WEYMOUTH, Mass., June 30, 2003 – Eastern Bank today announced plans to open a second Weymouth branch in mid July, enabling Eastern to expand service in Weymouth and extend service to Abington.

Located at 1690 Main St. in South Weymouth, the branch is in the new “Supreme Plaza” on Route 18, about 50 yards from the Abington border. The branch will offer a full range of personal and commercial banking products six days a week. On weekdays, the drive-up teller window will open at 7 a.m.

“This will be our third new branch in the last four months, which underscores Eastern’s commitment to provide customers with convenient access to our specialists who can help them find the right product,” said Mark Primeau, executive vice president for consumer banking at Eastern.

Eastern now has a branch at 1150 Washington St. (Route 53) in Weymouth, at the intersection of Mutton Lane. It also has a branch at Weymouth Landing in Braintree, less than a half mile from Weymouth. With the new Weymouth office, Eastern will have 50 branches in Greater Boston, stretching from Newburyport to Marshfield.

“The South Weymouth-Abington office expands our presence south of Boston to include 14 locations, so it both improves convenience for customers living in the South Shore and Brockton areas, while providing us with the opportunity to attract new customers,” Primeau said.

Based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the largest independent, mutually owned commercial bank in New England. With $4.5 billion in assets and 49 branches in Greater Boston, Eastern offers a full range of financial products for consumers, businesses, investors, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Its wholly owned subsidiaries are Eastern Insurance, one of New England’s largest insurers, and Fantini & Gorga/iCap Realty Advisors, a real estate advisory firm.