WL Wilmington Trust Corp. (DE)

Wilmington Trust Corporation (NYSE:WL) announced today that Oliver R. Sockwell Jr. has been elected to its Board of Directors. Mr. Sockwell, 63, retired in 1997 after 10 years as president and chief executive officer of the Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee), a financial guaranty company. During Mr. Sockwell�s tenure at Connie Lee, the company guaranteed more than $12 billion of municipal bond debt issued by colleges, universities, and hospitals across the United States. From 1998 through 2003 Mr. Sockwell was an executive-in-residence at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, where he taught principles of executive leadership, counseled students and alumni, and consulted on special projects for the dean and other senior administrators. Mr. Sockwell is currently a member of the Board of Overseers and a director of the Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School. �Oliver has extensive experience in corporate finance, credit risk, and executive leadership, and we will benefit greatly from his perspective,� said Ted T. Cecala, Wilmington Trust chairman and chief executive officer. �In addition, as a long-time resident of Washington, D.C., his knowledge and insight will help guide the expansion of our Wealth Advisory Services business in that market.� Prior to Connie Lee, Mr. Sockwell held various senior positions with the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae), serving as executive vice president, finance, administration, and planning, from 1984 to 1987. His career also spans investment banking at Smith Barney in New York, where he structured domestic and international financings for corporate clients. �My background fits well with Wilmington Trust�s business, and I am pleased to be joining the Board at this time in the company�s history,� said Mr. Sockwell. �Wilmington Trust has a well-conceived strategy, and I am looking forward to being part of the company�s continued growth.� In addition to Wilmington Trust, Mr. Sockwell is a director of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company and of Liz Claiborne, Inc. He is the founder and chairman of the Capitol City Foundation, which supports schools and charitable service organizations. Previously he was a director of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Ford�s Theatre, the Washington Urban League, and the National Center for Learning Disabilities. He also served as a trustee of the District of Columbia Retirement Board. Mr. Sockwell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Howard University and a master of business administration degree in finance from Columbia University. Mr. Sockwell�s election to Wilmington Trust�s Board of Directors Class of 2010 was effective today. He is an independent director, as are all but two of the company's 12 other directors. The only two inside directors are Mr. Cecala and Robert V.A. Harra Jr., Wilmington Trust's president and chief operating officer. About Wilmington Trust Wilmington Trust Corporation (NYSE: WL) is a financial services holding company that provides Regional Banking services throughout the Delaware Valley region, Wealth Advisory Services for high-net-worth clients in 36 countries, and Corporate Client Services for institutional clients in 86 countries. Its wholly owned bank subsidiary, Wilmington Trust Company, which was founded in 1903, is one of the largest personal trust providers in the United States and the leading retail and commercial bank in Delaware. Wilmington Trust Corporation and its affiliates have offices in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, the Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, London, Dublin, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.wilmingtontrust.com.