Please wait

May
3,
2006
11760
US
Highway 1 Suite 500
North
Palm Beach, FL 33408
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
We
have
acted as legal counsel for Bankrate, Inc., a corporation organized under the
laws of the State of Florida (the “Registrant”), in connection with the
preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed with
the Commission on March 24, 2006, Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement
on Form S-3/A filed with the Commission on April 25, 2006 and Amendment No.
2 to
the Registration Statement on Form S-3/A filed with the Commission on May 3,
2006 (together, the “Registration Statement”), relating to the registration
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the
following:
| (i) |
Up
to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of the Registrant’s common stock, par
value of $.01 per share, (the “Common Stock”) that may be issued from time
to time at indeterminate prices by the Registrant (the “Registrant
Shares”); and
|
| (ii) |
Up
to an aggregate of 345,893 shares of Common Stock that may be offered
and
sold by certain stockholders of the Registrant (the “Selling
Stockholders”) from time to time at indeterminate prices (the “Selling
Stockholders’ Shares”, and together with the Registrant Shares, the
“Offered Shares”).
|
The
Offered Shares may be issued by the Registrant or offered and sold by the
Selling Stockholders, from time to time on a delayed or continuous basis
pursuant to Rule 415 of the rules and regulations promulgated under the
Securities Act as set forth in the Registration Statement, the prospectus
contained therein (the “Prospectus”), and the supplements to the Prospectus (the
“Prospectus Supplements”).
The
opinion letter supercedes in its entirety our opinion letter dated April 25,
2006 that was filed with the Commission on April 25, 2006 as Exhibit 5.1 to
the
Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-3/A.
We
are
members of the Bar of the State of Florida and do not herein express any opinion
as to matters governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the internal
laws of the State of Florida (without reference to the choice-of-law provisions,
principles or decisions under Florida law). This opinion letter has been
prepared and is to be construed in accordance with the Report on Standards
for
Florida Opinions, dated April 8, 1991, issued by the Business Law Section of
The
Florida Bar, as amended and supplemented (the “Report”). The Report is
incorporated by reference into this opinion letter.
Gunster,
Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
ATTORNEYS
AT LAW
In
rendering the following opinions, we have relied, with your approval, as to
factual matters that affect our opinions, solely on the examination of the
following documents and have made no independent verification of facts asserted
to be true and correct in those documents:
| |
(A)
|
An
Officer’s Certificate furnished to us by an executive officer of the
Registrant, dated as of the date of this opinion
letter;
|
| |
(B)
|
A
copy of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation;
|
| |
(C)
|
A
copy of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated
Bylaws;
|
| |
(D)
|
The
Registration Statement, together with the exhibits filed as a part
thereof
or incorporated by reference;
|
| |
(E)
|
The
Prospectus and the Prospectus
Supplements;
|
| |
(F)
|
Resolutions
of the Registrant’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) authorizing and
approving the filing of the Registration Statement and the issuance
of the
Registrant Shares from time to time at indeterminate prices;
and
|
| |
(G) |
The
stock records of the Registrant that the Registrant has provided
to us.
|
Further,
our opinion in paragraph 2 below is based solely on an exhibit to the Officer’s
Certificate in (A) above (i) identifying the Selling Stockholders' Shares held
by each Selling Stockholder and the manner in which each such Selling
Stockholder acquired such shares, (ii) confirming that the Registrant’s board of
directors and/or stockholders, as necessary, authorized the issuance of such
shares, and (iii) confirming the Registrant’s receipt of the full consideration
called for in connection with issuance of such shares.
Based
upon the foregoing and subject to the limitations, qualifications and
assumptions set forth in the Report and this opinion letter we are of the
following opinion:
1.
With
respect to the Offered Shares to be issued by the Registrant, when (i) the
Registration Statement, as finally amended, has become effective under the
Securities Act; (ii) the Board of Directors of the Registrant, including
any appropriate committee appointed thereby, and appropriate officers of the
Registrant have taken all necessary corporate action to approve the issuance
of
the applicable Offered Shares (the “Authorizing Resolutions”); (iii) an
appropriate Prospectus Supplement with respect to the applicable Offered Shares
has been prepared, delivered and filed in compliance with the Securities Act
and
the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (iv) the terms
of
the sale of the applicable Offered Securities have been duly established in
conformity with the Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, each as
amended to date, and do not violate any applicable law or result in a default
under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding on the Registrant and
comply with any requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental
body having jurisdiction over the Registrant; (v) the applicable Offered
Shares have been issued in accordance with the terms of the Registration
Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, and any Prospectus and
Prospectus Supplement relating thereto; and (vi) the Registrant has received
the
consideration provided for in the Authorizing Resolutions and that certain
Underwriting Agreement between and among the Registrant, the Selling
Stockholders and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, as representative of the
several underwriters, such Offered Shares will be validly issued, and fully
paid
and nonassessable.
Gunster,
Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
ATTORNEYS
AT LAW
2.
With
respect to the Offered Shares to be offered and sold by the Selling
Stockholders, such shares have been validly issued and are fully paid and
nonassessable.
This
opinion letter is to be used only in connection with the offering and sale
of
the Offered Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect. This opinion
is based upon facts in existence and statutes, rules, regulations and judicial
decisions in effect on the date hereof and we assume no obligation to advise
you
of any changes to the foregoing subsequent to the delivery of this opinion
letter.
We
hereby
consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as Exhibit 5.1 to
the
Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5)
of
Regulation S-K under the Securities Act and
to
the use of our name therein and in the Prospectus and related Prospectus
Supplement under the caption “Legal Matters”. In
giving
such consents, we do not hereby admit that we are within the category of persons
whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules
and
regulations of the Commission.
This
opinion letter is delivered to you solely for your benefit in connection with
the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission and, except as
provided in the immediately preceding paragraph, may not be quoted, circulated
or published in whole or in part or delivered to any other person, or relied
upon by any other person, without the prior written consent of a shareholder
of
this law firm.
Gunster,
Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
ATTORNEYS
AT LAW
The
opinions set forth in this opinion letter are limited to matters expressly
set
forth and no opinion is to be implied or may be inferred beyond the matters
expressly stated.
| |
|
|
| |
Very
truly
yours, |
| |
|
| |
GUNSTER,
YOAKLEY & STEWART, P.A. |
|
|
|
| |
/s/ |
Gunster,
Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. |
| |
|
| |
|
MB/mb
Gunster,
Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
ATTORNEYS
AT LAW