Oct. 30, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

SEATTLE, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- After a year of tough economic challenges, Pioneer Square today showed signs of a comeback. Literally.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091030/SF02231)

Colorful new lamppost-style banners were unveiled today during a public ceremony that showcased the world-famous district. Each of the six banners, which will hang throughout Pioneer Square starting in November, highlight the district's greatest assets: historic attractions; shopping; entertainment; residential housing; art galleries; and sporting venues. The banners were presented as a gift to the community by Pioneer Square's newest resident, ShareBuilder Securities Corporation, the brokerage subsidiary of ING DIRECT USA.

"When we moved our headquarters here in the spring, we made a commitment to help make Pioneer Square a better place to live and work," said ShareBuilder President Dan Greenshields. "These banners are another example of our commitment to revitalize the district."

The online brokerage firm, with nearly 300 employees, was founded in Bellevue in 1999 and was later acquired by ING DIRECT USA in November 2007. In May 2009, the brokerage moved its headquarters to Pioneer Square.

"The banners should give Pioneer Square merchants a much-needed boost during the upcoming holiday season," said Leslie Smith, Interim Executive Director of the Pioneer Square Community Association. "These banners help to remind Seattle residents that Pioneer Square is a great district to shop, dine and be entertained. ING DIRECT's donation is a great example of how public-private partnerships can help communities like ours keep moving in the right direction even when budgets are tight."

Shortly after moving their headquarters to Pioneer Square, ShareBuilder approached the Pioneer Square Community Association to learn more about their needs and how the brokerage could help revitalize the district. The timing was perfect as the association was trying to find resources to get the banner project off the ground.

Several community leaders were on-hand for the event including Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago, King County Director Sergio Cueva-Flores, a representative from U.S. Senator Patty Murray's office, former Seattle Seahawk Mack Strong, the Blue Thunder Drumline and Pioneer Square Community Association Interim Director Leslie G. Smith. ING DIRECT President Arkadi Kuhlmann and ShareBuilder President Dan Greenshields were on-hand to present the banners and to emcee the event.

About ING DIRECT USA and ShareBuilder

ING DIRECT, the nation's largest direct bank and largest thrift, is dedicated to inspiring Americans to become a nation of savers. Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.7 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to $91.4 billion in assets. ING DIRECT has developed a comprehensive social media Savers Community, including Twitter, Facebook and its We, The Savers blog. For more information about ING DIRECT call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, and for information about its commitment to financial education visit Planet Orange.

ShareBuilder Securities Corporation is an online brokerage designed for automatic, long-term investing. The company's vision is to increase the personal investing rate of the average American by helping individuals build and manage wealth over the long term. Customers pay low commissions on individual transactions, have no account minimum and can choose from three pricing programs. For more information about ShareBuilder, please visit www.sharebuilder.com or www.ingdirect.com. ShareBuilder offers investment products including stocks, exchange-traded funds, and mutual funds. ShareBuilder Securities Corporation, a subsidiary of ING Bank, fsb, is a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC.

Securities products are: Not FDIC insured - Not Bank guaranteed - May lose value

Style note to Editors: ING DIRECT is always capitalized and never referred to as ING.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Dan Branley (206) 914-1231
dbranley@launchcmus.com

Steve O'Halloran (302) 467-6643
sohalloran@ingdirect.com

SOURCE ING DIRECT