First Priority Group Reports Improving Operating Results
22 June 1999
First Priority Group Reports Improving Operating ResultsPLAINVIEW, N.Y., June 21 -- First Priority Group, Inc. reported today that its operating results have continued to improve during the second quarter, as forecast, on lower costs and increasing revenues from its fleet collision claims management operations and affinity programs. "Even with continued heavy investment in launching our new Internet company, driversshield.com Corp., we are approaching break-even," said Barry Siegel, FPG's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The aggressive efforts of our team to establish partnerships with leading industry players are beginning to pay off, as we anticipated. That positions us well for the private placement for driversshield.com that our investment banker, Fahnestock & Co. Inc., expects to complete in the next six weeks." driversshield.com will provide collision repair services for insurance companies via the Internet, while continuing to provide affinity auto club programs for several of the nation's largest financial organizations. "In our preliminary marketing efforts, several insurance companies have told us our Internet strategy is right on target," Siegel said. Despite a revenue decline in the first quarter of 1999 reflecting a nationwide dip in auto accident rates, FPG reduced its loss for the quarter to $208,000, down from more than $800,000 in 1998's fourth quarter. For all of 1998, the company reported a loss of $2 million on revenues of $14.6 million. Siegel said preliminary results for the first two months of the second quarter showed that losses declined further to $57,882 in April and $14,776 in May, as revenues increased. The May results were the company's best showing in the past 24 months. "Our partnership with the world's largest insurance brokerage firm is proving to be extremely fruitful," Siegel said. In April, FPG announced that its National Fleet Service (NFS) unit had begun providing collision claims management services to fleet clients of Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc., a unit of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. The first Sedgwick client already appears likely to become NFS's largest single customer, and the company is now completing negotiations with other Sedgwick clients of comparable size. Siegel said that results to date indicate that NFS sales could show the greatest percentage gains in its history, this year. Siegel said FPG's affinity programs of automotive discounts and services, which are now part of the new driversshield.com subsidiary, are also generating significantly increased revenues, with several clients only in the initial start-up phase. Siegel added, "Overall, we are very encouraged by the results we are seeing now, and we believe that FPG is on track to make '99 a breakout year." First Priority Group is primarily engaged directly and through its wholly owned subsidiaries in nationwide managed auto care services for self-insured corporate fleets, insurance companies, members of affinity groups and consumers. Certain information contained herein includes information that is forward-looking. The matters referred to in forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and uncertainties involved in the company's business. These forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.