NEW YORK, April 2, 2003 -- The month of March brought the onset of spring, but investors in money market accounts and certificates of deposit saw yields march only steadily lower. Yields on money market accounts and certificates of deposit of all maturities continued a prolonged decline, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large financial institutions, and weak economic readings are an obstacle to any immediate reversal.

Deposit averages from Bankrate.com's national CD survey

Money market account: 0.72%, down from 0.73% last week
6-month CD yield: 1.13%, down from 1.14% last week
1-year CD yield: 1.31%, unchanged from last week
5-year CD yield: 2.91%, down from 2.92% last week

Investors willing to shop for their FDIC-insured money market and certificates of deposit nationwide will earn yields far outpacing the national average. This week, Bankrate.com found six institutions paying at least 2.2 percent APY on money market accounts, more than three times the national average. On one-year CDs, Bankrate.com found three institutions paying 2.3 percent APY or higher, approximately one full percentage point above the national average. All yields are available nationally to customers who do not have an existing relationship with the institution.

Bankrate.com conducts two surveys each week for money market accounts and CDs:

• The 100 Highest Yields survey is conducted weekly to find the highest-yielding CD and money market accounts available to consumers nationwide.
  
  
• Bankrate.com also conducts a weekly national CD survey, which compiles the rates from the largest banks and thrifts in each of the 10 largest U.S. markets to arrive at a national average.

These surveys are supplemented by the Rate Trend Index, a weekly poll of bankers and industry experts on the direction of CD returns in the coming week. This week, no one on the panel says rates will get better soon. Three out of four expect them to remain about the same, while the other quarter expect rates to fall even further.

To see data from Bankrate's 100 Highest Yields survey, go to http://www.bankrate.com and click on "CD/Savings."

To see the complete Bankrate CD Rate Trend Index, go to http://www.bankrate.com/CD-RTI

About Bankrate, Inc.
Bankrate, Inc. (Nasdaq: RATE) owns and operates Bankrate.com, the Internet's leading consumer banking marketplace. Bankrate.com averages 4 million unique visitors per month, according to comScore Media Metrix, which ranks Bankrate.com first in unique visitors in the "Financial information and advice" category. Bankrate.com reviews more than 4,800 financial institutions in more than 180 markets in 50 states. Bankrate.com is a destination site of personal finance channels, including banking, investing, taxes and small business finance. It is the leading aggregator of more than 190 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used auto loans, money market accounts and CDs, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees.Bankrate.com provides financial applications and information to a network of more than 80 partners, including Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), America Online (NYSE: AOL), The Wall Street Journal (NYSE: DJ) and The New York Times (NYSE: NYT). Bankrate.com's information is also distributed through more than 100 national and state publications. The Company’s stock is included in the Russell 3000 Index and the Russell 2000 index.

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