Last week, BrickStreet President and CEO Greg Burton met with media in Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield, Clarksburg, Elkins, Fairmont, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Wheeling to update them on a number of positive steps BrickStreet has taken as a private company. Meetings also were held with a number of Chambers of Commerce and other economic development groups in those areas.

Several key points were emphasized during the visits:

• BrickStreet is a strong West Virginia company, ready for the open market. We will get stronger as the market opens.
• We are processing claims efficiently. The average time between receiving a claim and ruling on that claim has been reduced to five business days and virtually all claims are ruled on within 30 days.
• Our safety programs have been nationally recognized and our Special Investigations Unit documented more than $6 million in direct savings to policyholders by fighting fraud.
• Rates have had an overall decrease, but we have still been able to operate as a successful business. We made a profit in 2006 and are slated to report a profit again for 2007. This is another indication that privatization is working as planned.
• Once the Surplus Note is paid in full, if BrickStreet makes a profit, we will be able to pay dividends to policyholders. However, until the Surplus Note is paid off, BrickStreet is prohibited by the terms of the note from paying dividends to policyholders.

These visits are important because they allow us to meet face to face with media representatives that we usually only work with by phone. The face-to-face contact makes it easier for us to build and strengthen these relationships and brings BrickStreet into the communities that we serve.