Suspected merchant data breach spurs
WashTrust to notify 1,000 card-holders

WESTERLY – The Washington Trust Co. has notified about 1,000 customers that their debit and credit card accounts might have been compromised in a suspected security breach at an unidentified national MasterCard merchant.

Washington Trust spokeswoman Elizabeth B. Eckel, senior vice president of marketing, said this morning that, although there has been no evidence of fraudulent activity, the bank’s policy calls for the accounts to be closed and new cards to be issued.

That action was taken after Washington Trust, Rhode Island’s largest independent bank, received an advisory from MasterCard saying the company was investigating a suspected security breach of the database of a "national retailer."

The notice also identified the 963 Washington Trust cardholders who were in the database of that merchant.

Numerous other banks probably received the same alert – along with lists of their own affected customers – but may not have taken any action because the matter is only under investigation, Eckel said. “We take the extra precaution,” she said.

Washington Trust’s letter to the affected card holders said they will receive new cards in seven to 10 business days. The compromised cards will be deactivated on Sept. 8.

Customers will not be held liable for fraudulent use of their cards, Eckel said.

Washington Trust Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq Global Market: WASH), based in Westerly, is the parent of The Washington Trust Co., a Rhode Island-chartered bank founded in 1800 that has offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and southeastern Connecticut. Additional information is available at www.washtrust.com.