Washington Trust Hires New Vice President & Investment Officer

March 6, 2009 (Westerly, RI). . .Jeffrey M. Liguori, of Westerly, R.I., has joined Washington Trust's Wealth Management division as vice president & investment officer. He is responsible managing client investment portfolios.

Liguori has more than 12 years of portfolio management, research and trading experience. He was a portfolio manager & equity analyst for a $1 billion family foundation in La Jolla, CA prior to joining Washington Trust. Previously, Liguori was a senior institutional trader and director of institutional sales & trading for two Boston based investment boutiques (banks). He has a bachelor's degree in finance from Boston College and is presently completing his M.B.A. from Babson College, and is a Chartered Market Technician. Liguori is a member of the board for the Westerly Economic Development Commission and a member of the Market Technicians Association, Boston College Club, and Boston College Wall Street Council.

Washington Trust Wealth Management is a division of The Washington Trust Company,a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., (NASDAQ Global Select, symbol: WASH). With approximately $4 billion in assets under administration, Washington Trust Wealth Management is the largest wealth management firm in Rhode Island and is one of the premier firms in New England. Washington Trust Wealth Management has offices in Providence, Westerly, and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Wellesley, MA. Additional information is available on the Washington Trust Wealth Management web site: wealth. 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. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.