An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail which incorporates a number of operating stations that serve to accomplish the various aspects of mail extraction, as well as the subsequent processing of extracted documents, and which are operatively associated with one another to serially process envelopes and extracted documents in continuous fashion and substantially independent of their characteristic features. To this end, the operating stations of the apparatus are configured to be as independent as possible of the characteristics of the envelopes and their contents so that envelopes and contents of varied characteristics can be effectively handled by the apparatus without requiring any significant adjustments. As a result, the apparatus is made capable of processing (as a single job if desired) envelopes and contents of varied characteristics, reducing the need to remove non-conforming envelopes and contents from further processing, and increasing the versatility and productivity of the apparatus.