PeopleFirst.com Selected as World-Wide Finalist for 2001 Computerworld Honors 21st Century Achievement Awards

 Online Vehicle Financing Company Honored for Outstanding Use of Information
                                  Technology

    SAN DIEGO, May 1 PeopleFirst.com (http://www.peoplefirst.com),
the nation's largest online vehicle lender, has been selected as a world-wide
finalist for the 2001 Computerworld Honors 21st Century Achievement Awards.
Selected from a group of 310 Laureates, PeopleFirst was one of 53 finalists
from eight countries, representing the most innovative and visionary
applications of information technology from the 2001 Computerworld Honors
Collection.
    The Computerworld Honors are presented on an annual basis to companies
around the world in 10 different categories who have achieved outstanding
progress for society through visionary use of information technology.  A panel
of distinguished judges selects candidates on the basis of:  Benefit to
society, Importance of Information Technology, Originality, Success and
Difficulty.
    Nominated by Merrit Lutz, managing director of Morgan Stanley, in the
Finance Insurance & Real Estate category, PeopleFirst is one of only five
financial institutions chosen as a finalist, among such prestigious companies
as Charles Schwab, Prudential and Wells Fargo.  PeopleFirst's work is now part
of a collection that includes more than 300 of the year's most innovative
applications of technology and will become part of the Permanent Research
Collections of the Smithsonian Institution and housed in the archival
institutions of the Academic Council across the world.
    At PeopleFirst, consumers apply for a vehicle loan from their computer,
anywhere, anytime, get approval in minutes and receive a no-obligation Blank
Check(R) to go shopping with as soon as the next day, giving them flexibility
on where and when they buy their car.
    The proprietary PeopleFirst systems that drive the application process
have turned a traditionally unpleasant experience into an enjoyable one.
    Finalists in each of the ten categories will be honored on, Monday, June
4th at a black-tie gala at Washington, D.C.'s historic National Building
Museum. This year, more than 800 industry leaders and professionals will
attend the event, including past Award Recipients, Chairmen, Judges and
Leadership Award Winners.
    "These 53 finalists should be considered first among 310 equals," said
Daniel Morrow, Executive Director of the Computerworld Honors Program.  "They
represent the very best of an extraordinary class of Laureates in the 2001
Collection."
    Case studies from the 2001 Collection will be available at
http://www.cwheroes.org, the official Internet site of the Computerworld
Honors Program, where the entire Collection is available to scholars,
researchers and the general public worldwide.

    About PeopleFirst
    PeopleFirst is the nation's largest online vehicle lender, originating and
servicing consumer loans almost entirely over the Internet.  Founded in 1995,
PeopleFirst is the pioneer of Blank Check(R) vehicle lending, a hassle-free
financing option that gives loan recipients a no-obligation Blank Check(R)
that can be used for the purchase of a new or used vehicle or motorcycle at
most dealerships in the country.  The company also provides financing for
lease buyouts, refinances existing loans, and provides loans for the purchase
of vehicles from private individuals.
    PeopleFirst.com investors include American Express, DaimlerChrysler, JP
Morgan Capital Corp., Madison Dearborn Partners, Mail Boxes Etc., and Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter Venture Partners.  To obtain more information about the
company, call PeopleFirst at (800) 689-1789 or visit the company's Web site,
http://www.peoplefirst.com.

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