ING DIRECT USA Announces Major July Financial Independence Days Promotion

WILMINGTON, Del., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans plan to kick off this Fourth of July with a bang by spending nearly $200 on fireworks, food and other holiday celebrations, according to a recent online survey.  To help Americans cut back, save more and be financially free, ING DIRECT USA today announced its first ever Financial Independence Days Sale taking place on July 1 and July 2, 2010.  The sale offers four holiday savings promotions – from bonus rewards to cheaper closing costs – with 1776 centric incentives.

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"Independent thinking led to the birth of America and the freedoms we celebrate each Fourth of July," says Arkadi Kuhlmann, CEO of ING DIRECT USA.  "We want to build on that great foundation by helping Americans to revolutionize their savings habits and follow the path to financial freedom."

The two-day promotion will help Americans liberate themselves from checking fees, pursue the happiness of homeownership, invest for financial freedom and spread the wealth of savings to their friends. The unique Financial Independence Days promotions feature rewards for both new and existing customers with benefits ranging from $17.76 to $776.  The savings opportunities are available at www.ingdirect.com/independence starting July 1.  

The ING DIRECT USA Financial Independence Days Sale offers Americans four ways to pursue financial happiness including:  

• Liberation from Checking Fees – New Electric Orange(SM) Checking account customers will receive a $76 opening bonus.  To reap the benefits of this patriotic promotion, new Electric Orange customers must make a total of seven purchases, either with their MasterCard® Debit Card or Person2Person payments within 45 days of account opening.  The $76 bonus will be automatically deposited into the Customer's account on day 50 (either August 20 or August 21).

Electric Orange Annual Percentage Yields (APY) are variable. The current APYs, effective June 28, 2010, are 0.25 percent APY for balances under $50,000; 1.20 percent APY for balances between $50,000 and $100,000; and 1.25 percent APY for balances over $100,000.

• Pursuing the Happiness of Homeownership – Prospective homeowners who apply for an Easy Orange or Orange Mortgage on July 1 or 2, 2010 will receive $776 off closing costs – nearly 40 percent savings from ING DIRECT USA's already low average total closing costs.

• Investing for Financial Freedom – Investors who open a new ShareBuilder account will receive a $76 bonus after making one transaction.  Brokerage account holders can select from over 7,000 stocks, mutual funds and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

• Spreading the Wealth of Savings – Existing ING DIRECT USA customers can earn rewards for showing their friends the way to financial independence by encouraging them to save with ING DIRECT USA too. Customers who refer a friend July 1 or 2, 2010 will receive a $17.76 bonus for each friend that opens an ING DIRECT savings or checking account within the month of July.  

The Financial Independence Days sale began at 12:00 AM on Thursday, July 1 and lasts through Friday, July 2 at 11:59 PM.  To learn more about these savings opportunities visit: www.ingdirect.com/independence.  

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of ING DIRECT USA from June 11-15, 2010 among 2,174 adults age 18+, of whom 1,659 plan to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.  The question asked was: "How much, in total, do you plan on spending to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend? This may include travel, lodging, event tickets, picnics, food and drink, flags and decorations, fireworks, grills, or any other expenses directly related to the holiday." This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact ING DIRECT USA media relations.

About ING DIRECT USA

ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank and largest thrift, is dedicated to inspiring Americans to become a nation of savers. Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.6 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to $91.2 billion in assets.  ING DIRECT has developed a comprehensive social media Savers Community, including Twitter, Facebook and its We, the Savers blog.  For more information about ING DIRECT call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, and for information about its commitment to financial education visit Planet Orange.  ING DIRECT USA is a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

ShareBuilder Securities Corporation is an online brokerage designed for automatic, long-term investing.  The company's vision is to increase the personal investing rate of the average American by helping individuals build and manage wealth over the long term.  Customers pay low commissions on individual transactions, have no account minimum and can choose from two pricing programs.  ShareBuilder offers investment products including stocks, exchange-traded funds, and mutual funds. ShareBuilder Securities Corporation, a subsidiary of ING Bank, fsb, is a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC.  For more information about ShareBuilder, please visit Twitter and Facebook.

Securities products are: Not FDIC insured - Not Bank guaranteed - May lose value

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE ING DIRECT USA