PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E-LOAN®, an online consumer direct lender and longtime advocate of consumer financial protection, today announced that it has received the highest overall rating in the fourth quarter 2006 Online Customer Respect Study of the financial services industry. E-LOAN continues to set the standard for customer respect by once again leading financial services companies with the highest rating overall. The Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how companies treat their online customers, reported that E-LOAN's Customer Respect Index (CRI) Rating was the highest among all financial services firms 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 online. E-LOAN led the overall ranking with a consumers’ trust index score of 7.9 compared to the industry average of 5.7. According to the study, E-LOAN beat out major financial services brands Visa and Wachovia. Among all financial services firms polled, E-LOAN ranked highest for transparency. Of the 65 companies studied, E-LOAN was one of only four to achieve the Excellent Customer Respect Standard. “This company was founded on the belief that consumers deserve a fair, open and honest way to get a loan and save money,” said Mark Lefanowicz, president of E-LOAN. “We take this responsibility seriously, continually striving to provide the best possible customer experience. We are pleased and honored that consumers continue to recognize these efforts.” 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 active 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 obtain the consent of consumers before sharing their information with third parties and affiliates. As a result, E-LOAN helped facilitate the California legislature's passage of one of the strongest consumer financial privacy protection laws in the nation.
