New Markets Location, location, location. This familiar axiom for business success proved true for Washington Trust in 2002, when the acquisition of First Bank and Trust provided the Bank with a firm new foothold in  central Rhode Island and Providence.  a full range of new products and services at their disposal, including mortgages and home equity loans, trust and investment services, and merchant services. In addition, they appreciated the conveniences of an expanded ATM network and online banking services for personal and business accounts.  Our new First Bank customers enjoyed a seamless transition to Washington Trust, and as a result, we retained virtually every customer. We accomplished this by he year 2002 was full of opportunities – opportunities to grow our market area, to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations, and to deepen our roots in the communities we serve. For 202 years, Washington Trust’s primary market area has been Washington County and southeastern Connecticut.  Our expansion into Providence and Kent Counties significantly increases our  market area. The “Welcome to Washington Trust”  brochure for former First Bank  customers included 25 pages of  comprehensive information on  all Washington Trust products,  easy-to-read grids for account  comparison, and coupons for  discounts on banking services. The spring 2002 addition of the First Bank branches in Cranston and Providence and the consolidation of the First Bank branches in North Kingstown and Richmond, Rhode Island, generated some 5,000 new  Washington Trust customers. Those new customers discovered allowing those customers to keep their account numbers and checks, making the changeover hassle-free from their perspective. Nor were there any noticeable personnel changes among the friendly faces that  greeted them on the teller line or in the  customer service area.  Washington Trust’s new location at the corner of Park and Reservoir Avenues  in Cranston, Rhode Island benefits from being at the crossroads of one of the  state’s busiest traffic intersections. two