Hingham Institution for Savings: Special Dividend & Quarterly Dividend Decla

In addition to the regular quarterly dividend, Hingham’s Board of Directors announced that it will pay a special dividend of $0.21 per share. This special dividend will also be paid on January 22, 2008 to stockholders of record as of January 10, 2008.

Robert H. Gaughen, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, stated, “Recent declines in short-term rates continue to present a more encouraging operating environment. This fifty-sixth consecutive quarterly dividend and the thirteenth consecutive annual special dividend communicates our continued confidence in our basic strategies.”

Hingham Institution for Savings is a Massachusetts-chartered savings bank located in Hingham, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1834, it is the oldest financial institution headquartered in Hingham and one of the oldest in the Commonwealth. The Bank’s main offices are located on Main Street, Hingham, Massachusetts 02043, phone (781) 749-2200. The Bank also maintains branch offices in South Hingham and the neighboring towns of Cohasset, Hull, Scituate, Weymouth and a recently opened branch in the South End of Boston.

The Bank’s shares of common stock are listed and traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol HIFS.