The financial industry isn’t built for you. Bankrate is.
Banks have rates to protect. Lenders have margins to defend. The whole system is designed around their convenience, not your outcome. We’re not a bank or a lender — so we can show you what they won’t: the most competitive rate available to you, from lenders who have to earn it.
Mortgages
Banking
Credit cards
Loans
One standard, across every financial decision.
Whether you’re looking for a mortgage, a better savings rate, or a new credit card — the same principle applies. We track the market, publish what we find, and make sure you see top rates.
Lender competition exists because you do.
100 million people use Bankrate every year. That’s why hundreds of financial institutions compete for your business at Bankrate — because every borrower could choose any of them. Bankrate isn’t a bank, doesn’t lend money, and doesn’t earn more if you pick one mortgage lender over another. That independence is what keeps the competition real.
The lender who wins your loan wins it on price — not because they paid us more to be at the top of the list. In 2025, that process produced mortgage rates that beat 99.7% of offers from 850+ surveyed banks and credit unions. Not a marketing claim. A documented outcome.
We don't just track the market. We hold it accountable.
In 2026, Bankrate published a study of 3.2 million mortgage originations — the largest independent analysis of mortgage overpayment ever conducted. The findings were specific, documented, and uncomfortable for the industry.
While 9 out of 10 borrowers overpay, the problem hits hardest where you’d least expect it — upper-income households with strong credit, operating through referral networks that had no incentive to find them a better rate. Better credit made the problem worse, not better.
We published it because that’s what an independent financial institution does. The research is free to read and reported on by The Wall Street Journal.
- 850+
Banks and credit unions surveyed every week
- $65billion
Drained from American homeowners annually by above-market mortgage pricing
- 100million+M+
People who use Bankrate every year
- 40+years
Tracking rates independently
- 3.2million
Mortgage originations analyzed in our 2025 research
- 99.7%
Of banks beaten by Bankrate’s top offers in 2025
Our Mission
We connect people to trusted ways to save, borrow, and thrive.
American homeowners lose more than $65 billion every year to above-market mortgage pricing — not because they aren’t paying attention, but because the system isn’t built to give them a fair shot. The better rate exists for virtually every borrower profile. It just requires a place where lenders have to offer it.
Who we are and why we exist
News & Research
The latest financial news, data-driven research, and expert analysis to help people make better money decisions.
Our Founder
In 1982, journalist Robert K. Heady saw that people had no way to know if they were getting a fair deal from their bank. He built the solution.
Leadership
The executives, journalists, and analysts carrying the mission forward: to make sure consumers always know what the market actually offers.
Contact us
Press, editorial, partnership, and general inquiries. Every message reaches the right person.
Looking for a career at Bankrate?
We’re always looking for journalists, engineers, designers, and analysts who believe people deserve straight answers about their money.
See open roles