Trading Statement

Claims Direct PLC 29 September 2000 CLAIMS DIRECT PLC ('CLAIMS DIRECT') TRADING STATEMENT Claims Direct, the UK market leader in personal injury compensation, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in July, is today announcing a trading update prior to its half year end. The interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2000 will be announced on Wednesday 29 November 2000. At the time of flotation the company was experiencing a 'run rate' of cases per month of approximately 4,000. The company is therefore delighted to announce that the current 'run rate' has increased to approximately 5,000 per month. Accordingly the half-year results are likely to be significantly ahead of expectations at the time of flotation. The company is also pleased to confirm that it has reached agreement with a number of potential litigants (a small number of former or current franchisees of the Company), the details of whose allegations were included in the company's flotation Prospectus. The net cost to the company is expected to be less than £100,000, being the cost of compensation payments made, associated costs, less the benefit to the company of progressing cases previously handled by these franchisees. The board is confident that similar satisfactory agreements will be reached with the remaining complainants. The acquisition of the vetting division of Poole & Co was completed as planned on 1 September 2000 and the company is now deriving the extra income stream from that operation. Chief Executive, Colin Poole, commented 'The period during and since the flotation has been one of high activity and I am delighted to report that the company's case load has continued to grow over that time, despite the obvious distractions of the IPO.' 'The company is continuing to expand its core business while exploring new product lines and other investment opportunities. We are performing ahead of expectations and look forward to announcing a successful maiden set of interim results in November.' For further information, please contact: Claims Direct plc Colin Poole, Chief Executive 01952 284838 Paul Doona, Finance Director 01952 284938 Web Site www.claimsdirect.com Golin/Harris Ludgate 0207 253 2252 Reg Hoare/Victoria Martin Notes to Editors Claims Direct manages compensation claims for individuals who have suffered a personal injury and wish to recover damages from a third party. The service covers the entire process of recovering damages taking each claimant from initial enquiry, through expert legal and medical assessments, to the goal of compensation. The company generates the majority of its cases from advertisements on national television. Individuals who call Claims Direct are put in touch with a Claims Manager who assists the individual in completing a detailed questionnaire relating to the proposed claim. The questionnaire is then reviewed by a vetting solicitor to assess the likelihood of success. If the chance of success is considered to be above 50 per cent the claim is passed on to an independent, qualified solicitor who formally accepts the case. The solicitor then represents the client throughout the duration of the case until its conclusion gathering medical evidence and seeking barristers' opinions where appropriate. Claims Direct operates on a 'no win, no fee' basis. The primary product offered by Claims Direct is the Claims Direct Protect post-event insurance policy. Under this policy, which the claimant purchases with a loan arranged by the Company, the claimant is insured against the costs of the process if the claim fails. The Company was launched in 1995 and last year handled 28,917 new cases. In the year ended 31 March 2000 it reported revenues of £40m, with profit before tax of £10.1m. In July 2000 the Company floated on the London Stock Exchange raising £50 million of new money by way of a placing with institutional and other investors at 180p, valuing the company at £338 million.
UK 100