Banker & Tradesman file photo

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares Inc. the holding company for Eastern Bank, has been added to the U.S. small-cap Russell 2000 Index and the U.S. broad-market Russell 3000 Index, as well as the appropriate growth and value style indexes, the bank said in a statement.

The Russell index changes were effective at the opening of the stock market on Dec. 21.

“Following our recent IPO just two months ago, we are very pleased to be added to these Russell indexes,” Bob Rivers, CEO and board chair of Eastern Bankshares, said in the statement. “This inclusion is an important milestone, and we believe it will increase awareness of Eastern Bankshares within the investment community and help to broaden our shareholder base.”

Russell indexes provide benchmarks for index funds and for investment managers and institutional investors to use when creating investment strategies. Approximately $9 trillion in assets are benchmarked against Russell’s US indexes, according to Eastern Bank’s statement.

The largest 1,000 companies included in the Russell 3000 Index are also part of the Russell 1000 Index, and the remaining companies make up the Russell 2000 Index.

Eastern Bank has more than 110 locations in Eastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The bank has approximately $15.5 billion in total assets.