Oracle letter proposes to buy BEA Systems for $17.00 per share in cash

Redwood Shores, Calif ., 12--200-2007 AMOracle Corporation (NASDAQ: orcl) today confirmed that it delivered a letter to the board of directors of BEA Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: Beas) on October 9 in which Oracle proposes to acquire Bea for $17.00 per share in cash. the $17.00 per share offer is a 25% premium over yesterday's closing price of $13.62.

The letter indicates that Oracle is prepared to proceed immediately to a process that leads to a definitive agreement. "We have made a serious proposal including a substantial premium for Bea," said Oracle President Charles Phillips. "We believe our all cash offer provides the best value for Bea's defined holders and the best home for Bea's employees and MERs. this proposal is the culmination of repeated conversations with Bea's management over the last several years. we look forward to completing a friendly transaction as soon as possible."

"We intend to protect the investment MERs have made in BEA's products by supporting those mers MERs and products for years to come," Phillips continued. "our continuing support commitment has been amply demonstrated with all of our previous acquisitions, including PeopleSoft and Siebel. bea will be no different. the acquisition of BEA by Oracle will enable an increase in engineering resources that will in-turn accelerate the development of our world-class suite of middleware. both Oracle and BEA customers will benefit from this increase in engineering investment as they migrate to modern SOA technologies."