NOVEMBER 9, 2001

People's Brings Seven-Day Banking
To New Watertown Stop & Shop

WATERTOWN, CONN.
People’s Bank is bringing a full array of banking and investing services to shoppers at the new Watertown Super Stop & Shop. Customers can apply for a mortgage, set up a retirement account and learn about investments and insurance – all at the new People’s branch located inside the supermarket, located at 757 Straits Turnpike.

“We recognize that for many of our customers, ‘banker’s hours’ no longer fit into their busy schedules,” said Robert R. D’Amore, People’s executive vice president, Marketing and Retail Banking. “We’ve built and staffed our supermarket branches to provide all of the services – and the level of service – that our customers expect from our traditional branches. Based on the success of our other Stop & Shop offices, we believe our customers truly appreciate the convenience of seven-day-a-week banking.”

The new office is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Local dignitaries attended a grand-opening celebration this morning, at which People’s Manager John DeBiasio announced a $1,000 donation to the Watertown Food Bank.

The public is invited to stop by the new office and learn about People’s grand-opening specials – an offer of free checking for six months plus 50 free checks, a special grand-opening certificate of deposit offer and an offer of a $10 Stop & Shop coupon.

People's brought supermarket banking to Connecticut, opening an office in the Westport Grand Union in 1980. In 1995, People’s entered into an exclusive partnership with the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company that will result in a total of 59 branches in Connecticut Super Stop & Shop stores by the end of 2001.

People’s is a diversified financial services company providing commercial, consumer, insurance and investment services. Founded in 1842, it is the largest state-chartered bank in Connecticut with managed assets of $13 billion, 146 branches and 220 ATMs. People’s is a leader in consumer and commercial banking, residential lending, insurance sales, supermarket banking and is the nation’s 15th-largest issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. People’s subsidiaries offer brokerage services, asset management, equipment financing and leasing, and insurance services.