Webster CEO To Make Presentation at Investor Conference

Feb 23, 2005

WATERBURY, Conn., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS) announced today that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, James C. Smith, will be making a presentation at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 2005 Regional Bank Conference on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 from 1:20 P.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Presentation slides and a link to the live webcast will be available at Webster's Investor Relations website, http://www.wbst.com.

Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, National Association and Webster Insurance. With $17.0 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, insurance, financial planning, trust and investment services through 152 banking offices, 288 ATMs, telephone banking and the Internet. Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation, the insurance premium finance company Budget Installment Corp., and Center Capital Corporation, an equipment finance company headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at http://www.websteronline.com.

     Media Contact                            Investor Contact
     Meghan Thompson 203-578-2287             Terry Mangan 203-578-2318
     mthompson@websterbank.com                tmangan@websterbank.com


SOURCE  Webster Financial Corporation
    -0-                             02/23/2005
    /CONTACT:  Media Contact - Meghan Thompson, +1-203-578-2287,
mthompson@websterbank.com, or Investor Contact - Terry Mangan,
+1-203-578-2318, tmangan@websterbank.com, both of Webster Financial
Corporation/
    /Web site:  http://www.websterbank.com
                http://www.wbst.com
                http://www.websteronline.com /
    (WBS)

CO:  Webster Financial Corporation
ST:  Connecticut
IN:  FIN
SU:  TDS

EA
-- NYW154 --
0128 02/23/2005 14:52 EST http://www.prnewswire.com