Bankrate.com Announces Two Senior Management Appointments; Bankrate.com Continues Re-Focusing Efforts on Core Product.

Business Editors

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2000

Bankrate.com, the flagship site of Bankrate, Inc. (Nasdaq:RATE), announced the appointments of two senior managers. G. Cotter Cunningham, formerly Senior Vice President - Marketing & Product Development, has been promoted to Senior Vice President - Chief Operating Officer. Robert DeFranco, formerly Vice President - Finance and Chief Accounting Officer, has been promoted to Senior Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Cunningham also served as interim CEO in the months prior to hiring current CEO, Elisabeth DeMarse.

"Both Bob and Cotter have been with the Company since March 1999 and have demonstrated the leadership required to help guide us on our path to profitability," explained Elisabeth DeMarse, President and CEO of Bankrate, Inc. "These experienced senior management appointments will lead our business through a period of rapid expansion. Our objective research on consumer banking and money markets, along with the development and proliferation of the Bankrate brand, are the core of our vision. Both Cotter and Bob are committed to our sustained focus on our core brand, Bankrate.com.

"Cotter repeatedly demonstrates a remarkable facility to marry Bankrate's marketplace with the business interests of both our advertisers and partners," continued DeMarse. "His innovative and aggressive strategies help us deliver a highly qualified 'in-market' audience to our partners and advertisers, so we can close the loop between buyers and sellers in our space. Cotter's proven leadership abilities, as well as his extensive experience in the personal finance sector, will continue to prove a tremendous benefit to Bankrate's business model moving forward."

Prior to joining Bankrate, Cunningham was Vice President and General Manager of VML Interactive, an advertising agency specializing in new media, where his clients included Applebee's, American Century, AMC Theatres, American Express, H&R Block and Northwest Airlines. From 1992 to 1997, he was Vice President of Block Financial Corporation, a subsidiary of H&R Block, Inc., where he created, launched and directed the CompuServe Visa and WebCard Visa credit card programs, which were the first Internet-focused bank cards. Cunningham holds a BA in Economics from the University of Memphis and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

"Bob DeFranco's strong leadership and important industry expertise has been extremely instrumental to Bankrate," noted Jeff Cunningham, Chairman of the Board of Bankrate, Inc. "I'm confidant he will continue do an excellent job executing Bankrate's strategic direction as the company moves into its next important phase."

DeFranco is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From 1978 to 1986 he was part of the commercial audit division of Arthur Andersen & Co., Miami, Florida, where he last served as senior audit manager for a variety of publicly held and private clients in industries including banking and other financial institutions, manufacturing, distribution and real estate development. From 1986 to 1999 he has held various positions in corporate accounting and finance for companies including Ryder System, Inc., Southeast Banking Corporation, SunTrust Banks, Inc. and Ocwen Financial Corporation. His experience includes all aspects of corporate accounting and finance, internal and external financial reporting - including SEC reporting - mergers and acquisitions (analysis, integration and accounting), corporate reengineering, budgeting and forecasting and investor relations. Mr. DeFranco received a B.S. degree with a major in accounting from Florida State University, while attending on a golf scholarship.

About Bankrate.com

Bankrate.com is owned and operated by Bankrate, Inc. (Nasdaq:RATE). Bankrate.com is the Internet's leading consumer banking marketplace, with an average of 1.6 million unique visitors per month connecting with over 4,000 financial institutions in 126 markets in 50 states. Bankrate operates a portfolio of personal finance channels, including banking, investing, taxes and small business finance. It is the leading aggregator of 100 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used auto loans, money market accounts and CD's, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees.

Bankrate provides financial applications and information to a network of over 120 partners including NBCi (Nasdaq:NBCI), Yahoo (Nasdaq:YHOO), America Online (NYSE:AOL), CNN and Smart Money. The company's information is also distributed through more than 100 national and state publications.

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act. Investors are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such statements and are advised to consult our current SEC filings for additional information concerning risk factors that affect the Company's business.