ING Direct

One thing I came across recently was a bank called ING Direct. This is a bank that if Starbucks were in the banking business it would be ING Direct. They have 20 million customers worldwide.  It’s strictly an online bank and owned by one of the biggest banks in the world, ING of the Netherlands. Their commitment is to help Americans save money. Everything they do encourages savings, including paying interest on your checking account. Their costs for everything are as low as possible because they don’t have any branches. They’ve taken almost all the extra costs out of their banking so that they don’t have any fees at all for what other banks often charge. They also have something really cool called Orange Cafes. These are store front cafes that are sort of like financial Starbucks. They are staffed with really friendly people inside, and have a variety of Internet kiosks.  They also have events. There is a community of savers where many bank depositors, people just like you and me, give each other tips on how to save and how to live a good lifestyle on less money. It’s got a very pro consumer vibe, and what they say their purpose is, is strictly their business model. In other words their purpose is actually the way they make money. When I find companies doing extraordinary things I really want to pass it on. Check them out  http://www.ingdirect.com