Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (NASDAQ: WAIN) has been selected to receive a 2009 Bank Enterprise Award of $477,474 from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the U.S. Treasury.

The award recognizes Wainwright's efforts in providing affordable housing development and small business loans within distressed communities. The bank was one of two New England and 55 financial institutions nationwide to be recognized.

The Bank Enterprise Award Program provides incentives for FDIC insured financial institutions to annually increase the levels of financial services provided to economically distressed communities. Such services may include financing for needed community facilities, providing mortgages for first-time homebuyers or small business loans, among others.

The awards are in varying amounts based on a financial institution's increase in community development activities over a pre-defined period of time. 55 banks located in 24 states shared the $22 million in total awards.

"We are honored to have our community development lending efforts recognized by the U.S. Treasury for the ninth year. We've used the awards to create a donor advised fund at The Boston Foundation, and to develop CommunityRoom.net which provides free hosted websites with on-line donation capabilities to the nonprofit clients of Wainwright Bank," said Senior Vice President and Community Development Loan Officer, Pamela Feingold.

"It's very difficult to be a repeat winner," says Linda Davenport, Deputy Director of Policy and Programs for the Treasury unit that oversees the awards. "For Wainwright to win it ten times means they're doing exponentially more of these loans from one year to the next."

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Boston, Wainwright Bank is a leading socially progressive bank with assets of over $1 billion and 12 branches throughout Greater Boston. Over 50% of the bank's commercial lending portfolio is dedicated to community development initiatives including affordable housing, homeless shelters, HIV/AIDS services, community health centers, and environmental issues to name a few. Wainwright's commitment to social justice has been widely recognized including being named one of the Top 20 Sustainable Stocks in the world by SustainableBusiness.com and one of the Top 10 Best "Green" Banking Firms by the Social Investment Forum.

Wainwright Bank & Trust Company

Wainwright Bank & Trust Company

Wainwright is a leading socially progressive commercial bank with over $1 billion in assets primarily serving consumers, businesses and nonprofits with 12 branches throughout Greater Boston. Over 50% of the Bank's commercial loan portfolio is committed to community development initiatives including affordable housing, homeless shelters, HIV/AIDS services, food banks, community health centers, inner-city schools and environmental protection to name a few. The bank has provided over $700 million in these types of loans since its founding in 1987. Wainwright's commitment to supporting social justice issues has been widely recognized including being named one of the 11 Best Lenders to Women in the U.S. and one of the Top 20 Sustainable Stocks in the world.

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