Santa Monica-based LowerMyBills.com, an online service allowing consumers to compare credit card rates and shop for home loans and insurance, was acquired today for $330 million by credit information provider Experian Information Solutions Inc.

Experian said it planned to keep LowerMyBills operations intact, including its 125 local employees. The deal includes a potential $50 million in additional payments to LowerMyBills based on performance over the next two years.

LowerMyBills was founded in 1999 by Matt Coffin, who started the free, online rate comparison site out of frustration while shopping for a home loan.

Experian, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Gus Plc, is based in Nottingham, England, and Costa Mesa, Calif. It employs 12,000 people in 27 countries and has annual sales of more than $2.5 billion.