Ms. Lynda Hamilton Named Washington State Financial Services Champion of the Year

OLYMPIA, Wash., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Heritage Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: HFWA), the bank holding company for Heritage Bank and Central Valley Bank, today announced that Ms. Lynda (Lyn) Hamilton, Vice President and SBA Loan Manager with Heritage Bank was named Washington State Financial Services Champion of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA").

The U.S. Small Business Administration's 2010 Financial Services Champion has a long history of supporting small business owners' quests for capital.  Ms. Hamilton has dedicated 24 years of her life to being an entrepreneurial educator and advocator for small business.  Her career at SBA encompassed everything from reviewing loan applications to providing financial counseling to applicants.  She came to work at Heritage in 2007 to manage the SBA Loan Department.  Ms. Hamilton has been a prominent leader in SBA lending and with her initiatives has substantially increased SBA lending at Heritage Bank.

For years, Ms. Hamilton has provided outreach and created funding opportunities for small businesses, designing strategies and approaches to better serve the changing needs of entrepreneurs.  Her impact on the lending community has boosted loans for small businesses to start, expand and grow, and as a result she has assisted with continual job creation all over the Puget Sound region.

Mr. Brian Vance, President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Financial Corporation stated that, "SBA lending has been a pivotal product line enhancing loan growth during these difficult economic times and we are fortunate to have Lyn Hamilton as Heritage Bank's SBA Loan Manager.  Due to Lyn's knowledge and passion for obtaining lending for SBA borrowers her efforts have proven to be a great success for the borrowers, the Bank and for the community."

Heritage Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Olympia, Washington which operates two community banks, Heritage Bank and Central Valley Bank.  Heritage Bank serves Pierce, Thurston, Mason and South King Counties in the South Puget Sound region of Washington through its fourteen full-service banking offices and its Online Banking Website www.HeritageBankWA.com.  Central Valley Bank serves Yakima and Kittitas Counties in central Washington through its six full-service banking offices and its Online Banking Website www.CVBankWa.com. Additional information about Heritage Financial Corporation is available on its Internet Website www.HF-WA.com.

SOURCE Heritage Financial Corporation