Washington Trust Announces Promotion

October 30, 2008 (Westerly, RI). . .The Washington Trust Company announces the following employee promotion:

Laura J. Stiles, of Johnston, R.I., has been promoted to sales & service manager of the Bank's Oaklawn Avenue branch in Cranston. Stiles will be responsible for new account sales, client retention, existing client cross-selling and relationship expansion. She will also assist in the daily supervision of branch staff.

Stiles joined the Bank in 2007 as a senior customer service representative, and has numerous years of banking customer service and assistant branch manager experience. She is enrolled in the Washington Trust's Management Certification Program and is furthering her education through the Center of Financial Training. Stiles attended Providence College.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.7 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 business banking, personal 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.Corporation's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.