<PAGE>   1

                  Upon the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event (as such term
is defined in the Rights Agreement), if the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or
Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights
Agreement), (ii) a transferee of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or
Affiliate, or (iii) under certain circumstances specified in the Rights
Agreement, a transferee of a person who, after such transfer, became an
Acquiring Person, or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person, such
Rights shall become null and void and no holder hereof shall have any right with
respect to such Rights from and after the occurrence of such Section 11(a)(ii)
Event.

                  As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and
the number and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or other securities, which may
be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of
certain events, including Triggering Events.

                  This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms,
provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and
conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof
and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of
the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder
of the Rights Agent, the


                                       3
<PAGE>   2

Company and the holders of the Rights Certificates, which limitations of rights
include the temporary suspension of the exercisability of such Rights under the
specific circumstances set forth in the Rights Agreement. Copies of the Rights
Agreement are on file at the above-mentioned office of the Rights Agent and are
also available upon written request to the Rights Agent.

                  This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights
Certificates, upon surrender at the principal office or offices of the Rights
Agent designated for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Rights
Certificate or Rights Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights
entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of one one-hundredths
of a share of Preferred Stock as the Rights evidenced by the Rights Certificate
or Rights Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase.
If this Rights Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be
entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Rights Certificate or Rights
Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.

                  Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights
evidenced by this Certificate may be redeemed by the Company at its option at a
redemption price of $.01 per Right at any time prior to the earlier of the close
of business on (i) the tenth Business Day following the Stock Acquisition Date
(as such time period may be extended pursuant to the Rights Agreement), and (ii)
the Final Expiration Date. In addition, under certain circumstances following
the Stock


                                       4
<PAGE>   3

Acquisition Date, the Rights may be exchanged, in whole or in part, for shares
of the Common Stock, or shares of preferred stock of the Company having
essentially the same value or economic rights as such shares. Immediately upon
the action of the Board of Directors of the Company authorizing any such
exchange, and without any further action or any notice, the Rights (other than
Rights which are not subject to such exchange) will terminate and the Rights
will only enable holders to receive the shares issuable upon such exchange.

                  No fractional shares of Preferred Stock will be issued upon
the exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions
which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock,
which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts),
but in lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Rights
Agreement. The Company, at its election, may require that a number of Rights be
exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock would be issued.

                  No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote
or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of shares of
Preferred Stock or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time
be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights
Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any
of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the
election of directors or upon any matter


                                       5
<PAGE>   4

submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give consent to or
withhold consent from any corporate action, or, to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Rights
Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until
the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall have been
exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.

                  This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for
any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.


                                       6
<PAGE>   5

                  WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the
Company and its corporate seal.
Dated as of _________ __, ____



                                   LENDINGTREE INC.


                                   By:  _______________________________
                                   Name: Douglas R. Lebda
                                   Title:  Chief Executive Officer and President


                                       7
<PAGE>   6

                  [Form of Reverse Side of Rights Certificate]



                               FORM OF ASSIGNMENT


                (To be executed by the registered holder if such
               holder desires to transfer the Rights Certificate.)


                           FOR VALUE RECEIVED_________________________________
hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
                  (Please print name and address of transferee)

______________________________________________________________________________
this Rights Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein,
and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint __________________ Attorney,
to transfer the within Rights Certificate on the books of the within named
Company, with full power of substitution.


Dated: __________________, _____



                                            __________________________________
                                            Signature


Signature Guaranteed:


                                   Certificate

<PAGE>   7

                  The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate
                  boxes that:

                  (1) this Rights Certificate [ ] is [ ] is not being sold,
assigned and transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring
Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms
are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);

                  (2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the
undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring
Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.


Dated: _______________, _____               __________________________________
                                            Signature

Signature Guaranteed:

<PAGE>   8

                                     NOTICE


                  The signature to the foregoing Assignment and Certificate must
correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in
every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

<PAGE>   9

                          FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE

                  (To be executed if holder desires to exercise Rights repre-
                  sented by the Rights Certificate.)


To: LENDINGTREE INC.:

                  The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise
__________ Rights represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the shares
of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Rights (or such other
securities of the Company or of any other person which may be issuable upon the
exercise of the Rights) and requests that certificates for such shares be
issued in the name of and delivered to:


Please insert social security
or other identifying number


______________________________________________________________________________
                         (Please print name and address)

______________________________________________________________________________


                  If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced
by this Rights Certificate, a new Rights Certificate for the balance of such
Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:

<PAGE>   10

Please insert social security
or other identifying number


______________________________________________________________________________
                         (Please print name and address)


______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


Dated:  _______________, _____



                                            __________________________________
                                            Signature



Signature Guaranteed:



                                   Certificate

                  The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate
                  boxes that:

                  (1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate [ ] are
[ ] are not being exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as
such terms are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);

<PAGE>   11

                  (2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the
undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.


Dated: ______________, _____                __________________________________


                                            Signature


Signature Guaranteed:

<PAGE>   12

                                     NOTICE



                  The signature to the foregoing Election to Purchase and
Certificate must correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights
Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatsoever.

<PAGE>   13

                                                                       Exhibit C


                          SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE
                                 PREFERRED STOCK


                  On [ ], 2000, the Board of Directors of LendingTree Inc. (the
"Company") declared a dividend distribution of one Right for each outstanding
share of Company Common Stock to stockholders of record at the close of business
on [ ], 2000 (the date of the consummation of the initial public offering of the
Common Stock) (the "Record Date"). Each Right entitles the registered holder to
purchase from the Company a unit consisting of one one-hundredth of a share (a
"Unit") of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per
share (the "Series A Preferred Stock") at a Purchase Price of $    per Unit (the
amount equal to the product of four times the average closing price of the
Common Stock for the first five days of trading subsequent to the consummation
of the initial public offering of the Common Stock), subject to adjustment. The
description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the
"Rights Agreement") between the Company and ________________ , as Rights Agent.


<PAGE>   14

                  Initially, the Rights will be attached to all Common Stock
certificates representing shares then outstanding, and no separate Rights
Certificates will be distributed. Subject to certain exceptions specified in the
Rights Agreement, the Rights will separate from the Common Stock and a
Distribution Date will occur upon the earlier of (i) 10 business days following
a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons
(an "Acquiring Person") has acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock (the "Stock Acquisition Date"), other than
persons who acquire 15% beneficial ownership as a result of repurchases of stock
by the Company or certain inadvertent actions by institutional or certain other
stockholders or, in certain circumstances, persons who are holders of shares of
Common Stock prior to the initial public offering and upon consummation thereof,
become beneficial owners of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock, or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as the Board shall
determine) following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that
would result in a person or group becoming an Acquiring Person. Until the
Distribution Date, (i) the Rights will be evidenced by the Common Stock
certificates and will be transferred with and only with such Common Stock cer-
tificates, (ii) new Common Stock certificates issued after the Record Date will
contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference and (iii)
the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Stock outstanding
will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock
represented by such certificate. Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, the Company
reserves the right to

<PAGE>   15

require prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event (as defined below) that,
upon any exercise of Rights, a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole
shares of Preferred Stock will be issued.

                  The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date and
will expire at 5:00 P.M. (New York City time) on          , 2010 (the tenth
anniversary of the date of the consummation of the initial public offering of
the Common Stock), unless such date is extended or the Rights are earlier
redeemed or exchanged by the Company as described below.

                  As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, Rights
Certificates will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the
close of business on the Distribution Date and, thereafter, the separate Rights
Certificates alone will represent the Rights. Except as otherwise determined by
the Board of Directors, only shares of Common Stock issued prior to the
Distribution Date will be issued with Rights.

                  In the event that a Person becomes an Acquiring Person, except
pursuant to an offer for all outstanding shares of Common Stock which the
independent directors determine to be fair and not inadequate to and to
otherwise be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, after
receiving advice from one or more investment banking firms (a "Qualified
Offer"), each holder of a Right will