Westerly, Rhode Island... Earlier this year, Washington Trust, the country’s oldest community bank and Rhode Island’s largest independent bank, expanded its regional footprint for mortgage banking services by opening its second Home Loan Center in Massachusetts at 25 Mall Road in Burlington. The Bank opened its first Massachusetts Home Loan Center at One Merchant Street in Sharon, Massachusetts in 2009.
“Washington Trust has been meeting the financial needs of depositors, borrowers, and investors for more than 211 years,” stated Joseph J. MarcAurele, Washington Trust Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “After the mortgage crisis several years ago, we learned that homeowners prefer to deal with a local institution that offers a variety of mortgage products and personal service they can trust. We opened our first Massachusetts home loan center in 2009 and the response was overwhelming, so we opened the Burlington office and have had similar success.”
The Washington Trust Home Loan Center opened in Burlington in April 2011 and now boasts 15 employees, including 12 mortgage loan officers. The office is managed by Derek Sawyer, Vice President of Mortgage Lending and Regional Manager, a former Bank of America executive. “Washington Trust has a strong commitment to customer service and we work one-on-one with our customers,” Sawyer stated. “We are nimble, so can respond to the needs of our customers quickly and close loans faster than most of the larger lenders.”
The Home Loan Centers offer a complete line of home mortgage products, including fixed and adjustable-rate loans, first time homebuyer programs, as well as construction and reverse mortgages. In recent months, the low interest rate environment has contributed to tremendous loan production at both the Burlington and Sharon Home Loan Centers, as homeowners have refinanced to record-low mortgage rates.
For more information about Washington Trust’s Home Loan Centers, please call Derek Sawyer in Burlington at 781-229-2004, or Brian Mahone in Sharon at 781-784-3089.
The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.9 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 Global Select® Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.