FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: January 12, 2006

Washington Trust Announces Employee Promotions

January 12, 2006 (Westerly, RI) . . . The Washington Trust Company announced the following employee promotions:

Connie S. Loveland, a resident of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to vice president, MIS & financial planning. Connie joined the Bank in 1999 as a financial analyst, and was promoted to financial planning officer in December 2000. She was promoted to assistant vice president, financial planning in December 2002. Her responsibilities include management information reporting, budgeting, asset/liability management, and profitability analysis. Loveland holds a B.S. in mathematics and finance from Syracuse University. She is a member of the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick and volunteers for the Academic Decathlon of Rhode Island.

Renee Byers, a resident of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to assistant vice president, item processing operations. Byers, who joined the Bank in October 1995, has served as assistant items processing supervisor, items processing supervisor and, most recently, as operations officer. Her responsibilities include managing all items processing and reconciliation/adjustment projects. Byers is a graduate of the Community College of Rhode Island and currently attends the University of Rhode Island.

Diane M. Morrone, a resident of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to training officer. Morrone, who joined the Bank in 1997, has served in various capacities for the Bank including customer service representative. Morrone joined the human resources department in 2002 as a training specialist. Her responsibilities include training tellers and customer service representatives regarding policies, procedures, products and services. She will receive her A.S. in business administration from the Community College of Rhode Island in May, 2006.

Beth K. Frenette, a resident of North Stonington, Conn., has been promoted to customer sales and service officer. Frenette joined the Bank in 1988 and has served in various capacities including, senior customer service representative, senior account information center representative and assistant supervisor for the account information center. Frenette holds an associate's degree from the Community College of Rhode Island and volunteers as secretary for the Westerly Columbus Day Parade.

Constance M. Birkbeck, a resident of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to special assets officer. Birkbeck joined the Bank in October 1988 and most recently served as special assets manager. Her responsibilities include managing the Bank's collections activities. Birkbeck holds a B.S. from Johnson & Wales University. She has been volunteering for the Westerly Mentor Program for seven years and currently serves on agency's board of directors.

Karyn D. Hooper, a resident of Noank, Conn., has been promoted to loan servicing officer. Hooper joined the Bank in 2002 as a loan operations specialist and most recently served as loan servicing supervisor. Hooper's responsibilities include overseeing payment posting, customer service, billing, SBA reporting and other loan operations duties. She attended Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and the University of Montana. She volunteers for St. Andrew Presbyterian Church where she serves as an elected elder.

Paula H. Martini, a resident of Warwick, R.I., has been promoted to EFT operations officer. Martini joined the Bank in 2002 as EFT supervisor. Her responsibilities include overseeing the daily management of the electronic funds transfer department's staff operations, including ATM and wire transfer functions. She also oversees the Bank's processing goals. Martini is an accredited ACH Professional. She volunteers for various non-profit organizations including the American Heart Association and Junior Achievement.

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.