Oliver R. Sockwell Jr. Elected to Wilmington Trust BoardOliver R. Sockwell Jr. Elected to Wilmington Trust Board (Photo: Wilming

  
    
  
  
    
      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.