Our Team

The people behind the mission

Bankrate was founded on a simple conviction: every consumer deserves to know if they’re getting a fair deal. This is the team carrying that forward.

How we operate

01
Editorial independence
Our journalism and data are never influenced by which financial institutions pay us. Assessments are rate-based, period.
02
Structural alignment
We're built to find you the most competitive rate available. Institutions earn your business by offering a better deal — not by paying us more.
03
Radical transparency
Every methodology, every survey source, every compensation arrangement is documented and publicly available. We show our work.

Leadership

The team

Matt Fellowes
Chief Executive Officer
Matt is the ex-Head of Wealth at Capital One and CIO at Morningstar, and founded several start-ups at the nexus of tech and finance delivering 325–440% ROIC.
Rick Bowman
Chief Product & Technology Officer
Rick is ex-Head of Product at Capital One, Chief Software Officer at Morningstar, and SVP Engineering at HelloWallet; he also co-founded a digital health startup backed by leading institutions.
Michael Sousa
Chief Operating Officer
Michael joined Bankrate in 2019 after nearly a decade in private banking and digital technology at J.P. Morgan. He holds a BS in Finance from Wake Forest University.
Vikki Caruso
Chief People Officer
Vikki joined Bankrate in 2025 with more than 25 years building and scaling people organizations across financial services, insurance, and technology.
Brendan Clair
Chief Commercial Officer
Brendan has 15+ years in Enterprise Sales and partnerships. Former Head of Strategic Partnerships, he built strong ties with financial institutions and scaled revenue across financial services.
Alex Zuelsdorf
Head of Innovation
Alex brings nearly a decade of experience driving innovation and growth across financial services and digital media, scaling revenue and users 150%+ at brands including CNET and GameSpot.
Nagini Indugula
Head of Product
Nagini has spent 20+ years building marketplace products that help people navigate high-stakes decisions — across careers, health, and now personal finance at Bankrate.
Courtney Bittelari
Head of Business Intelligence
Courtney has spent her career turning data into decisions — across retail finance, client services, and digital marketing — and now brings that to Bankrate as head of BI.
Cyndie Smith
Head of Customer Success
Cyndie has spent 18+ years building customer success organizations across fintech, healthcare, and energy — with a track record of designing the systems and teams that make client relationships stick.
John Puterbaugh
Editor-in-Chief
John spent nearly two decades leading editorial at CNET and the Chicago Tribune before joining Bankrate to do what he does best — holding the financial industry accountable and giving everyday Americans the information they need.