Jackpot joy for Liverpool and Outer London as Premium Bonds share the love in time for Valentine’s Day

For the Liverpool winner, there was an additional reason to celebrate, as it was the tenth anniversary of when he bought the winning £5,000 Bond (Bond number 123KY115050). He has a total investment of £30,000 in Premium Bonds.

The woman from Outer London purchased her Bond in May 2008 (winning Bond number: 138XC676243), which was a £2,000 purchase as part of a total £18,480 Premium Bonds holding.

This month’s win echoes the successes of 2016 for people living in towns, cities and counties starting with the letter ‘L’; there were three winners in Leicestershire – two in the city of Leicester in January 2016 – one from Lancashire and another from Lincolnshire last year.

However, London and Liverpool missed out in 2016, with the last winner from the capital coming in August 2015, while it has been more than five years, November 2011, since the previous Liverpool-based Premium Bonds millionaire was made.

The February prize draw brings the total number of ERNIE-made millionaires from London to 46 since the top prize was introduced in 1994, while it is only the second time that Agent Million has delivered the good news to Liverpool.

Jill Waters, Retail Director at NS&I said:

“It’s been a while since a Liverpool resident has won the jackpot, and it’s particularly exciting that we can celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bond holder’s purchase with the £1 million prize. Agent Million has made more trips to the capital than anywhere else, but each one is unique, and the experience doesn’t stop being special.

“ERNIE’s numbers have been making people smile for 60 years and we’re keen to hear stories of how people came to own their Premium Bonds, how they have spent their winnings, and what they might do if Agent Million were to come knocking at their door.”

The two millionaires took the top prizes out of a total of £69,516,050 paid out this month, distributed among 2,224,513 winning Bonds. There were 66,735,395,935 eligible Bond numbers in February’s draw, and since the first draw in June 1957, there have been 362 million prizes paid out worth £17.2 billion.

As well as the February 2017 prizes, you can check for any unclaimed prizes that you may have lost touch with. There are over 1.3 million unclaimed prizes worth more than £54 million currently waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners.

In Outer London, there are also nearly 150,000 unclaimed prizes with a value of over £6.1 million. The largest unclaimed prize is £100,000 won by a woman, also in February, but this time in 2007, and who only has £25 invested in Premium Bonds. There are also a further nine unclaimed prizes worth £5,000 or more in the region. The oldest prize that still remains unclaimed was from a draw in November 1961, and was £25 belonging to a man with £40 invested.

There are still over 11,000 prizes waiting to be claimed in Liverpool too, worth more than £475,000. Ten of these are for £1,000, including one won 20 years ago, in August 1997, by a woman with just a £2 holding. The oldest unclaimed prize in the city is from July 1964, of £25, belonging to a man with £10 in Premium Bonds.

Premium Bonds holders can check for free online via www.nsandi.com/prize-checker, or download the Prize Checker app from Google Play or the Apple Store for free.

Premium Bonds holders can also reduce the chance of their prizes becoming unclaimed in future by registering to have any prizes paid directly into their bank account (with notification by email).

Jill Waters, Retail Director at NS&I continued:

“We’re also trying to help reunite people with Premium Bonds they might not know they still have, which in some cases could be worth thousands of pounds in holdings, or in prizes owed, so there’s more incentive than ever to get in touch to discover what might have happened to your money.

“We are encouraging Premium Bonds holders to register to manage their Premium Bonds online and sign-up to have all future prizes paid directly into their bank accounts so that they can reduce the risk of prizes becoming unclaimed in the future.”

What would you do with £1 million? As part of Premium Bonds’ 60^th anniversary, we want to hear your stories, whether it be the memories of buying your first Bonds or prizes won, no matter how big or small. Join the conversation on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or submit your story at http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PB60th

Prize and value breakdown in February 2017

Notes to Editors

1. NS&I has a wealth of facts and figures (including regional) about Premium Bonds. If you require any further details, please contact the NS&I media team or tweet your question to @nsandi
2. You can read more about Premium Bond prize winners at nsandi.com/winning-stories
3. All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax
4. NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments to more than 25 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.
5. The annual Premium Bonds prize fund rate is currently 1.25% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are 30,000 to 1.
6. Pictures of ERNIE (including the new ERNIE 4 machine), NS&I’s Agent Millions and people buying Premium Bonds are available in high-resolution. jpeg format from the NS&I media team.
7. Customers can buy Premium Bonds online at nsandi.com and over the phone by calling 08085 007 007. This is a new freephone number and calls are free from both landlines and mobiles. Telephone calls may be recorded.
8. Further information on NS&I (National Savings and Investments), including press releases and product information, is available on the website at nsandi.com. Follow us on Twitter: @nsandior join the conversation on Facebook: Premium Bonds made by ERNIE