ING DIRECT Partners with PRIVISTA to Help Customers Fight Identity Theft and Protect their Credit History

Wilmington, DE, August 7, 2002 -- ING DIRECT has partnered with Privista, a leading credit management and monitoring service that provides credit reports and scores to subscribers, to help customers empower themselves when it comes to protecting against identity theft.

Identity theft, the crime committed when an individual assumes someone else's name, social security number or other private, personal information without that person's knowledge for illicit purposes, is the fastest growing financial crime in the U.S. according to the Federal Trade Commission. It was the number one consumer complaint last year, with reported cases growing more than 40 percent, and affecting as many as 750,000 people, per year. Furthermore, nearly $20 billion per year is lost to payment system fraud, according to Online Banking Report (June 28, 2002 issue). If that cost is passed on to consumers, it amounts to $200 per U.S. household per year.

"ING DIRECT is committed to helping consumers protect their privacy and prevent identity theft," said Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO, ING DIRECT. "A study done last year by Gartner showed that about 75 percent of consumers are very concerned about the security of their bank account and social security numbers. To help consumers empower themselves, ING DIRECT has created a new section on our web site for customers as well as visitors called 'Know Your Credit' that explains what a credit report is and why having good credit is so important. We also provide valuable information on your credit rights, as well as what to do if you find an error on your report. The partnership with Privista gives our customers even more tools for taking a hands-on approach to protecting their privacy and credit."

Through ING DIRECT's relationship with Privista, ING DIRECT customers can subscribe to Privista's Credit Insight at a significant discount (up to 40 percent off) by clicking on the Privista link under the "Know Your Credit" section in Tips and Tools at www.ingdirect.com. Credit Insight offers online access to weekly credit reports using Equifax credit data, weekly updated credit scores and personalized tips to improve a consumer's credit. Another key feature is weekly ID Guard alerts, e-mails that inform users of changes in their credit file that might be indicative of fraud. Privista was recognized by Online Banking Report with a "Best of the Web 2002" award.

"We are pleased to have partnered with ING DIRECT in the fight against identity theft," said Eric Gertler, Privista. "Like ING DIRECT, we offer straightforward and user-friendly products that enable consumers to simplify and take control over their financial world. With identity theft on the rise nationally, it is more important than ever that consumers protect their personal information."

About ING DIRECT

Headquartered in Wilmington, DE, ING DIRECT is the operating name of ING Bank, fsb (Member FDIC), a federally chartered savings bank, and part of ING (NYSE: ING), the eleventh largest financial institution in the world, with more than $600 billion in assets. ING DIRECT has more than 650,000 customers and more than $8 billion in assets. 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.

About Privista

Privista is a leading credit monitoring and management company. Through its relationship with Equifax, Privista has access to over 200 million consumer credit files, allowing Privista to help consumers protect and manage their credit information. Privista provides businesses with private-labeled services to enhance revenue and branding, and technology services to acquire customers. Privista has offices in New York and Atlanta. Privista's investors include Warburg Pincus Equity Partners, 2M Technology Ventures, and Equifax. More information on Privista is available at http://www.privista.com.

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