At the core of this maelstrom of activity is internet advertising. The 2007 IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report found that internet advertising for 2007 alone was $21.2 billion dollars. That’s an average of over $5 billion dollars (per quarter) that advertisers were spending to gain market share and generate business on the internet. I need to mention that 2007 was the fourth year in a row to set an internet ad spending record. See the trend?

When I first learned about Rate.com, I immediately thought about the numerous banking institutions in Corporate Amercia as well as online aggregator Bankrate.com. Bankrate.com are a successful online company having consolidated, and marketed, a myriad of financial rate information from banks and lenders in every conceivable category. Rest assured, rate information is a valuable product to American consumers and American business. If Bankrate.com’s annual revenue is any indication: $49 million in 2005, $79 million in 2006, and $95 million in 2007. See the trend?

Now, it could just be the domainer in me, but I would much prefer to type in Rate.com, than Bankrate.com. Come to think of it, I would also prefer to type in Nashville.com over something like VisitNashville.com. You get my point. Ironically, guess what Bankrate.com‘s ticker symbol is on the NASDAQ stock exchange? That’s right, it’s RATE.

Joking aside, Bankrate.com is only one of many, many finance & finance-related institutions in the United States. Stop to consider how many varied financial companies exist on a global scale. Any one of them, and only one, could gain a competitive new edge on the financial market … with Rate.com.

The internet is the battlefield where the next war will be won or lost. Question is: which major financial player will recognize the logic, and advantage, in acquiring Rate.com to capture new business … and customers?

What would a Rate.com user be looking for? Likely … the best mortgage rate, the best refi rate, a nice savings account interest rate, a high CD rate, or low auto loan interest rate, etc. Oh, and a better credit card rate for sure. Can’t help but to ponder how many thousands of community, regional, national, and international banks there are that could leap frog the competition with such a premium domain.

You may be wondering just who owns Rate.com. It’s brothers Michael and David Castello. Respectively, the CEO and COO of the Castello Cities Internet Network, Inc (CCIN.com).

The Castello Brother’s first made their mark developing Geodomains such as PalmSprings.com, Acapulco.com, LagunaBeach.com and Nashville.com. Recent projects include Bullion.com, Whisky.com, Banana.com, Daycare.com, Kennel.com, Cost.com, Manicure.com and Traveler.com. Names slated for development in 2009 include Rate.com, Driven.com, Bootleg.com and Sample.com. The Castello Brothers sit on the Board of Directors of Associated Cities and are members of ICANN’s Business Constituency. In 2008, the Castello Brothers were awarded the Domainer’s Choice Award for Domain Ambassadors at DOMAINfest and were inducted into the Geo Hall of Fame at the Geodomain Expo in Chicago.

In closing out this piece, I’d like to thank readers for visiting the PremiumDomains.biz blog, and to also encourage you to become an active member of the domain investment community. It’s an energized industry full of intelligent, creative people … many of whom get little sleep! That’s what happens when passion drives you.

Thank you, Michael Castello and David Castello, for agreeing to let me write about Rate.com. It’s a superb domain name with the kind of genuine industry relevance that will make the evening news.