Acquisition of Wainwright Bank & Trust Company by Eastern Bank Corporation Receives Final Regulatory Approval

BOSTON, Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eastern Bank Corporation, the holding company for Eastern Bank, and Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (Nasdaq: WAIN), jointly announced today that regulators have approved their merger in accordance with the definitive merger agreement announced June 29, 2010. The stockholders of Wainwright Bank & Trust Company approved the merger on October 18, 2010. The companies expect to complete the merger on November 17, 2010.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements about the proposed merger of Eastern Bank Corporation, the holding company for Eastern Bank, and Wainwright Bank & Trust Company. These statements include statements regarding the anticipated closing date of the transaction. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and "intend" or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may." Certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected include delays in completing the merger and changes in the securities markets.