WATERBURY, Conn., July 1, 2010 – Webster Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS), announced that its Customer Care Center will now operate 15 hours a day, seven days a week with specialists ready to serve customers from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 800-325-2424, effective today.
Expanded hours and seven day service at the Customer Care Center is the latest in a series of steps Webster is taking to provide consumers and businesses the region’s best service quality under Webster’s new ‘Expect It’ theme in its advertising. In April Webster announced expanded hours across its branch network, with 89 branches now operating from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“Offering customers greater convenience is a key component of our commitment to provide high-quality personal service,” said Webster Chairman and CEO James C. Smith. “We intend to be there for our customers when they need us.”
Since the year began, Webster has added 150 full and part-time bankers in sales and service to work in Webster’s branches, Customer Care Center, and small business banking in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Westchester County, N.Y. “Customers have quickly come to enjoy the convenience of longer branch hours, and we expect they will appreciate having access to the Customer Care Center every day of the week from early in the morning into the late evening,” Smith said.
Webster’s four-state branch network will also be open two additional days in 2010, including Columbus Day (October 11) and Veterans Day (November 11), as well as a third day for Rhode Island branches on Victory Day (August 9).
In addition to expanded hours, Webster also announced that it intends to expand its business lending from $450 million to more than $850 this year in order to stimulate economic growth and job creation across Webster’s four-state region. “Webster is committed to helping finance the region’s economic recovery and has added the personnel and resources to do so,” Smith said.
Serving businesses, consumers, and governmental entities stretching from Boston’s financial district across southeastern and Springfield, Mass., Rhode Island, Connecticut and through Westchester County in New York, Webster Bank delivers the full suite of financial products and services of a big bank with the personal service of a local bank.
Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, National Association. With $18.0 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, financial planning, trust and investment services through 181 banking offices, 500 ATMs, telephone banking and the Internet. Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation, Webster Capital Finance, Inc., an equipment finance company headquartered in Farmington, Conn., and provides health savings account trustee and administrative services through HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank. Member FDIC and equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at www.websterbank.com.
Media Contact:
Ed Steadham, 203-578-2287
esteadham@websterbank.com
Investor Contact:
Terry Mangan, 203-578-2318
tmangan@websterbank.com