trading update in advance of its interim
results announcement, due to be made on Tuesday 2nd September 2003.


First half performance and outlook

The group expects total turnover (including its share of turnover from joint
ventures) for the six months ended 30th June 2003 to be over #54 million,
towards the higher end of market expectations. Strong performances were achieved
by our outsourcing and portal services businesses but, as expected, software and
consultancy sales were below last year's levels.

We enter the second half of the year with cautious optimism as we look to build
our visibility and sales pipeline for the rest of 2003 and into 2004. There is
an increasing level of new business activity in all three areas of our business:
software and consultancy, particularly Omiga mortgage software in Canada and
solutions based on straight through processing; life and pensions outsourcing,
where there is an increasing awareness of the success of the Sun Life Financial
of Canada re-engineering; and portal services, where we are aggressively
rolling-out a range of new services.

In terms of the financial outlook for the full year, our visibility for 2003, in
terms of contracted and recurring turnover, now stands at approximately #100m.
Current trading continues in line with expectations.


Outsourcing

The outsourcing business has delivered strong year on year growth in 2003
primarily reflecting the commencement of the Sun Life Financial of Canada
contract in March 2002 and the GE Pensions contract in the second half of 2002.
At Sun Life Financial of Canada, a significant proportion of policies are now
migrated on to the Lamda platform, our client has reduced its operating costs by
around 40% from the peak in 2000 and the final migration of a further 250,000
policies remains on schedule to complete around the end of the third quarter
this year.


Software and consultancy

As previously reported, our software and consultancy business has had a
relatively quiet start to the year in line with our expectations. However,
pipeline activity is improving in some key areas; the prospects for Omiga sales
in Canada look particularly encouraging. In addition, our recently developed new
business module to our Lamda solution, for delivering straight through
processing for life and protection insurance products, is generating strong
interest from potential clients, and we have commenced paid work for one client.


Portal services

Our portal services business has performed ahead of our expectations in the
first half of 2003 with turnover similar to that achieved in the comparable
period of 2002.

Importantly, we have also commenced work to develop Exweb's full electronic
trading capability. This significant project involves an investment in 2003 of
around #3m, which will bring additional revenues from 2004 onwards. Reflecting
the industry's support for this key initiative, we have now secured contractual
support from three major product providers, Friends Provident, Scottish
Equitable and Standard Life, and we expect to finalise arrangements with a
similar number of leading product providers in the near future. The support is
reflected in medium term contracts relating primarily to both quotation and
electronic new business processing transaction services.



Further information

Marlborough Stirling                                             01242 547000
Huw Evans, Chairman & Chief Executive
Bob Beveridge, Finance Director


Citigate Dewe Rogerson                                           020 7638 9571
Toby Mountford
Alex Brown




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