8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 25, 2019

WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Rhode Island	001-32991	05-0404671
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

23 Broad Street
Westerly,	Rhode Island	02891
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(401)	348-1200
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or address, if changed from last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
COMMON STOCK, $.0625 PAR VALUE PER SHARE	WASH	The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition
period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the
Exchange Act.	☐

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On December 2, 2019, Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (the "Corporation") announced that its Board of Directors adopted a stock repurchase program (the "Stock Repurchase Program"). The Stock Repurchase Program authorizes the repurchase up to 850,000 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, or approximately 5% of its current outstanding shares. The Stock Repurchase Program expires on October 31, 2020 and may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time. The Corporation had approximately 17.4 million shares outstanding as of November 30, 2019.

A copy of the press release relating to such announcement is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)	Exhibits.
	Exhibit No.	Exhibit
	99.1	Press release dated December 2, 2019*
	*Filed herewith

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

		WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP, INC.
Date:	December 2, 2019	By:	/s/ Ronald S. Ohsberg
			Ronald S. Ohsberg
			Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

NASDAQ: WASH

Contact: Elizabeth B. Eckel

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Telephone: (401) 348-1309

E-mail: ebeckel@washtrust.com

Date: December 2, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. Announces New Stock Repurchase Program

WESTERLY, R.I., December 2, 2019 (PR NEWSWIRE)…Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:WASH) today announced that the Corporation's Board of Directors adopted a new stock repurchase program (“Stock Repurchase Program”). The Stock Repurchase Program, which replaces the Corporation’s 2006 stock repurchase plan, authorizes the repurchase of up to 850,000 shares, or approximately 5%, of the Corporation’s common stock. This authority may be exercised from time to time and in such amounts as market conditions warrant, and subject to regulatory considerations. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions, and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The Stock Repurchase Program expires on October 31, 2020 and may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time. The Corporation had approximately 17.4 million shares outstanding as of November 30, 2019.

Background

Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. is the parent of The Washington Trust Company. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation, the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in Rhode Island and one of the Northeast's premier financial services companies. Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking and wealth management and trust services through its offices located in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation’s common stock trades on NASDAQ under the symbol WASH. Investor information is available on the Corporation’s web site at http://ir.washtrust.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are “forward-looking statements”. We may also make forward-looking statements in other documents we file with the SEC, in our annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “assume,” “outlook,” “will,” “should,” and other expressions that predict or indicate future events and trends and which do not relate to historical matters. You should not rely on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. These risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

Some of the factors that might cause these differences include the following: weakness in national, regional or international economic conditions or conditions affecting the banking or financial services industries or financial capital markets; volatility in national and international financial markets; reductions in net interest income resulting from interest rate volatility as well as changes in the balance and mix of loans and deposits; reductions in the market value or outflows of wealth management assets under administration; changes in the value of securities and other assets; reductions in loan demand; changes in loan collectibility, default and charge-off rates; changes in the size and nature of our competition; changes in legislation or regulation and accounting principles, policies and guidelines; occurrences of cyberattacks, hacking and identity theft; natural disasters; and changes in the assumptions used in making such forward-looking statements. In addition, the factors described under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, as updated by our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted to the SEC, may result in these differences. You should carefully review all of these factors and you should be aware that there may be other factors that could cause these differences. These forward-looking statements were based on information, plans and estimates at the date of this report, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, future events or other changes.

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Cover Page Document	Nov. 25, 2019
Cover Page [Abstract]
Title of 12(b) Security	COMMON STOCK, $.0625 PAR VALUE PER SHARE
Trading Symbol	WASH
Document Type	8-K
Document Period End Date	Nov. 25, 2019
Entity Registrant Name	WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP, INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	RI
Entity File Number	001-32991
Entity Tax Identification Number	05-0404671
Entity Address, Address Line One	23 Broad Street
Entity Address, City or Town	Westerly,
Entity Address, State or Province	RI
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	02891
City Area Code	(401)
Local Phone Number	348-1200
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000737468
Amendment Flag	false
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ