Washington Trust officers and supervisors recently volunteered at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank as part of the bank’s Care Day Program. Volunteers participated in a variety of tasks throughout the day including inspecting, sorting, labeling and packing donated food in the bank’s production warehouse. By volunteering, Washington Trust employees enable the food bank to provide food assistance to those in need. more

For the fourth consecutive year, Rockland Trust presents the Reading Makes Cent$ program, a summer program to encourage literacy and fiscal responsibility among young people. more

The Washington Trust Co. has been alerted by authorities regarding a text message scam that was sent to individuals in the Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut area. more

Gains in indexed annuities are making some financial planners take notice, with first-quarter sales jumping 14 percent compared to last year. Overall, annuity sales are currently slumping, but indexed annuities are turning into a hot commodity. more

By this time next year, Sovereign Bank will have completed its national transformation to Santander Bank, part of the Spanish-owned Banco Santander SA, one of the largest banks in the world. more

In a marketplace where lenders are demanding record-high FICO credit scores – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are averaging around 760 on approved mortgages this year – are you a little fuzzy about what can push your scores up or down? more

Lawyers drained Linda Brice’s bank account and seized a quarter of her take-home pay, or more than $900 a month. Brice, a first-grade teacher and Coast Guard veteran, begged for mercy, saying she couldn’t afford food, gas or utilities. more

MIDDLETOWN – BauerFinancial Inc., a credit-union rating and research firm, has given People’s Credit Union a 5-Star Superior rating. A 5-Star ranking indicates PCU is one of the strongest credit unions in the nation. To earn this rating, PCU excelled in areas of capital quality, asset quality, profitability and more. People’s Credit Union has earned this 5-Star Superior rating for 82 consecutive quarters, which puts it in an elite group of “Sustained Superiority Credit Unions.” Only 7 percent of the nation’s credit unions can claim this distinction. more

Employees of Embrace Home Loans recently had a chance to get out of the office and get to work in their communities. In light of the company’s 29th year in business, employees spent a week volunteering at local organizations. more

Local John Hancock Network firm Independence Financial Partners recently contributed more than $15,000 to Best Buddies Rhode Island, after participating in the Hyannis Port Best Buddies Challenge. more