Tortola, British Virgin Islands, June 5, 2009 - Mr Ricky Nelson of Tortola recently was made a very happy man when FirstCaribbean International Bank presented him with a $10,000 cheque. The windfall came from the latest FirstCaribbean Affordability campaign. Customers taking out a loan during a six-month campaign period were eligible to win a cash prize that would be paid directly to their loan principal to reduce their monthly repayments. Ms Laura Arthur, a partner and notary public at Hunte & Co, pulled Mr Nelson's name at the bank last Friday.

Mr Maxwell George, senior branch manager for retail banking at FirstCaribbean, congratulated Mr Nelson on his win and thanked him for participating in the campaign.

"We are very pleased that the bank has been able to present you with this lump sum gift," said Mr George. "The Affordability campaign has been a successful one with many loan applicants taking advantage of the various financing options. The bank really does value its customers and we hope that this significant reward will go some way to showing our appreciation and will prove to be useful in the financing of your investment."
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, May 29, 2009 - Anselmo Stevens has been recognized as an elite winner of the Shell Retail's "People Make the Difference Real" 2009 programme. The proprietor of Stevens' Station in Virgin Gorda was identified as the top performing Shell gas retailer in the Caribbean region.  He was rewarded with an all-expenses-paid travel award to the ancient city of Istanbul, Turkey. The Shell Retail Leadership Team in front of global industry peers acknowledged Mr Stevens' achievement at a gala dinner hosted on May 7th at the historic Ciragan Palace, Kempinski, Istanbul.

Back at home, the service station attendants who are considered to be a critical element in the service programme, were also rewarded with cash prizes when Stevens' Station qualified.

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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, May 13, 2009 - Nanny Cay, the British Virgin Islands' flagship resort and marina, recently hosted two cruising rallies: ARC Europe, a transatlantic rally which left for Bermuda and ultimately Portugal, on May 7; and the Atlantic Cup which left for the US and Chesapeake Bay, also via Bermuda, on May 3.  Both events visited Nanny Cay for the first time.

Miles Sutherland-Pilch, general manager of Nanny Cay said: "We were very proud to host these two events which between them brought forty yachts to the British Virgin Islands before they left the Caribbean.  There are few venues in the Caribbean that can match Nanny Cay's range of services and facilities to cruising yachtsmen preparing to depart on long crossings." World yacht rally specialists, World Cruising Club, selected Nanny Cay Resort & Marina as the Caribbean host port for the start of ARC Europe 2009 in November 2008. This move brought the rally to the British Virgin Islands for the first time.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands, May 12, 2009 - Chef Davide Pugliese joined six other chefs from the Virgin Islands in the first annual Virgin Islands Ultimate Chef Challenge. The event, which was part of the Cultural Fair featuring traditional food and crafts, took place on April 29th in Emancipation Gardens, St Thomas.

In a festival like atmosphere and cheered on by hundreds of spectators, Davide and his culinary peers had sixty minutes in which to create a 'Nouveau Caribbean' dish using ingredients from a mystery table. Two additional surprise ingredients of papaya and honey were sprung on the teams at the last minute.

Once the food items were revealed, Davide hastened to decide on a recipe that would please the palates of the panel of four judges.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands, May 8th, 2009 - FirstCaribbean International Bank last week presented its regional 2009 Unsung Heroes campaign to an audience of local media and community leaders. The annual programme seeks to acknowledge individuals who dedicate their personal time to improving the quality of life for others in the community. The public is encouraged to support the campaign by nominating an individual who is enriching the lives of others without personal gain. Nominations must be submitted by June 30th.

The campaign operates on two tiers: Unsung Heroes are sought at a country level and the finalists will go on to be considered for the title of regional 'Unsung Hero'. The local finalist's cause will benefit from a $6,000 dollar gift from the bank. The regional winner will receive an award of $7,500 with the two runners up each receiving $5,000.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, April 8, 2009 - The Premier, Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal was invited to make remarks at the official presentation of the refurbished FirstCaribbean International Bank in Tortola last Thursday. Following a welcome and brief speeches by Maxwell George, senior branch manager - retail banking and Michael Spencer, head of corporate banking and country manager, the Premier reminisced on his experiences with Barclays Bank and the eventual merger with CIBC to form FirstCaribbean International Bank in 2002. The Premier commented on the various physical changes made over the years and commended Mr Spencer on his vision and determination to complete the renovations of the bank.

Speaking on the involvement of FirstCaribbean within the community, the Premier said "I have noticed how they deal with the community. I notice the things they participate in and I notice that they are people oriented and that is very good for a bank. They are concerned about what happens in the community and not only taking but they are giving and I  congratulate Mr Spencer, you and your staff for that."

The Premier went on to state that he was sure that the improved premises would result in better service and treatment to the bank's customers.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, April 7, 2009 - The two winners of FirstCaribbean International Bank's free raffle for $500 were announced on Sunday, April 6th. His Excellency the Governor Mr. David Pearey, and the Premier, the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal, drew the names of Adella Maynard and Conrad Smith respectively at the end of the BVI Spring Regatta awards ceremony at Nanny Cay.  The raffle, which was open to all qualifying entrants, was promoted by the bank at the Regatta Village from Thursday through Sunday.

Each of the lucky winners will receive the money into a deposit account at FirstCaribbean.

"We are pleased with the record number of people who entered this raffle," said Rollrick Connell, relationship manager for FirstCaribbean. "This is the third year that the bank has held the money giveaway and we believe that the current economic climate may have been an incentive in attracting more people to put in for a possible windfall. It's a pleasure for us to provide this additional money for the two winners."
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, April 7, 2009 - Six individuals won a free tank of Shell V-Power® fuel at the BVI Spring Regatta. In keeping with the green theme of this year's sailing regatta, event sponsors, sol, ran the free raffle to also encourage cleaner fuel use by motorists. The winners were Superintendent Holder, Pip Knuckold, Romalda Maloney, Hublal Maywahlall, Yvonne Remington and Ameer Hidar.

The raffle entry forms were completed at the sol tent at the Regatta Village. Two winners were drawn each evening at 7.00pm, Thursday through Saturday.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, March 31st, 2009 - Visitors to the BVI Spring Regatta Village at Nanny Cay Marina from April 2nd through April 4th, 2009 may be eligible to enter a free raffle and win $500. Two winners will be presented with the money in the form of a deposit account with FirstCaribbean International Bank.

"The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is one of the major events in the country that FirstCaribbean is proud to support," said Michael Spencer, head of corporate banking and country manager, FirstCaribbean International Bank. "We are an established financial institution in the region and are committed to enriching our communities on all levels. This annual event offers FirstCaribbean a great opportunity to meet and interact with clients and non-clients outside of the bank. The free raffle has been well received by the residents over the last two years and we hope it will be a particularly welcome windfall in this current economic climate."
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, March 30, 2009 - Keeping it green for 2009, the sol Group is supporting the BVI Spring Regatta's efforts to make this year's week-long Sailing Festival and Regatta greener and cleaner. sol will be providing participating skippers with a roll of absorbent pads designed to soak up oil-based liquids such as fuel but repel water. The pads will be in the skippers' bags distributed at the registration for the two respective sailing events starting on March 30th and April 2nd.

The marine absorbent pad can be used to absorb oil or gasoline or diesel in the case of accidental spills. If the spill is on water, the pad will float and absorb just the spillage until it is saturated. The pads can also be placed in areas like boat bilges where oil and fuel can accumulate over time.  Once the pad is saturated it can be removed and disposed of in accordance with local regulations.