Bancorp Rhode Island Selected to Join Russell 3000 Index

BancorpRI`s first inclusion since BankRI`s 1998 NASDAQ listing
PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(Business Wire)--
Bancorp Rhode Island, Inc. (NASDAQ: BARI), the parent company of Bank Rhode
Island, announced today that it has been selected to join the broad-market
Russell 3000 Index. Some of the Russell 3000`s notable stocks include Apple,
AT&T, Citigroup, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft,
Procter & Gamble and Wells Fargo. This is BancorpRI`s first inclusion in the
Russell 3000 since BankRI`s NASDAQ listing in 1998.

"This is a significant achievement for Bancorp Rhode Island and a reflection of
the equity and strong reputation we have built as Rhode Island`s bank for
business," said BancorpRI`s President & CEO Merrill W. Sherman. "We are pleased
to join the ranks of the nation`s top companies and banking institutions. We
believe it validates our long-term business strategy of prudent risk-taking with
steady returns for our shareholders."

Membership in the Russell 3000 remains in place for one year. Russell annually
reconstitutes its family of indexes, ranking global and U.S. equities by
objective, total market capitalization and style attributes. BancorpRI`s
membership also means automatic inclusion in the Russell 2000 Index, a Russell
3000 subset representing small-cap securities. Russell indexes are widely used
by investment managers and investors as benchmarks for both conservative and
aggressive investment strategies. The list of stocks in the Russell 3000 is
compiled by Tacoma, Wash.-based Russell Investments, a subsidiary of
Northwestern Mutual.

For a list of the Russell 3000, methodology of reconstituting the Russell
Indexes and more, visit:
http://www.russell.com/indexes/membership/Reconstitution/

About BancorpRI

Bancorp Rhode Island, Inc. is the parent company of Bank Rhode Island, a
full-service, FDIC-insured, state-chartered financial institution. The Bank,
headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, operates 16 branches and more than 60
ATMs throughout Providence, Kent and Washington Counties. As of March 31, 2009,
BankRI has more than $1.5 billion in assets and $1.0 billion in deposits. For
more information, visit www.bankri.com.

This release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These
forward-looking statements represent the company's present expectations or
beliefs concerning future events. The company cautions that such statements are
necessarily based on certain assumptions which are subject to risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in general economic
conditions and changing competition which could cause actual future results to
differ materially from those indicated herein. Further information on these risk
factors is included in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

Bancorp Rhode Island, Inc.
Linda H. Simmons , 401-574-1652
Chief Financial Officer
simmonsl@bankri.com
or
Stephen Hourahan, 401-574-1541
SVP, Corporate Communications
shouraha@bankri.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009