ING Direct - Anyone use them?
 

We are considering switching to ING and wondered if anyone else has used them?

It would be a total internet bank for me because there are no cafes here where I live.

I am not 100% about 100% internet banking. I do most of my banking online now but still hit the branch here and there so this is my only reservation.



http://home.ingdirect.com/

turns out that i have an account with them. my wife loves it. she has it tied to our regular checking account. therefore, when we need to dip into it, it is just a few clicks of the keyboard. she says it takes a few days to show up. the best part of it for me is that it is out of my mind. i save better like that. i wonder if they are still giving away a free $25 for opening an account?

I use them and am happy with their service and their online method (GUI) is easy to operate etc.
The security has been good, as there are several levels of passwords, key words and pin number that
have to be enterred before they allow you into the account.

2 problems: 1) they dont allow beneficiaries, so if something were to happen to the major account holder there needs to be another name on the account to be able to access the money...otherwise it gets locked up into probate. This is kind of a big deal and its surprising to me that they do not allow beneficiaries on the account like a normal bank such as BOA would.

2) Their rates of interest have dropped steadily in the past year from about 5% to currently about 3% due to the Fed, rate setting etc. im assuming thats most of the reason anyway. There is something called Orange Checking which gives a better rate, but it is a checking account and has some other catches to it.

My old share builder account is now an ING whatever.

They still hit my bank account monthly and put it in the stock that I want so I guess I cant complain.

I have one of their Annunities, for close to 10 years now. It took a big dip after 2000, but has recovered.