WATERBURY, Conn., Apr 2, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Webster Financial Corporation
(Nasdaq: WBST), the holding company for Webster Bank, announced today the
appointment of Dr. Nicholas Perna as economic advisor.
Perna will assist Webster to assess Connecticut, national and international
economic developments.
Perna is the chief economist and managing director of Perna Associates, a
consulting firm that specializes in economic analysis, forecasting and strategy.
Prior to founding this company, he was chief economist for Fleet Financial
Group, a position he previously held with Shawmut Bank and Connecticut National
Bank. Perna has also served as economist for General Electric and the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York, and the President's Council of Economic Advisers.
Businessweek and The Wall Street Journal have cited him as one of the top
economic forecasters in the United States.
Perna received a Ph.D in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and has been a faculty member at Williams College and New York
University's Stern School of Business. He currently teaches a course on banking
at Yale University.
"We are delighted to have Nick Perna on our team," said James C. Smith, Webster
Financial Corporation's chairman and chief executive officer. "He is among the
leading business economists in the United States, held in high regard by
business leaders, the media and his colleagues."
Webster President and Chief Operating Officer William T. Bromage said, "Nick is
the best banking economist I have ever worked with. As we execute our strategic
plan and continue to pursue growth opportunities, Nick will bring that rarest
and most valuable commodity of all to the table: wisdom. We and our customers
seek a competitive edge, and that's exactly what Nick provides."
Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank. With $12
billion in assets, Connecticut-based Webster Bank provides business and consumer
banking, mortgage, insurance, trust and investment services through more than
100 banking offices, 210 ATMs and the Internet (www.websterbank.com). Webster
Financial Corporation is majority owner of Chicago-based Duff & Phelps, LLC, a
leader in financial advisory services, and Webster Bank owns Center Capital
Corporation, an equipment leasing and financing company headquartered in
Farmington, Connecticut and Webster Trust Company, N.A.
For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest
Annual Report, visit the Webster Bank web site at www.websterbank.com.
CONTACT: Webster Financial Corporation
Clark Finley, 203/578-2429
cfinley@websterbank.com
or
Dr. Nicholas Perna, 203/431-1757