WASHINGTON, D.C. 4/4/01 Despite the harshest winter in a decade, residential postal customers blanketed by snow in the Northeast U.S. corridor hold the nation's warmest feeling of customer satisfaction with their mail service, according to a Gallup Organization report released today by the Postal Service. The Postal Service also released results of a PricewaterhouseCoopers External First-Class (EXFC) Measurement System report reflecting that First-Class Mail service destined for next-day delivery met this standard 93 percent on-time or higher for the 14th consecutive quarter (Postal Quarter II, Dec. 2, 2000 through Feb. 23, 2001). Customer Satisfaction Measurement System The Gallup Organization report on the Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) System found that of the Postal Service's 85 districts, the top five performers in customer satisfaction ratings were all located within the Northeast Area: Middlesex-Central, which covers the Middlesex-Essex & Worcester, MA area; Albany, NY, which also includes the Syracuse area; Springfield, MA , which also includes White River Junction, VT; New Hampshire and, S.E. New England, which represents the Brockton, MA, and Providence, RI area. The Gallup Organization measures customer satisfaction of residential customers on their opinions, ratings and expectations for the entire range of postal products and services. Gallup asked customers to consider all aspects of the Postal Service they have experienced within the last 30 days, and to rate their experience as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. Ninety-two percent of households nationwide have a positive view of the Postal Service and 68 percent of households rate their overall performance as excellent or very good.