Webster Appoints Michelle Crecca to be Executive Vice President, Consumer Lending

Sep 13, 2006

WATERBURY, Conn., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS), the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A., announced today the appointment of Michelle Crecca as executive vice president, consumer lending, responsible for leading Webster's consumer lending practice.

"Webster is very pleased to welcome Michelle Crecca to the Webster team," stated Webster President and Chief Operating Officer William T. Bromage. "We know that her wide-ranging skills and experience in the home equity business will be a significant asset to our consumer lending operations."

For the past seven years, Crecca worked in various positions at CITIGROUP in Stamford, CT. Most recently, she was Managing Director, Retail Business for Citi Home Equity. At Citi Home Equity, she was responsible for the performance of a major business line with a strategic and marketing focus on growing Citi Home's business. She also was responsible for successful cross sales initiatives using new avenues of distribution. Prior to that position, Crecca was a Vice President, Channel Director for the Smith Barney Home Equity Cross Sell Program and a Vice President, Director of E-Commerce for The Student Loan Corporation.

Crecca earned a B.A. in Political Science and Hispanic Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and an M.B.A. from New York University.

Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, National Association and Webster Insurance. With $18.0 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, insurance, financial planning, trust and investment services through 160 banking offices, 308 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., Center Capital Corporation, an equipment finance company headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut and provides health savings account trustee and administrative services through HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank.

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
Clark Finley
203-578-2287
cfinley@websterbank.com
or
Investor Contact
Terry Mangan
203-578-2318
tmangan@websterbank.com

SOURCE Webster Financial Corporation