BusinessBusiness

ING Direct Cafes: Cutting Edge Banking Or Scheme To Avoid Regulation?

Banking Cafes: Cutting Edge Marketing Or Scheme To Avoid Regulation?
Open Image Modal
By 

Former Associate Business Editor, The Huffington Post

Open Image Modal

From the street, the new San Francisco location of the Internet banking giant ING Direct U.S.A. does not look like a place where financial transactions are made.

The three-story glass-and-steel storefront near Union Square has no windows where tellers take deposits and dispense cash and no desks for loan officers. Instead, there are 13 flat-screen televisions; beanbag chairs; a deli counter that sells coffee, cookies and sandwiches; and plenty of tables and outlets for customers using the free wireless Internet access.

Read more on The Bay Citizen

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip