ING Direct's Independence Day Promotion

I've been notified by ING Direct of an Independence Day themed promotion that will start on July 1, 2010 and is scheduled to last through July 2nd. They already have a special page set up at www.ingdirect.com/independence. However, they don't yet list any details. The ING Direct rep did provide a few more details about the promotions that they will offer. Here is what I received:

• Investing for Financial Freedom – Investors who open a new ShareBuilder account will receive a $76 bonus after making one transaction. Brokerage account holders can select from over 7,000 stocks, mutual funds and Exchange-Traded Funds.
• Pursuing the Happiness of Homeownership – Prospective homeowners who apply for an Easy Orange or Orange Mortgage on July 1 or 2, 2010 will receive $776 off closing costs – nearly 40 percent savings from ING DIRECT’s already low average total closing costs.
• Liberation from Checking Fees – The Electric Orange Checking account promotion will be announced here www.ingdirect.com/independence on July 1. Remember there are no overdraft fees. No monthly fees. No minimums.
• Spreading the Wealth of Savings – The Refer-a-friend promotion will be announced here www.ingdirect.com/independence on July 1.

This is similar to last year's ING Direct Black Friday promotion. One thing that's missing from this new promotion is a CD special. Last year they offered a special 2% 12-month CD. It would be nice if they could offer at least a 1.76% 12-month CD (keeping with the 1776 theme). Perhaps this is even too high for them. The current standard ING Direct 12-month CD rate is only 1.00% APY, and the 5-year rate is only 1.25% APY.

I was not able to get any more details about the Electric Orange promotion. In last year's Black Friday promo, ING Direct offered a $121 bonus for opening the Electric Orange Checking and using the debit card to make 3 signature-based purchases. Hopefully, this bonus will be at least $76.