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Press release

THE £21m UNCLAIMED GOLDMINE

23 September 2002

NEW SALES WEBSITE REUNITES WINNERS WITH CASH PRIZES

Thousands of people in the UK are missing out on being able to save or invest more money, go on a dream holiday, buy a new car or a whole new wardrobe because they are neglecting to claim their windfalls, according to National Savings and Investments (NS&I) which says a total of £21.6 million Premium Bond prizes remain unclaimed.

NS&I, the government-backed savings and investments provider, has launched an enhanced website at www.nsandi.com where people can find out if their Premium Bonds have won any prizes in the last six months or if any prizes remain unclaimed - regardless of the age of the Premium Bond - and lay claim to some of the unclaimed millions.

And the website features a brand new retail channel so customers can apply online to buy six NS&I products - Cash mini ISA, Fixed Interest Savings Certificates, Fixed Rate Savings Bonds, Income Bonds, Index-linked Savings Certificates and Pensioners Guaranteed Income Bonds. More products will be available online in the near future.

Gill Cattanach, National Savings and Investments Commercial Director, said: "With £21.6 million National Savings and Investments Premium Bond prizes unclaimed, there are thousands of people across the UK who could be sitting on a goldmine but don't know it.

"The online Premium Bond prize checker allows Bond holders to check instantly to see if they've won a prize in the last six months, which could be anything from £50 up to £25,000. It's a quick, simple and totally free service. All you have to do is key in your Premium Bond number to find out if you've won.

"The launch of our new website marks another stage in the continued business transformation of National Savings and Investments and our dedication to providing first class services for customers."

Visitors to the site can use the NS&I Product Chooser, helping customers find the best NS&I financial product for them and an Investment Calculator to find out what return they would get on a guaranteed rate or income-generating investment with NS&I.

In addition, people who have lost or forgotten Premium Bonds, accounts or investments can simply download a tracing service form, send it to National Savings and Investments which will carry out a completely free search.

Online purchases are safe because the new website encrypts any personal data - bank details, for example - sent over the Internet to NS&I. This means that once data is sent over the Internet to NS&I it cannot be read by any individual or organisation other than NS&I.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The total unclaimed prize fund to date is £21,655,050.
2. Although National Savings and Investments has launched a new online Premium Bond prize search, NS&I still writes to all winners of Premium Bond prizes of £50 up to £100,000 and pays a personal visit to the winner of the £1 million monthly jackpot.
3. There have been 101 winners of the £1 million jackpot since it was introduced in 1994.
4. Since the first prize draw in 1957, a total of 96.4 million prizes worth £6.2 billion have been awarded.
5. Over the past 12 months, NS&I has introduced a dedicated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year customer call centre, telephone 0845 964 5000. NS&I has also provided savers and investors with an enhanced product range to suit their needs, including the Cash mini ISA and Guaranteed Equity Bond.
6. National Savings and Investments customer enquiries: 0845 964 5000.
7. NS&I Press Office contacts:

   Mark Brooks:	020 7348 9301	mark.brooks@nsandi.com
   Jonathan Akerman:	020 7348 9433	jonathan.akerman@nsandi.com
   Samantha Bennett	020 7348 9654	sam.bennett@nsandi.com
   24-hour media line:	077 7896 6387

Media team
NS&I has a number of spokespeople available for interviews and our experienced radio team is available via our ISDN line: 020 7602 4522.

The numbers below are for media use only. Customers wishing to contact NS&I can find details here.

Gill Stephens		020 7348 9449
		gill.stephens@nsandi.com
Iman Asante		020 7348 9301
		iman.asante@nsandi.com
Angela Mason		020 7348 9433
		angela.mason@nsandi.com
ISDN for interviews		020 7602 4522
Out of hours		All numbers above diverted to staffed mobile phones

 

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