ING Advisors Network Announces Executive Promotions

ING announced today that Randall Ciccati, currently president and CEO of PRIMEVEST Financial Services and head of advisory services for ING Advisors Network, will become the president of ING Advisors Network, effective April 1. In his new capacity, Ciccati will assume full responsibility for leading the overall strategy development and execution for ING's broker-dealer business. He replaces Valerie Brown, who will become executive vice president of wealth management and annuities for ING U.S. Financial Services. Ciccati will report to John Simmers, ING Advisors Network CEO.

"Randy has demonstrated that he is an outstanding and effective leader. He's not only led PRIMEVEST to consistently strong financial performance, but he has done a great job driving the evolution and enhancements to our advisory platform," said Simmers. "Perhaps most importantly, Randy really understands this business, beginning as a registered representative and continuing to be a tireless advocate for the profession."

Ciccati brings over 20 years of experience in developing high-performance, results-oriented, front- and back-office broker-dealer teams. He has led PRIMEVEST, one of the nation's largest self-clearing broker-dealers servicing financial institutions, to eight consecutive years of record revenue and has successfully completed three significant acquisitions in his tenure. After beginning his career as a registered rep, he managed the investment programs at PNC Bank and Chase Manhattan, as well as American Savings, where he served as president of ASB Financial Services. Ciccati earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from San Diego State University.

Catherine Bonneau steps into PRIMEVEST president role

Catherine Bonneau, currently chief operating officer at PRIMEVEST, will be promoted to president. She will report to Ciccati, who will retain the role of PRIMEVEST'S chief executive officer.

"Catherine has been instrumental in setting the strategic vision for the continued growth of PRIMEVEST as well as providing continuity for our employees," said Ciccati. "She was able step in and leverage her management and banking background for the benefit of our team and the financial institutions we serve."

Prior to joining the PRIMEVEST, Bonneau served as president and CEO of ING National Trust, where she led the start-up organization to over $26 billion in assets under administration. She has a strong history of financial services management experience including over 15 years at Citibank, Bank of New York and BankBoston. Bonneau earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a master's degree in business administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Kevin Laraia to become ING Advisors Network chief operating officer

Kevin Laraia, currently chief operating officer of ING Financial Partners, is being promoted to chief operating officer at ING Advisors Network.

"Kevin is a seasoned operations executive with excellent people skills and a demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performance teams," said Simmers. "Filling this role with a full-time, dedicated leader of Kevin's ability has been a key component of our overall plan to continue to build our operational excellence."

Laraia joined ING Financial Partners in 1999, after serving in a similar capacity for Principal Financial Group. Laraia was instrumental in successfully consolidating the operations of Washington Square Securities and Locust Street Securities to form ING Financial Partners. Since then, he has led the core development team for ING Advisors Network technology platform, ING SmartWorks. Laraia graduated from the United States Air Force Academy.

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 115,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

In the U.S., the ING family of companies offer a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, which includes life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 14 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit http://www.ing.com/.

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SOURCE: ING U.S. Financial Services

CONTACT: Phil Margolis of ING U.S. Financial Services, +1-860-723-4783,
phil.margolis@us.ing.com

Web site: http://www.ing.com/us