ERNIE brings delight to Devon and Humberside this February
It's been a while, but ERNIE never forgets a number, and this month Agent Million has made a rare trip to Humberside and a more familiar trip to Devon to deliver news of February's Premium Bonds £1 million windfall.
The first eligible number ERNIE drew this month - 196XA565201 - belongs to a man from Humberside, who bought £30,000 worth of Premium Bonds in September 2012. Despite waiting just over six years, the investment has truly paid off this month, becoming just the third ever jackpot winner from the region. The previous winners of the top prize came back in December 2006 and September 2011.
February's second Premium Bonds millionaire, a man from Devon (winning Bond number is 227WY22783) has £40,000 invested, and purchased his winning Bond in July 2014. Devon is not shy of visits from Agent Million, as this becomes their 14th trip to the county.
The pair become the 403rd and 404th winners of the £1 million jackpot prize.
Jill Waters, Retail Director at NS&I, said:
“February is the month known for St Valentines, and savers continue to show their love for Premium Bonds, resulting in a record pay out of prizes this month. Over three million prizes have been drawn by ERNIE who is responsible for spreading love all over the country, but his generosity will be most felt by the two lucky Premium Bonds holders in Humberside and Devon who received a special visit from Agent Million to hand-deliver the £1 million windfall.”
Missed some good news from ERNIE? Receive some unclaimed love in time for Valentine's Day
In Humberside, there are over 13,000 unclaimed prizes worth more than £500,000. A £5,000 prize won back in June 2016 is still waiting to be claimed by a man in the region, who holds just £53 in Premium Bonds. The winning Bond number is 1PS165413. The oldest unclaimed prize in Humberside is worth £25, and was drawn in February 1968.
In Devon, there are over 25,000 unclaimed prizes worth more than £950,000. A £25,000 prize from May 2014 is still awaiting its rightful owner (winning Bond number 5EP562961); a man holding just £20 in Premium Bonds. Older unclaimed prizes date back to February 1965.
Customers can check whether they have any unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes by visiting the NS&I website at www.nsandi.com , or downloading the prize checker app for free at the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Customers can also write to us at NS&I, Glasgow, G58 1SB asking for their prize history (remembering to include their name, address and NS&I number or Premium Bonds holder’s number). We’ll send a list of the prizes they’ve won.
Jill Waters continued:
“We know that our customers move around and may forget to contact NS&I to change their address, meaning some Premium Bonds prizes may lay unclaimed. That's the excuse some of us use for why we don't receive as many Valentine's cards as we might have expected!
"To avoid this happening in the future, Premium Bonds holders can opt to have their prizes paid directly to their bank account, or have their prizes reinvested into more Premium Bonds, up to the maximum investment of £50,000.”
Over two million Premium Bonds customers have now registered to have their prizes paid directly into their bank account. To find out more, visit the NS&I website: https://www.nsandi.com/can-my-
February 2019 prize draw breakdown
In the February 2019 draw, a total of 3,223,731 prizes worth £92,144,925 will be paid out. There were 78,981,376,843 eligible Bonds for the draw.
Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 429 million winning prizes, to the value of £19.1 billion.
| Value of prize | Number of prizes |
|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 2 |
| £100,000 | 5 |
| £50,000 | 11 |
| £25,000 | 21 |
| £10,000 | 51 |
| £5,000 | 104 |
| £1,000 | 1,843 |
| £500 | 5,529 |
| £100 | 25,283 |
| £50 | 25,283 |
| £25 | 3,165,599 |
| Total value of prizes: £92,114,925 |
Total number of prizes: 3,223,731 |
Notes to editors
- NS&I has spokespeople available for interview and a wealth of facts and figures (including regional) about Premium Bonds. If you require any further details, please contact the NS&I media team on the contact details below or tweet your question to @nsandi
- All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
- NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments to 25 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.
- The annual Premium Bonds prize fund rate is currently 1.40% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are 24,500 to 1.
- Pictures of Premium Bonds, including the Premium Bonds app and ERNIE are available in high-resolution jpeg format from the NS&I media team.
- Customers can buy Premium Bonds online at nsandi.com and over the phone by calling 08085 007 007. This is a freephone number and calls to it from the UK are free from both landlines and mobiles. Calls may be recorded. Customers can also buy by post. Existing customers can also buy by bank transfer and standing order.
7. When reporting total unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes, NS&I defines unclaimed prizes as those that have not been claimed for a period of 18 months or more.
- Further information on NS&I, including press releases and product information, is available on the website at nsandi.com . Follow us on Twitter: @nsandi or join the conversation on Facebook: Premium Bonds made by ERNIE