LendingTree Sells to USA Interactive

Barry Diller's USA Interactive, New York, has signed a deal to buy LendingTree, Charlotte, N.C., for a price of between $626 million and $735 million in stock, Mr. Diller said in a May 5 conference call.Mr. Diller called LendingTree the "perfect solution" to his firm's search for an offering that combined financial services and real estate, because both are highly fragmented industries with large growth potential for online services. He noted that LendingTree has 67% brand awareness among consumers. The USAI conglomerate already owns Expedia, Hotels.com, Ticketmaster, and the Home Shopping Network. The companies expect the deal to close in late summer or early fall. The companies can be found online at http://www.usainteractive.com and http://www.lendingtree.com.