ING DIRECT closes Interhyp takeover bid with approx. 90% of shares tendered

Amsterdam, 18 August 2008

ING DIRECT N.V. announced today that its public takeover offer for Interhyp, Germany’s largest independent residential mortgage distributor, has closed.

ING DIRECT is very pleased with the outcome of this tender offer. 91.21 percent of Interhyp shares were tendered in total, giving ING DIRECT the desired controlling stake in the company.

The Interhyp public tender offer additional acceptance period expired last Wednesday, August 13th. Shareholders who tendered their shares to ING DIRECT by that date will be paid no later than eight banking days after that date.

ING DIRECT announced its intention to launch a public takeover bid for Interhyp on May 19th; that regulatory approval for the offer was received, on July 14th; and the start of the additional acceptance period on July 30th.

For updates on ING DIRECT’s public tender offer for Interhyp and the detailed offer document in English and German, please go to www.ing-angebot.de

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ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 85 million residential, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 130,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

ING DIRECT is the world’s leading direct bank, offering a focused range of simple financial products, namely savings, mortgages, payment accounts and investment products, primarily via direct channels. ING DIRECT was established in Canada in April 1997, and has since successfully launched operations in Spain, Australia, France, USA, Italy, Germany, the UK and Austria.

ING DIRECT’s mission is to become the world’s most preferred consumer bank through strengthening its core products and expanding geographically. It has consistently been one of the world’s fastest growing banks, with leading positions in all markets in which it operates. With almost 21 million customers globally, the total client retail balance of ING DIRECT amounted to EUR 307 billion at the end of March 31 2008.

With EUR 5.7 billion in new residential mortgage volume in 2007, Interhyp is Germany's leading independent residential mortgage distributor. Interhyp combines the power of the Internet with high quality mortgage advice. More than 250 mortgage consultants can choose among the products of more than 70 mortgage lenders to provide borrowers with rates that are significantly below those of traditional branch-based retail banks. In addition to its direct (internet and telephone-based) channel, Interhyp offers face-to-face advice in its offices in Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremburg, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden.