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.
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