Bankrate Signs Co-Brand Agreement With Autobytel

NEW YORK – Bankrate, Inc., a leading aggregator of financial rate information, announced today that it has signed a co-brand agreement with Autobytel, a leading Internet automotive marketing services company. The agreement offers both companies an opportunity to increase traffic and promote their unique offerings to a wider consumer base, while providing their respective Web users with robust new information resources to help them make smart, informed car- buying decisions.

Under the new agreement, Bankrate.com’s auto channel will link to a co- branded site featuring Autobytel’s new and used car-buying program. That site will include authoritative pricing, rebates and specifications information on every car and light truck in the U.S. market, as well as expert and user reviews, buying tips and advice, and user-friendly tools to compare vehicles across brands according to pricing, ratings and specs. Ready-to-buy customers can then submit a secure online request to purchase their desired vehicle and receive a no-haggle price quote from a local Autobytel member dealer. Autobytel.com, in turn, will link to a co-branded site featuring Bankrate.com’s comprehensive, aggregated automotive financing information, including current financing rates at over 3,500 lenders nationwide.

“Buying and financing a car just got easier for both Bankrate and Autobytel consumers,” said Thomas R. Evans, President and CEO of Bankrate, Inc. “The collaboration between Bankrate and Autobytel provides consumers with all the tools they need to ensure a smart and successful car-buying experience,” Evans added.

“With interest rates creeping upward, financing has become an all- important consideration for car buyers,” said Autobytel Inc. President and CEO Rick Post. “We look forward to providing our shoppers with some of the best auto financing information on the Web through Bankrate.com. We’re also pleased to extend our buying program to Bankrate’s millions of Web visitors.”