Webster Names Theresa M. Messina Chief Accounting Officer

WATERBURY, Conn., Jan. 15  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS), the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A., announced today that Theresa M. Messina has joined the Company as Chief Accounting Officer. In this capacity, she will serve as the Company's principal accounting officer and have responsibility for all accounting and treasury operations.  Messina will report directly to Jerry Plush, Webster's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer/Chief Risk Officer.

Messina was most recently at Fannie Mae, where she worked since 2006 directing all aspects of strategic operations involving more than 18 million single-family residential mortgages with a total balance in excess of $3 trillion. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, she was a partner in audit and advisory services at Ernst & Young in New York City between 2000 and 2006. From 1995 to 1998, she was Senior Vice President for operations at Fidelity Management Trust Co., in Boston, where she managed daily operations for the institutional business and directed a staff of more than 300.

"Terri brings a wealth of experience in financial services," Plush said.  "She has held important senior management roles in diverse and complex financial organizations in addition to her role at a major public accounting firm.  As a member of our executive team, Webster will benefit from her strong interpersonal and leadership skills and her depth and breadth of experience."

Messina is a graduate of Lehigh University and has a MBA in corporate finance from St. Joseph's University.  She is a Certified Public Accountant and is licensed in New York and Pennsylvania.

Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, National Association. With $17.8 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, financial planning, trust and investment services through 181 banking offices, 492 ATMs, telephone banking and the Internet.  Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation, Center Capital Corporation, 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 http://www.websterbank.com/.

Forward looking statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could differ materially from management expectations, projections and estimates. Factors that could cause future results to vary from current management expectations include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, legislative and regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government, changes in tax policies, rates and regulations of federal, state and local tax authorities, changes in interest rates, deposit flows, the cost of funds, demand for loan products, demand for financial services, competition, changes in the quality or composition of our loan and investment portfolios, changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines, and other economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Some of these and other factors are discussed in the annual and quarterly reports of Webster Financial Corporation previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such developments, or any combination thereof, could have an adverse impact on the company's financial position and results of operations. Except as required by law, Webster does not undertake to update any such forward looking statements. 

DATASOURCE: Webster Financial Corporation



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Web Site:  http://www.websterbank.com/ 

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