Washington Trust Provides Financing For HechtWin Coventry, LLC

May 1, 2008 (Westerly, Rhode Island). . .The Washington Trust Company's Commercial Real Estate Group recently provided $8 million in financing to HechtWin Coventry, LLC for the construction of a 21,000 square foot retail center in Coventry, R.I. The center, named Coventry Crossing, will be located directly off exit 7 on I-95, and will consist of two free standing buildings housing CVS and a financial institution, as well as a third building to be occupied by Dunkin Donuts and additional tenant for the remaining 2,700 square feet of space.

The Hecht Company was founded in 2001 by Kenneth Hecht for the purpose of acquiring real estate assets for its own account, and to execute select brokerage assignments for a small number of clients. To date, The Hecht Company has completed more than two million square feet (primarily retail) of brokerage and acquisition transactions since its founding, with an additional four million square feet in its brokerage and development pipeline.

"Coventry Crossings is an attractive retail project that will enhance this growing area of Coventry and East Greenwich," said John C. Warren, chairman and CEO of The Washington Trust Company. "We are pleased to have provided financing for this project."

Washington Trust's Commercial Real Estate Group provides commercial real estate mortgages for construction of, refinancing of, or purchasing investment real estate projects. Financing ranges in size from several hundred thousand dollars up to multi-million dollar projects. For more information, contact Julia Anne M. Slom, senior vice president, Commercial Real Estate Group, toll-free at 800-475-2265 or 401-348-1430.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.5 billion corporation headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the largest independent bank and the oldest community bank in the nation, 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.