Welcome Back!

As we near the end of 2008, I'd like to thank you and the 100,000 new customers who started with us over the past year, growing the bank and strengthening their own financial positions through our personal and business savings accounts and home loans.

Although current market conditions seem tough, it remains a great time for savers at ING DIRECT.

Firstly, all your savings at ING DIRECT are now guaranteed by the Australian Government for the next 3 years. Secondly, many of our customers have also used the high interest rate environment to save more. They sleep well at night knowing their money is safely accumulating in our great value savings products.

I am also proud to announce that ING DIRECT has the highest customer satisfaction rating of all the banks in Australia.#

So, welcome again to ING DIRECT.

Signature of Eric Drok

Eric Drok
CEO
ING DIRECT, Australia

Can I have my old room back?

A Galaxy Research Survey commissioned by ING DIRECT in June 2008 reveals that although 22% of young adults are paying off a mortgage, others deal with rising rents and mortgage payments by moving back with their parents.

The survey also revealed that over the next 12 months:

  • One in ten 18-24 year olds will move back home to save for a house deposit, and
  • A quarter of those surveyed will look for another roommate to reduce rent.

And Australian families are considering changes too:

  • 27% plan to pay off their mortgage quicker
  • 13% will need to redraw available funds for living expenses
  • One in 10 may sell to downscale or rent.

We believe you can have a home loan and a life. So, if you want to avoid moving back home so you can have a home of your own, speak to one of our Mortgage Specialists on 1800 762 130 or mortgage broker.

Exclusive discounted tickets to Sydney Home Buyer Show, 25–26 October 2008

Join us at the Sydney Exhibition Centre to get the inside word from industry experts on buying your first home, next home or investment property. Drop by our stand for coffee with one of our Mortgage Specialists – they'll do the home loan legwork for you.

Open a new browser window, type secure.tradevent.com.au/homebuyers2008 and enter our exclusive promotional code ‘HOME’ to get tickets for just $7.50 each.

ING DIRECT Deposits are Government Guaranteed

You have heard Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announce that the Australian Government is providing an unlimited guarantee on all deposits for the next 3 years.

This guarantee applies to all deposits held with ING DIRECT. ING DIRECT holds an Australian banking license and is regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Security and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Green Saving Tips

- good for the environment and your wallet

  1. Print double-sided and two-to-a-page: Potentially reduce paper consumption by 75%.
  2. Wash clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot: They'll come out just as clean.
  3. Stop using your dryer: Summer wind and sun dries washing fast.
  4. Use a fan instead of air-conditioning: Resist the temptation to use air-con. A fan can be just as cooling.
  5. Full is better: Don't switch the dishwasher on till it's fully loaded.

Free For Customers

The Essential Guide to Moving and Refinancing Your Home Loan

Sponsored by ING DIRECT

Should I refinance? Should I change lenders? A lot of our customers are asking themselves these hard questions right now, so we want you to have this Essential Guide, put together for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. We like it because it’s full of practical information, and includes tables and checklists so you can see how simple and easy it can be to save money by refinancing your existing home loan. To order your FREE copy open a new browser window and type ingdirect.com.au/essentials then click on 'Moving & Refinancing Guide'.

ING DIRECT lobbies for change

Our CEO, Eric Drok, has been lobbying the Federal Government to introduce a tax break to give Australians a bigger incentive to save. He believes we should look to France, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK for inspiration.

'The French tax incentivised savings account is a great example of a scheme which is simple to administer and available to all,' Eric said. 'French people can save up to €15,000, or A$25,000, without paying tax on the interest earned in these accounts. The broad appeal is obvious when you consider 60% of the French population - 48 million people - benefit from these accounts.'

To read the full press release, open a new browser and head to ingdirect.com.au. You'll find it and all other recent press releases in 'News Room'.

Save me time

5 Hot Tips

Here are some tips our contact centre would like to pass on if you don't like to linger over banking.

  1. 'I hate lunchtime queues.' Bank online 24 hours a day.
  2. 'I need to know how much interest I've earned for my tax.' Check your June statement or log in to your account.
  3. 'I need to open another account.' Log in to your account, select My Applications - Apply Online, then follow the prompts. We'll open your new account almost instantly.
  4. 'I haven't set up online banking yet.' Call us on 133 464 for an access code and any help.
  5. 'I want to keep my calls to you as short as possible.' Quote your client number – it's at the top of your statements.

Our contact centre team in Sydney and Tuggerah, NSW, was named Deposits Sales Contact Centre of the Year in the inaugural 2008 Global Reviews Sales Contact Centre Star Ratings Awards. We’re very proud of them.

A face only a mother could love

Snubfin Dolphin Project Update

Now unfairly dubbed 'the world's ugliest dolphin', the rare snubfin dolphin was filmed during a recent research project made possible through the support of ING DIRECT customers switching to online statements. The elusive snubfin allowed delighted researchers surprisingly close.

As Australia's only endemic dolphin, Snubby is the first dolphin species discovered globally in decades. The extension of the project into the Kimberley may even identify a new subspecies north of Broome.

With donations and by switching to online statements, you're helping WWF expand their research into the waters around WA’s Kimberley coastline. So far, ING DIRECT has donated $100,000.

Missed the national coverage? Check out this Snubby story on YouTube-irresistible! Open a new browser window and go to youtube.com/watch?v=jbc3bLiTGm4

Our Red-Hot Runners

If you were on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday 21 September, you'd have seen a blur of orange among the thousands of runners in the 2008 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. It was our motivated ING staff raising much-needed funds for ING Foundation charities.

Over the past seven years, we've raised over $350,000 for Barnardos, The Spastic Centre, UNICEF and Redkite. Congratulations to all who ran.

Savings Ravings

Here's another one of our favourite savings tips, this time from Savings Maximiser customer Bob in South Australia. He and his wife Rita won $100 in Bonus Interest - we hope they treat themselves. Send us your saving tips, and you could be a winner too.ˆ

Granny Trolley

My wife and I, both over 65, have invested in a 'Granny Trolley' and we walk 2kms to the shops, thus saving on petrol. When my wife gets home she empties her purse, saves $3 for next shopping time and puts the remainder of her change in the 'tin'. I do the same but put away any $5 notes. We saved enough money last year to buy all the 7 grandchildren presents for Christmas.
Bob, Nuriootpa, SA

Our Term Deposit Rates Get 'em while they're hot!

Our personal Term Deposit rates are consistently among the hottest around, and now you can be the first to take advantage of them. Just register by opening a new browser window at ingdirect.com.au/hottermdeposits for email updates on our rates every two weeks. Compare them to other banks' rates, then strike while the iron is hot.

Beware Of Easy Money

Sometimes criminals use unsolicited email to recruit 'money mules'. You receive what looks like an offer for a job paying commission where you simply receive funds and then transfer them to another account.

This is simply money laundering for stolen funds. And it's you, not the criminals, who the authorities will trace. Don't be tempted. Hit 'delete'.

"I know something you don't know"

What do you know that we don't?

If you have something you'd like to share with us and other ING DIRECT customers, email us at juice@ingdirect.com.au with your experiences or saving tips. We'll do our best to publish your thoughts in future editions of The Juice.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Information is current as at 01/10/08 and is subject to change. #Highest customer satisfaction rating based on Roy Morgan data published October 2008. ˆA tax liability may exist in conjunction with prize winning. The most creative entry or entries will be judged by a member of the ING DIRECT marketing team and the winner(s) will be named in the next issue of The Juice. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
All applications for credit are subject to ING DIRECT's credit approval criteria. Information in this newsletter does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you. Before making any decision in relation to the Savings Products, you should read the relevant Terms and Conditions available at our website or by calling 133 464. If you have a complaint, please call us at any time, as we have procedures in place to help resolve any issues you may have. Products are issued by ING DIRECT, a division of ING Bank (Australia) Limited ABN 24 000 893 292.