The cost to print the initial batch of 30, 000 cards was covered by a local business, Investors Bank.

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Mortgage lenders have been falling over backwards to win their business with special deals, designed to bring down still further the initial cost of borrowing.

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Banks may even be willing to give away WebPad devices featuring pre-installed banking applications to its customers for free, while ISPs are looking at business models such as subsidizing the cost of the device to make the initial purchase price more attractive for consumers, he added.

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