Washington Trust To Hold Free Document Shredding Day

Washington Trust will hold a free document shredding day on Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 12 - 3 p.m. at the Bank's Westerly branch located at 126 Franklin Street. An Affordable Shredding, Inc. truck will be set up in the parking lot where community members will be able to bring their documents and watch as they are shredded. There will be a three box maximum allowed.

There is no charge for the document shredding service. Washington Trust is asking community members to bring a jar of peanut butter to support the RI Community Food Bank.

Identity theft occurs when personal identifying information such as name, social security number and credit card numbers are used without permission, to commit fraud and other crimes. As many as nine million Americans have their identity stolen each year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

“Identity theft continues to be a serious concern in our society, so the demand for awareness and prevention is more important than ever,” said John C. Warren, Washington Trust Chairman and CEO. “Washington Trust is happy to provide consumers with a safe and secure way to destroy old documents such as credit card statements, tax records and confidential personal and small business records.”

Most types of paper and notebooks with paper clips, spiral binding and staples will be accepted. Affordable Shredding, Inc. is unable to accept ring binders, hanging folders with metal strips, x-rays, plastic, film negatives, microfilm, wire binders, and anything with a heavy quantity of metal.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $3.0 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.