FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: September 1, 2005

Washington Trust Donates $10,000 to Benefit Hurricane Victims

Westerly, Rhode Island... The Washington Trust Company has made a $10,000 contribution to a fund the Bank has established with the American Red Cross to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. The Bank has also announced that it is collecting contributions for the fund at each of the Bank's sixteen branch offices located throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut.

"Washington Trust, its employees and customers are deeply affected by the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina," stated John C. Warren, Washington Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We hope that by partnering with the Red Cross, we can help bring relief to the victims and their families."

"The American Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter is pleased that Washington Trust has once again taken a leadership role in contributing and accepting donations," said Daniel S. Samborn, Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter. "The outpouring of support from Rhode Islanders and from Americans across this great nation is tremendous. We are proud to do our part to help those in greatest need."

Contributions can be made at any of Washington Trust's sixteen branches throughout Rhode Island and Connecticut. Checks should be made payable to "American Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter," with a memo notation to "Hurricane Katrina."

The Washington Trust Company is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers a full range of financial and wealth management services through its 16 branch offices located in Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. Founded in 1800, the Bank is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., whose common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market® under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.