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Dear Mr Customer We're writing to advise you that this month the Bank of England raised the base rate from 4.75% to 5.0%. At ING Direct we want to offer all our customers a consistently good rate. On this occasion this means we have made the decision to maintain our ING Direct Savings Account interest rate at 4.75% AER*. While some people may be willing to follow headline-grabbing rates, we know from talking to our customers that the majority prefer their savings to be earning consistently and want to relax knowing they don't have to constantly check Best Buy tables.   Simple, hassle free, competitive Since our launch we've committed ourselves to bringing simple, straightforward banking and a consistently good savings rate to all our customers. We're very proud to have kept to our promise and provided a great return on your savings. In fact, The Sunday Times recently named us as one of the 3 most consistent providers of a high rate instant access account in the savings market in their Best Buy tables** . As well as offering a very good savings rate the ING Direct Savings Account remains simple and straightforward, allowing you to move money whenever you want without penalties or charges. At 4.75% AER, it's also head and shoulders above the average savings rate on the market (1). The table opposite shows how 4.75% AER with ING Direct compares against the top 20 savings providers' average rates, with a balance of £10,000. You can see that we are one of only 2 providers offering over 4.0% and that overall, our rate is 1.5 times the average paid by all the other banks listed.     Provider Average AER % - no notice/ instant access savings at £10k (current products) ING Direct   4.75 Egg 4.70 Bradford & Bingley 3.86 Barclays Bank 3.81 Nationwide Building Society 3.80 Abbey 3.58 Woolwich 3.53 Portman Building Society 3.45 First Direct 3.44 Alliance & Leicester 3.39 Lloyds TSB 3.31 Yorkshire Bank 3.24 Yorkshire Building Society 3.19 Natwest 3.18 HSBC 3.05 Royal Bank of Scotland 3.01 Halifax/Bank of Scotland 3.01 Britannia Building Society 2.99 Cheltenham & Gloucester 2.94 Co-operative Bank 2.56 Top 20 (excl ING Direct UK) 3.28 All (excl ING Direct UK) 3.32   (1) Source: Top 20 Providers based on volume data from IPSOS MORI's MFS YTD Sep 2006. Gross AER for £10k investment data from Defaqto's Aequos Database accessed 06/11/06.   A guaranteed high rate with our fixed-rate savings account Our new fixed-rate savings account is perfect if you want a higher return on your savings and can put away a lump sum for 6 months without touching it. If you close your fixed-rate savings account before the end of the 6 month term, we would deduct 90 days gross interest from the interest you have earned or, if you've earned less than 90 days interest, no interest will be paid to you. It offers a higher rate of 5.3% AER*. For full terms and conditions, or to apply for a fixed-rate savings account, call 0800 279 4040 today. Make your savings work harder with a web saver account The ING Direct Web Saver pays 5.25% AER* BUT in any month in which you make a withdrawal, you will not earn any interest on the entire account balance in that month. It is designed for those who may be saving for a special purpose and who feel they should be rewarded for not drawing on their savings. To open a web saver or for full terms and conditions, login at ingdirect.co.uk, then click on the 'open a savings account' tab and follow the instructions. These products are limited offers which may be withdrawn at any time. ING Direct - we always remember it's your money we're saving. Yours sincerely Lindsay Sinclair Chief Executive Officer *AER = annual equivalent rate and illustrates what the interest rate would be if interest was paid and compounded once each year. Gross pa = annualised rate before deduction of tax at standard rate. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over. Calls may be monitored or recorded. Information correct as at 13/11/06. We are members of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. ING Direct Savings Account: 4.75% AER (gross pa 4.65%). Interest is variable. Interest calculated daily and paid monthly. Fixed Rate Savings Account: 5.3% AER (gross pa 5.23%). Interest is fixed for 6 months. Interest is calculated daily and paid on maturity. Deposits of £1 and up to £49,999. No cooling off period. You will need a touch tone phone to operate your account over the phone. Web Saver Account: 5.25% AER (gross pa 5.13%). Interest is variable. Interest calculated daily and paid monthly. Deposits between £1 and £25,000. Internet access is needed to open and operate this account. **As listed in The Sunday Times on 05/11/06. To verify this is a valid e-mail from ING Direct, please check that the following 3 digits match the last 3 digits of your savings account number: 354 Please note that you will not be able to reply to this e-mail, however if you do have any questions, please visit our website or call us on 0845 603 8888. ING Direct will never send you e-mails asking for your confidential or personal security information such as your PIN or memorable date. If you receive any such request, please contact our Customer Service Team on 0845 603 8888.