ING DIRECT Offers Consumers Free Credit Report Reviews at All ING DIRECT Cafes; ING DIRECT Urges Americans to Take Advantage of Free Credit Reports Mandated by FACT Act

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 2005--As part of its advocacy efforts to help consumers empower themselves in the fight against identity theft, ING DIRECT is offering visitors to its ING DIRECT Cafes free assistance reviewing their credit reports starting in September. Trained Sales Associates at the ING DIRECT Cafes in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Wilmington, Delaware are available to help consumers identify possible errors on their credit reports and will provide contacts for resolving any issues.

Beginning last December, residents on the West Coast were the first able to take advantage of obtaining their free credit report annually as part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act. Today marks the date that the free credit reports are available to residents of the East Coast, specifically from North Carolina to Maine, thus completing the program's nationwide roll-out.

“ING DIRECT urges consumers to protect their personal data by frequently checking their credit reports, which can give an early indication of identity theft, like when someone else has opened credit in your name”

"ING DIRECT urges consumers to protect their personal data by frequently checking their credit reports, which can give an early indication of identity theft, like when someone else has opened credit in your name," said Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO, ING DIRECT.

"Not only can identity theft damage an individual's good name and credit, it can also result in the refusal of future loans for education, housing and a car. Even checking that your name is spelled correctly is important to ensure your information hasn't been confused with someone else's with a similar name."

Passed by Congress in late 2003, the FACT Act entitles all Americans over the age of 18 to one free credit report from all three credit reporting agencies every 12 months. The free report can be obtained by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll-free: 1-877-FACTACT (1-877-322-8228). Consumers are entitled to a free report from each credit bureau - all three reports can be obtained at once or requests can be staggered.

After receiving their free credit report, consumers can come to the Cafes for help with reviewing their reports for inaccurate information and unusual or unauthorized inquiries. This service will be available Mondays through Fridays between 8 AM and 5:30 PM at the following locations:

-- 1636 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

-- 45 E. 49th Street, New York City, NY

-- 802 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE

-- 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard (and the 405), Los Angeles, CA

Visitors to the Cafes can also enjoy Peet's coffee, take advantage of free Internet service, or learn more about how to save their money with ING DIRECT.

For more information on identity theft or to obtain a free Identity Theft Toolkit that can assist victims, visit the Tips and Tools section at ING DIRECT at www.ingdirect.com and click on "Learn More" and then "Tips and Tools".

About ING DIRECT

Headquartered in Wilmington, Del. with offices in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and St. Cloud, Minn., ING DIRECT is the operating name of ING Bank, fsb (Member FDIC), a federally chartered savings bank offering the Orange Savings Account and other high-value financial products including the Orange Mortgage. ING DIRECT is part of ING (NYSE:ING), one of the largest financial services organizations in the world. ING has been operating in the U.S. for over 100 years, with more than 11,000 employees working for ING companies. ING DIRECT is the fourth largest savings bank in America with more than $50 billion in assets, delivering superior savings and mortgage services to over 3 million customers. ING DIRECT USA is one of eight direct banks operated globally by ING; the other locations are Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany (where ING DIRECT is known as ING DiBa), with a total worldwide customer base of 13.5 million (including U.S. customers). For product information or to open an account, visit ingdirect.com or call 1-800-ING-DIRECT.

Style note to Editors: ING DIRECT is always capitalized and never referred to as ING.