Abstract: A method is provided for routing mail items in a mail sorting system that includes means for capturing address information from a mail item in the form of an address block and an analysis engine comprising a plurality of analysis modules. The method comprises: receiving the address block at the analysis engine and making available to each of a set of the analysis modules at least a portion of the address block; at each analysis module, decomposing the available portions of the address block into one or more data objects, each including a representation component representing at least part of the portion and a data type identifier; storing the data objects with an indication of the mail item to which the objects relate; and subsequent to identifying a delivery endpoint for the mail item, adding at least one of the stored data objects to a data set associated with that delivery endpoint whereby future mail items may be routed to that delivery endpoint in dependence on those data objects.