A result of the business relationship the two companies announced this past summer, the new channel not only helps people with their investments, but also covers all the other major areas of their financial lives, including banking, mortgages, taxes, planning, insurance and more. Designed as an objective source for helping people save money and make more confident financial decisions, the new channel debuts with more tools, resources and expertise than any other free-to-the-consumer Web site

"We're leveraging the expertise Intuit has gained making Quicken the trusted choice of 10 million people to help them organize and manage their personal finances and delivering it via the Excite Network," said George Bell, president and CEO of Excite. "The power of Excite's distribution and our expertise in delivering channels of information to consumers, combined with the equity of the Quicken name and product, fully articulate why this partnership works for both consumers and advertisers."

The companies also announced that many of the nation's premiere financial service providers have signed on as charter advertisers and sponsors of the channel. In total, the advertisers have made sponsorship commitments of more than $11 million per year. In addition, the channel will receive transaction fees from vendors in areas such as insurance and mortgage. Advertising sales and revenues generated by Excite Business & Investing by Quicken.com will be shared by the two companies.

The channel features information, content, and commentary from the nation's premiere financial information providers, including Reuters, Morningstar, ValueLine, IPO Maven and Briefing.com, as well as expert advice from financial experts including Marshall Loeb and Jane Bryant Quinn. "The Web is allowing us to help literally millions of people save money and make more confident decisions," said Scott Cook, chairman and co-founder of Intuit. "We are offering a truly unique solution for consumers by providing personalized decision tools, a deep and unbiased source of information and comparison shopping resources - all free to the consumer and integrated in one place."

The new channel, at http://quicken.excite.com, will feature eight integrated and easy-to-use centers:

1. Investments -- Helps answer day-to-day investment questions, such as how investments are performing and how to identify and invest in the top mutual funds. The Quote Plus feature helps consumers make better investment decisions by giving them immediate access to highly relevant information about a company. The Mutual Fund Finder and Stock Searcher help people find investments that fit their needs. The Investment center also fully integrates all the mutual fund capability available at Intuit's former NETworth site.
2. People & Chat-This interactive community provides a place for people to talk with each other as well as with subject matter experts as they make important financial decisions. Features interactive communities on investing strategies, such as the new Armchair Millionaire. Also includes consumer champion Richard L. Katz's feature.
3. Home & Mortgage - Saves consumers time and money by enabling them to comparison shop online for a mortgage. Interactive tools help people answer the questions How Much House Can You Afford?, Should You Refinance Today? and What are Today's Rates?
4. Banking & Borrowing -- Helps people find great borrowing and savings deals on a variety of banking products. Special features within this center include Credit Report Guide and Our Top Picks, a guide to other useful banking and borrowing sites on the Web.
5. Insurance - Lets consumers compare real-time life insurance quotes, get information, connect with agents and even buy a policy online from among the most recognized insurance companies in the nation.
6. Retirement -- Helps people calculate their needs during retirement and then gives a step-by-step approach to developing and implementing their retirement plan. Consumers can use the Retirement Planner to decide what investment allocations to make based on a personalized interview.
7. MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Saving & Spending - Helps people create a budget, save money and manage their debt. Special features include a Debt Reduction Planner, a Financial Fitness Quiz and a Financial Health Checkup that provides financial help and tips tailored to individual needs.
8. Tax - Provides tax help, forms, tools and information online. Tools and information include Tax Estimator, Tax Law Change Updates, Personal Tax Guide, Small Business Tax Guide, and Tax Calendar.

In late October the information and resources featured on Excite's Business and Investing channel will also be available at Intuit's Quicken.com Web site (http://www.quicken.com), and on Excite's WebCrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com).