Washington Trust Bancorp Inc. reported record lending of $2.26 billion in the third quarter due mostly to favorable interest rates and increased commercial lending, bank Chairman, President and CEO Joseph J. MarcAurele said last week. more

Since Rhode Island made medical marijuana legal in 2006, there has, some say, been one roadblock after another in getting patients served and, more recently, in facilitating the three approved dispensaries, or compassion centers. more

PROVIDENCE – The charitable arm of the Rhode Island Bar Association is seeking applications for two $20,000 scholarships for first-year Rhode Island law school students. more

If you have a pressing need to raise some cash, here’s some good news: Rising home values are encouraging lenders to revive a product that imploded during the housing bust years – second mortgages. more

Michael Baduira has been named a retirement plan adviser with Cornerstone Retirement Plan Administrators. more

Dustin Hoffman’s character in “The Graduate” may not have dedicated his life to plastics, but it worked out well for William Murray, the Lincoln native named president of Teknor Apex Co. last month. If the world is going to continue to rely on plastics in the future, the Pawtucket polymer technology company and leading U.S. maker of garden hoses is working on the compounds of the future. more

BRISTOL – The National Moot Court Team at Roger Williams University School of Law won the New England regional competition, besting Northeastern University, Boston University, Suffolk University and Syracuse University in the November competition. more

I get a ton of emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may relate to your job, your life and, most important, your sales thought process. more

This year, 17 Rhode Island communities will go through the rite of passage known as the revaluation cycle. State law requires a full property revaluation by the tax assessor in each city and town every nine years with less-detailed updates every three years. These values are important because, absent additional improvements or damage to the property, the values will stay the same for the entire cycle even though the tax rate will change each year. For many of us, that means this spring we’ll learn that the tax assessor, or a company hired by the assessor, has come up with a new tax value for any real estate we own. more

BOSTON – Two female members of Attorney General Martha Coakley’s team have been recognized for making “meaningful and inspiring contributions in the fields of social justice and advocacy.” more