NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Aug. 6, 1999--Standard&Poor's today assigned its triple-'C'-plus rating to Priceline.com's offering of $250 million convertible subordinated notes due 2006. A single-'B' corporate credit rating also was assigned to the company. The outlook is developing. Priceline.com's ratings reflect the uncertainty associated with the company's rapid growth, short operating history, and its position in an evolving e-commerce marketplace. Ongoing operating losses are expected over at least the next two years as the company invests heavily in marketing and technology to fuel increases in consumer demand. These risks are tempered, somewhat, by Priceline.com's first mover advantage, scalable business model, rapid sequential quarterly growth in gross profits and revenues, and the demonstration of early success in
