WASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service moved forward today with the national launch of MoversGuide.com, the first official online change of address service in this country. Accessible via www.usps.com 24 hours a day, seven days a week, MoversGuide.com enables consumers to change their address online and access a wide variety of products and services needed to plan, move and settle in. Postmaster General John E. (Jack) Potter, Deputy Postmaster General John M. Nolan, and Brett Matthews, CEO, Imagitas, premiered MoversGuide.com at an event held at Postal Headquarters. The Postal Service partnered with Imagitas, based in Waltham, Mass., to offer this electronic address change service. Consumers can change their address online directly with the Postal Service, connect utility services, create a customized moving checklist, purchase online moving-related products, and obtain information about schools and local services as well as motor vehicle and voter registration. "At no cost to consumers or to the Postal Service, MoversGuide.com takes the stress out of moving for the 41 million Americans who relocate each year by saving them valuable time and money," said Potter. "MoversGuide.com, is a prime example of how the Postal Service is partnering with the private sector to offer customers innovative, secure, private, and efficient services, and decrease our internal operational costs at the same time." Approximately 17% of the nation's population moves each year – more than 41 million people. The Postal Service currently spends over $1.5 billion per year processing undeliverable as addressed mail. Of that $1.5 billion, $438 million is spent forwarding mail and $768 million is spent returning mail to sender. "The United States Postal Service deserves high praise for this online enhancement of one of its core businesses. It is offering an important new service to postal customers across the country," said Brett Matthews, CEO of Imagitas. "MoversGuide.com and its online change of address capability are a tremendous convenience for America's 21 million moving households and Imagitas is proud to partner with the Postal Service in the design and operation of this remarkable product." In 1993, the Postal Service and Imagitas entered into a strategic alliance. This unique public/private partnership, which was formed as a result of an unsolicited proposal from Imagitas, is dedicated to reducing costs and increasing satisfaction for postal customers. Among the products generated through this alliance are the Movers Guide (printed USPS change of address materials available in all 38,000 post offices), The Welcome Kit (a moving information package including the official Change Notification Letter from the Postal Service) and MoversGuide.com. Since establishing the alliance there have been more than 750 million of these packages provided to the American public. In 1997, the alliance was awarded a Hammer Award from Vice President Gore, and was saluted for being the first entrepreneurial partnership so recognized.