Frequently asked questions > General > ING Direct

Key points about ING Direct in the UK

• Over 1 million customers in the UK
• Award winning UK based call centres. For more information click here
• Safe and secure online banking with ING Direct.
• We offer great Savings, award winning Mortgages and common sense Home Insurance products
• UK based with our head offices in Reading and Cardiff

ING Direct is:

• Authorised and regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank (the Dutch Central Bank) and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Services Authority. Details on the extent of our regulation by the Financial Services Authority are available from us on request.
• ING Direct is a limited liability company incorporated in The Netherlands. Registered in England and Wales at Companies House: Branch reference number: BR7357
• We support the Financial Services Authority's 'Moneymadeclear' initiative. For more information visit The Financial Services Authority Money Advice Service


• We are covered by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

ING Direct is wholly owned by ING Group.

Key points about ING Group

• ING Group is a global financial company providing banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services
• One of the 20 largest financial institutions worldwide
• Over 85 million customers worldwide in Europe, US, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Australia
• ING Group has over £1 trillion in assets

To find out more about ING Group click here

Our philosophy has always been to offer great value with no catches and no hassle. We aim to make our products as straightforward as possible so you can make the most from your money with the minimum of fuss.

We keep our rates consistently competitive because we keep our costs low. Unlike most banks we don’t have high street branches to run – or the expenses that come with them

ING Direct is:

• Authorised and regulated by De Nederlandsche Bank (the Dutch Central Bank) and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Services Authority. Details on the extent of our regulation by the Financial Services Authority are below-
• We [ING Direct N.V. (UK)] are a branch of ING Direct N.V. which is a limited liability company incorporated in The Netherlands. We are also registered at Companies House in the UK and our Branch reference number is: BR7357. ING Direct N.V. is owned by ING Bank N.V. which is Authorised and Regulated by the Dutch Central Bank.
• European Union (EU) law allows for Banks authorised and operating in one part of the EEA (referred to as the ‘home state’) to open Branches in other member countries (referred to as the ‘host state’) as long as the regulators in both the home and host states agree. As both the Netherlands and the UK are part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and both the Dutch Central Bank and the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) have agreed we are able to operate in the UK.

We do this from our offices in the UK near Reading and our call centres both in Reading and Cardiff.

We report to the FSA providing them with information on our liquidity and solvency and we are accountable to FSA for the robustness of our anti-money laundering controls and our compliance with their ‘Conduct of Business’ rules and guidance, which in essence covers all aspects of our interaction with personal customers.

So how does this impact the products that we provide to our customers?

Our Savings Products:

Like the vast majority of Banks and Building Societies providing savings products in the UK, we also comply with the FSA Conduct of Business rules and guidance as set out in the FSA Handbook.

Our Mortgages and Insurance Products:

ING Direct is regulated by the FSA for the sale and servicing of these products in the same way as all other Banks and Building Societies providing these products to personal customers in the UK.

At ING Direct we're always ready to help you with your banking. If you're an existing customer, please call us on 0845 603 8888. You can use our interactive telephone banking service or you can speak to Customer Services.

Our current opening hours are
Monday to Friday 8am-10pm
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 9am - 9pm

The cost of calls to 0845 numbers varies. Please check the rate with your phone provider.

If you wish to unsubscribe from future ING Direct marketing material please call our Customer Services Team on 0800 183 8073. Calls to 0800 numbers from UK landlines are free. The cost of calls from mobile phones may vary. Alternatively you can log into your account online, go to Manage My Account, select How We Contact You, untick all the options and click on Continue to confirm.

You may occasionally be contacted by us or our research agencies to take part in market research, even if you have chosen not to receive marketing information from us. This research is important to us as it helps us to improve our products and services. We may share your name, telephone number and email address with agencies who conduct market research on our behalf. All of our market research agencies are members of the Market Research Society and follow the Market Research Society code of conduct. Participation in market research is entirely voluntary and there is no obligation on you to take part.

Yes, you can follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our Youtube channel. https://twitter.com/ingdirectuk is the only official Twitter stream for ING Direct UK. We're happy to help you with general enquiries on Twitter and your posts will be checked 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Please don't post any account, logon, financial or personal details on Twitter. We'll never ask you for this type of information through Twitter. http://www.youtube.com/ingdirectuk is the only official Youtube channel for ING Direct UK. If you've a question about your account or need more information, we recommend you call us to discuss this further. You can find our telephone numbers and current opening hours here. Calls may be monitored or recorded.