Webster Launches Online Check Images

Mar 15, 2005

WATERBURY, Conn., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Webster Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS), announced it is providing online check images for consumers and small businesses. The new check image functionality is available to all customers at Webster's web site websteronline.com.

"One of Webster's key objectives is to provide more self-service access to the bank through its web site," said John Spear, senior vice president for retail development. "Online check imaging improves a customer's ability to monitor and verify transactions, making it easier to balance accounts and conduct both traditional and online banking."

With online check images, customers can view images of the front and back of checks and deposit slips. In the past, online customers could view the number of a check that cleared, but now they can confirm to whom they wrote the check, when they wrote it and when it was cleared. During the first twelve days following introduction of the functionality, customers viewed more than 80,000 check and deposit slip images.

Spear continued, "Again, Webster has 'Found a Way' to enhance the online banking experience for our customers. Our free online bill pay, our single sign-on access and now our online check imaging are reasons why our website is ranked in the top 25 in the United States by Gomez, and why more than half of Webster's customers who have a retail checking account have also enrolled in online banking services."

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, 290 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-                             03/15/2005
    /CONTACT:  Media: Meghan Thompson, +1-203-578-2287, or
mthompson@websterbank.com, or Investor: Terry Mangan, +1-203-578-2318, or
tmangan@websterbank.com, both of Webster Bank/
    /Web site:  http://www.websterbank.com
                http://www.websteronline.com /
    (WBS)

CO:  Webster Financial Corporation; Webster Bank, N.A.
ST:  Connecticut
IN:  FIN CPR MLM
SU:  PDT

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2609 03/15/2005 08:30 EST http://www.prnewswire.com