ING DIRECT Honors Take Our Children to Work Day by Hosting ''Orange

    Business Editors

    WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2005--ING DIRECT is hosting 90 children from various schools and nonprofit organizations in Wilmington for its Orange Open House program, ING DIRECT's unique take on national Take Our Children to Work Day. The students, from grades four through six, will be given the opportunity to experience the ING DIRECT culture and brand while learning about the importance of saving money through a series of fun, interactive programs led by bank employees.
    Beginning at 8:30 a.m., children will be assigned to groups to begin their rotations through four 45-minute activities, including decorating a piggy bank; filming their own "savings" commercial; participating in a wellness workshop; and exploring the world of money by visiting ING DIRECT's financial literacy Web site, Planet Orange (www.orangekids.com).
    Utilizing Planet Orange will provide a hands-on lesson teaching the basics of spending, saving, investing, and budgeting, allowing the children to sit at computer terminals to explore the site on their own or with assistance. Teachers attending the Orange Open House will receive information about the Planet Orange Teachers Resource Center, which provides free, downloadable lesson plans that align with state core academic standards to allow Planet Orange to be easily incorporated into the classroom.
    "ING DIRECT is hosting the Orange Open House as a way to educate children about the importance of saving so that they have a better chance of becoming financially responsible adults," said Kimberly Bordley, Head of Community Affairs, ING DIRECT. "Our goal with this program is to get children thinking about simple monetary concepts like saving and budgeting, while at the same time allowing them to interact with other kids and have some fun."
    The children will be presented with an ING DIRECT diploma and other gifts at a graduation ceremony at 2:15 p.m. An ING DIRECT executive will acknowledge the participation of each student, and a reception will follow.
    ING DIRECT is holding the Orange Open House in its other office locations in St. Cloud, Minnesota and Los Angeles, California. More than 130 children are participating in the program.

    About ING DIRECT:

    Headquartered in Wilmington, Del. with offices in St. Cloud, Minn. and Los Angeles, Calif., ING DIRECT is the operating name of ING Bank, fsb (Member FDIC), a federally chartered savings bank offering the Orange Savings Account, one of the nation's highest yields with no minimums and no fees, and other simple financial products including the Orange Mortgage. ING DIRECT is part of ING (NYSE:ING), one of the world's 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 USA has over 2.5 million customers and more than $43 billion in assets. 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 11 million (including U.S. customers). For product information or to open an account, visit ingdirect.com or call 1-800-ING-DIRECT.

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CONTACT: ING DIRECT, Wilmington Kate Fitzgibbon, 302-255-3799 kfitzgibbon@ingdirect.com

KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA DELAWARE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: EDUCATION BANKING PRODUCT SOURCE: ING DIRECT

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