EELN E-Loan (MM)

E-LOAN Ranked 'Best Overall' in Financial Services Customer Respect Study PLEASANTON, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- E-LOAN(R) (NASDAQ:EELN), an online consumer direct lender, today announced that it received the overall highest rating in the First Quarter 2005 Online Customer Respect Study of North America's largest financial services firms. The independent study conducted by The Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their customers online, reported that E-LOAN's Consumer Respect Index rating was the highest among all traditional and Internet-based financial services firms included in the survey. The Customer Respect Index is a qualitative and quantitative in-depth analysis and independent measure of a customer's online experience when interacting with companies via the Internet. Overall, financial firms improved their performance over the past year. However, in the area of privacy -- an area consumers continually report as the single most important area when choosing a financial services provider -- financial services firms, excluding E-LOAN, have failed to perform, with nearly half of financial services firms sharing personal data without permission. "When consumers consider working with financial services companies, customer respect is a major factor," said Terry Golesworthy, President of The Customer Respect Group. "In our study, E-LOAN consistently scored high in all areas of customer respect, including privacy. We applaud E-LOAN's commitment to its customers." "E-LOAN is a company that was founded on the fundamental belief that consumers deserve better," said Mark Lefanowicz, Chief Executive Officer of E-LOAN. "In our experience, consumers are looking for a lending partner that they can trust. We continually have honored that covenant by offering exceptional customer service and adhering to the strictest of consumer privacy protection standards." Since its inception, E-LOAN has been working on behalf of consumers to transform the lending industry, providing consumers with a more open, fair and honest lending experience. As a staunch consumer advocate, E-LOAN played an integral role in the legislative battle to provide consumers access to their credit scores, the most important factor in determining whether a consumer is approved for a loan and at what rate. In June 2002, E-LOAN co-founded Californians for Privacy Now (CFPN), a coalition dedicated to requiring financial services companies to first obtain consumers' consent before sharing their information with third parties and affiliates. As a result, E-LOAN helped facilitate the California legislature's passage of the strongest consumer financial privacy protection law in the nation. Additional information about this study and The Consumer Respect Group can be obtained by visiting http://www.customerrespect.com/, calling 617-378-3173 or emailing . About E-LOAN E-LOAN is an online consumer direct lender dedicated to providing borrowers across the credit spectrum with a more enjoyable and affordable way to obtain mortgage, auto and home equity loans. By making credit scores freely available to consumers and integrating them with a suite of sophisticated advice tools, E-LOAN is pioneering the nascent debt management advice category -- helping consumers proactively manage their loan portfolios to lower their overall borrowing costs. The company relentlessly advocates eliminating the unnecessary processes, fees, hassle, haggle and lack of transparency traditionally associated with the consumer loan experience. Protecting consumers' financial privacy is a paramount concern, prompting E-LOAN to implement industry leading privacy practices and advocate strong consumer financial privacy protection laws. In June 2004, an independent study conducted by TRUSTe and The Ponemon Institute ranked E-LOAN as one of the top 20 most trusted companies for privacy in America. E-LOAN was the highest ranked online financial services company to make the top 20. Consumers can log onto http://www.eloan.com/ or call 1-888-E-LOAN-22 to access E-LOAN's products, services and team of dedicated loan and debt advice professionals. E-LOAN, Inc. is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol EELN. From inception through December 2004, E-LOAN has originated and sold over $24.1 billion in consumer loans. This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. E-LOAN's actual results may differ from the results described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, general conditions in the mortgage and auto industries, interest rate fluctuations, and the impact of competitive products. These and other risk factors are detailed in E-LOAN's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. E-LOAN Press Contact: E-LOAN Press/Investor Contact: Laurie Azzano Tiffany Fox Cosmo Public Relations E-LOAN, Public/Investor Relations 504-296-1349 925-847-6314 DATASOURCE: E-LOAN CONTACT: media, Laurie Azzano of Cosmo Public Relations, +1-504-296-1349, or , for E-LOAN; or media or investors, Tiffany Fox of E-LOAN, +1-925-847-6314, or Web site: http://www.eloan.com/

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