August e-News

Welcome to Washington Trust e-News!

Making our corner of the world a little better.
Keeping our beautiful beaches clean is an initiative that is important to Washington Trust employees. That's why on Friday, September 18, 2009 more than two dozen Washington Trust employees will spend their work day on the beach at Napatree Point in Westerly, to participate in the Audubon Society's International Coastal Cleanup. Employees will spend the day collecting and documenting items found on the beach, such as cans, bottles, cigarettes, paper products and more. You can get involved too! For more information or to get involved, visit www.asri.org.

Joseph J. MarcAurele 
To Join Washington Trust as President & COO

On September 21, 2009 Washington Trust will welcome Joseph J. MarcAurele as President and Chief Operating Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors. Joe will succeed Jack Treanor who will retire in October 2009 after ten years of dedicated service.

Joe joins us from Citizens Bank, where he served as President since 2001, and is a well-known and respected leader within the New England banking industry. During his 16-year tenure at Citizens, he served in various executive positions, including Chairman, President and CEO of Citizens Bank of Rhode Island and Connecticut from 2001-2007. His early banking career included seven years at Fleet Financial Bank.

A lifelong Rhode Island resident, Joe has been recognized for his dedication to the local community. He recently received the “Hometown Hero Award” from the Pawtucket Red Sox and Cox Communications for his leadership in the Striking Out Hunger initiative to benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. He serves on the President's Council of Providence College, chairs the Governor's Workforce Board of Rhode Island, and is a member of the Rhode Island Commodores. He is also affiliated with the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Rhode Island Community and Justice, and the United Way of Rhode Island.

Joe is a welcome addition to the Washington Trust family and we look forward to introducing him to our customers and friends of the Bank during the coming months.

Washington Trust Opens First Mortgage Office in Massachusetts

We are pleased to announce the opening of our new mortgage office in Sharon, Mass., located at One Merchant Street, Suite 102. The Washington Trust Home Loan Center will staff a team of ten mortgage lending professionals who are both experienced and well-known in the Massachusetts market area. Washington Trust Home Loan Center specialists will originate a full-range of residential lending solutions, including fixed rate, variable rate, construction loans, jumbo mortgages, reverse mortgages, FHA & VA loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit.

“This is a great time for Washington Trust to expand into the Greater Boston area with a residential mortgage office,” said Stephen M. Bessette, executive vice president, retail lending. “The residential real estate market is showing signs of recovery and consumers are turning to community banks, like Washington Trust, for traditional mortgage options, trusted advice and personal service.”

Washington Trust's Home Loan Center will offer a variety of residential lending solutions, including fixed rate, variable rate, construction loans, jumbo mortgages, reverse mortgages, FHA & VA loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit.

Washington Trust is one of Rhode Island's top mortgage lenders and was the number one reverse mortgage lender in Rhode Island, for the period of July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.

For more information, call (781) 784-3089 or (800) 475-2265.

Washington Trust sponsors Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

Washington Trust is proud to sponsor Roger Williams Park Zoo's upcoming Jack-O-Lantern Spectatular. This illuminating, one-of-a-kind, “gotta glow” Halloween hot spot returns to the Zoo to transform their enchanting wetlands trail with gourd-ly grandeur.

Experience the glow of 10,000 pumpkins, set in a magical display of artistry during this night-time Spectacular. A team of over 30 professional pumpkin carvers will spend six weeks creating the trail, resulting in a truly breathtaking display. Feast your eyes on thousands of carved and illuminated pumpkins, with hundreds of them depicting people, places and scenes from popular culture to old-time favorites and everything in between - all with painstaking detail and amazing intricacy!

Visit on Washington Trust nights when our “star mascots” will be on the trail with giveaways and fun! Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22 and 29th.

Don't miss this unique, family friendly evening event, commended by the U.S. Library of Congress, featured by The Early Show, USA Today and CNN, and hailed by the Associated Press as “extraordinary.”

Event Details:
October 8 - November 1, 2009; 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
(Last entry at 10 p.m.) Rain or shine.

$12 adults, $10 seniors, $9 children ages 3 - 12
(Under 3 are free.)

Exclusive Offer for E-News Subscribers
Win A Family 4-Pack of Tickets
to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
Complete our quick survey and you'll be automatically entered
to win one of five family 4-packs of tickets to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular!
Don't delay! Contest ends on September 18, 2009.

Click here to answer and enter to win!

Is a Reverse Mortgage right for you or your family member?

Click below to find out.