Wainwright Praised as One of 10 Best "Green" Banking Firms in U.S.

Community Investing Campaign

January 22, 2003

National Recognition Comes for Wainwright Bank and Nine Other U.S. Groups

The national Community Investing Campaign today honored Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (NASDAQ: WAIN) as one of 10 leading "green" banking organizations in the United States that are "leaders in providing financing for small businesses and nonprofits to create environmentally friendly products and services in their communities."

Among other things, the recognition is for Wainwright's work in providing financing for environment-related projects such as wilderness preservation and research identifying the links between environmental exposure and women's health.

"We are deeply gratified to have this kind of national attention focused on the work of Wainwright Bank, which is dedicated to improving the lives of underserved individuals and communities through a number of means, including environmentally focused lending," said Wainwright Bank President and CEO, Jan Miller. "By making loans that benefit the environment, we're making an investment not only for ourselves but for generations to come."

Social Investment Forum Foundation President David Berge said, "we are honoring Wainwright Bank today because it is an outstanding example of how community investing dollars can transform the lives of thousands of people in the U.S.. Americans who want to make a change in the lives of others need to understand that community investing is a powerful and personal way to get the job done. Thanks to Wainwright and other organizations like it, we are cleaning up our environment and improving our planet one community at a time."

About Wainwright Bank

Founded in 1987, Wainwright Bank is a socially responsible commercial bank with assets of $500 million primarily serving neighborhoods in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown and Somerville. Nearly 40% of the bank's commercial loan portfolio is dedicated to community development initiatives including affordable housing, homeless shelters, HIV/AIDS services, community health centers, and environmental protection to name a few. Within the last decade, Wainwright has provided loan commitments of over $250 million to these and other community development initiatives.

Wainwright Bank has provided financing assistance to the Trust for Public Land of San Francisco, CA for the purchase and preservation of New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes property, the largest unbroken tract of privately held forestland in the state. Wainwright also provided financing assistance for the preservation of the shores of Lake Tarelton in Piermont, NH.

In addition to providing real estate development financing, Wainwright provides many lines of credit and other types of short-term financing to nonprofit organizations. An example of this is a line of credit to the Silent Spring Institute of Newton, MA, which will be used to assist in their breast cancer research. Silent Spring is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to identifying the links between environmental exposure and women's health.

Wainwright Bank also offers The Green Loan™. Developed in partnership with the nonprofits Mass Energy and Solar Boston, The Green Loan is a home equity loan offering a discounted rate for financing the installation of home solar energy systems.

About the Recognition for Wainwright Bank

On January 22, 2003, the Community Investing Campaign held a national news conference and singled out for praise the following groups: Chittenden Bank (Brattleboro, VT); Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (Wiscasset, ME); Permaculture Credit Union (Santa Fe, N.M.); Rudolf Steiner Foundation (San Francisco, CA); Self-Help Credit Union (Durham, N.C.); ShoreBank Pacific (Ilwaco, WA); Sustainable Jobs Fund (Durham, N.C.); Underdog Ventures, LLC (New York, NY); Vermont Community Loan Fund (Montpelier, VT); and Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (Boston, MA).

The Community Investing Campaign is a joint partnership of the Social Investment Forum and Co-op America. The Social Investment Forum is a national nonprofit membership association dedicated to promoting the concept, practice and growth of socially responsible investing. Co-op America is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1982 that provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to address today's social and environmental problems. The Campaign's Web site is www.communityinvest.org.

Contact
Steven Young for Wainwright Bank, 617-478-4000 or syoung@wainwrightbank.com, or Stephanie Kendall for the Community Investing Campaign, 703-276-3254.

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