CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: November 30, 2005
Washington Trust Receives SBA Award For Minority Lending
Westerly, Rhode Island... The Washington Trust Company was honored on November 16 by the Rhode Island District Office of the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) with a Silver Award for Minority Lending. With 16 SBA loans made between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005 (the SBA's fiscal year), Washington Trust ranked second for banks in Rhode Island that provided the highest number of SBA loans to minority owned small businesses."Washington Trust continues to be one of the top SBA lenders in Rhode Island," said Mark S. Hayward, director of the SBA Rhode Island District Office. "We are proud to recognize Washington Trust for providing the access to capital that the minority small business community needs to succeed," Hayward added.
"Washington Trust is honored to be chosen as the recipient of the Small Business Administration's Silver Award for Minority Lending," said John C. Warren, chairman and CEO of Washington Trust. "Reaching out to the minority community and providing them with assistance needed for their businesses is a priority for Washington Trust. We take great pride in supporting their growth in the business community, " Warren added.
The award was presented at the Rhode Island Minority Enterprise
Development Week Awards dinner at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston,
R.I. The President of the United States has proclaimed a Minority
Enterprise Development Week observance every year 1983 to recognize
the outstanding achievements of minority-owned small business and
to honor those corporations and financial institutions that support
minority business development.
Left to Right: James Vincent, co-chair, SBA MED Week Planning Committee; Charles E. Summers, Jr., SBA regional administrator; Philip L. Friend, senior vice president, retail lending, Washington Trust, accepting the award; Mark S. Hayward, SBA Rhode Island district director; and Juana Horton, co-chair, SBA MED Week planning Committee.
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 services, including wealth
management, 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.
