Washington Trust Breaks Ground for New Cranston Branch

November 21, 2006 (Westerly, RI). . . The Washington Trust Company held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Bank’s new Cranston branch location at 1203 Oaklawn Avenue, on Friday, November 3, 2006. The branch is scheduled to open in April 2007.

“We’ve had much success and support with our current Cranston branch, located at 645 Reservoir Avenue,” said Jack Treanor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Washington Trust. “We are pleased to expand with this second Cranston branch.”

Joining the Washington Trust employees were City Council President Arem Garabedian, President of the Cranston Chamber of Commerce, Susan Pagnozzi, Director of Economic Development, Dave Maher, as well as Mayoral candidates Allan Fung and Michael Napolitano, Real Estate Developer Frank Paolino, and from New England Design Associates, President Chris Snell and Vice-President Robert Morris.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.4 billion corporation headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation and is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including personal banking, business banking, and wealth management and trust services, through its offices located in Rhode Island, southeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com