Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company and financial holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (BHC Act), incorporated under the laws of Delaware in 1986, and headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Its principal asset is all of the outstanding capital stock of Webster Bank.

The Company we, our, or us, mean Webster Financial Corporationdelivers a wide range of banking, investment, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company as defined under the BHC Act. The BHC Act generally limits the business of bank holding companies to banking, managing or controlling banks, and other activities that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto. Bank holding companies that have elected to become financial holding companies, such as Webster Financial Corporation, may engage in any activity, or acquire and retain the shares of a company engaged in any activity that is either (i) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity (as determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury) or (ii) complementary to a financial activity, and that does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system (as solely determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System). Activities that are financial in nature include securities underwriting and dealing, insurance underwriting, and making merchant banking investments.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires that any interchange transaction fee charged for a debit transaction be reasonable and proportional to the cost incurred by the issuer for the transaction, with new regulations that establish such fee standards, eliminate exclusivity arrangements between issuers and networks for debit card transactions, and limit restrictions on merchant discounting for use of certain payment forms and minimum or maximum amount thresholds as a condition for acceptance of credit cards. Under the Federal Reserve System's approved final debit card interchange rule pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, an issuer's base fee is capped at 21 cents per transaction and allows for an additional amount equal to 5 basis points of the transaction's value. The Federal Reserve System separately issued a final rule that also allows a fraud-prevention adjustment of 1 cent per transaction conditioned upon an issuer developing, implementing, and updating reasonably designed fraud-prevention policies and procedures.

The SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jointly issued final rules and guidelines implementing provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act which require certain regulated entities to establish programs to address risks of identity theft. The rules require financial institutions and creditors to develop and implement a written identity theft prevention program that is designed to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft in connection with certain existing accounts or the opening of new accounts. The rules include guidelines to assist entities in the formulation and maintenance of programs that would satisfy these requirements. In addition, the rules establish special requirements for any credit and debit card issuers that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC andor the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,CFTC, to assess the validity of notifications of changes of address under certain circumstances. Webster implemented an ID Theft Prevention Program, approved by its Board of Directors, to address the rules.in compliance with these requirements.

Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, commonly known as the Volcker Rule, restricts the ability of banking entities, such as Webster and Webster Bank, from: (i) engaging in proprietary trading and (ii) investing in or sponsoring certain covered funds, subject to certain limited exceptions. Under the Volcker Rule, the term covered funds is defined as any issuer that would be an investment company under the Investment Company Act but for the exemption in section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of that Act, which includes collateralized loan obligation securities (CLO) and collateralized debt obligation securities. There are also several exemptions from the definition of covered fund, including, among other things, loan securitizations, joint ventures, certain types of foreign funds, entities issuing asset-backed commercial paper, and registered investment companies. Compliance with the Volcker Rule provisions is generally required by July 21, 2017. Section 619 and the Federal Reserve’s implementing Regulation Y provides for a single compliance extension of up to five years for certain illiquid funds. Regulation Y, the Federal Reserve’s SR 16-18, dated December 9, 2016, and the Federal Reserve’s Statement of Policy Regarding Illiquid Fund Investments, dated December 12, 2016, provide details regarding how banking entities may seek extensions to conform their illiquid funds to the Volcker Rule. As noted in these releases, theThe Federal Reserve expects that the illiquid funds of banking entities will generally qualify for extensions, though extensions may not be granted in all cases. Webster submitted anapproved Webster's illiquid funds extension request, on January 13, 2017.thereby providing Webster has not yet received notice fromwith up to five additional years, to July 21, 2022, to bring such holdings into compliance with the Federal Reserve indicating whether Webster’s illiquid funds extension request has been granted.

The FHLBFederal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) System provides a central credit facility for member institutions. Webster Bank is a member of the FHLB of Boston. TheWebster Bank (the Bank) is required to purchase and hold shares of capital stock in the FHLB infor both membership and activity-based purposes. The capital stock requirement includes an amount equal to 0.35% of the aggregate principal amount of itsthe Bank's unpaid residential mortgage loans and similar obligations at the beginning of each year, up to a maximum of $25 million. The Bank is also required to hold shares of capital stock in the FHLB in amountsmillion, plus an amount that varyvaries from 3.0% to 4.5% of its advances, depending on the maturities of thoseits FHLB advances, which totaled approximately $2.8$1.8 billion at December 31, 2016.2018. Webster Bank was in compliance with these requirements, with a total investment in FHLB stock of $143.9$98.6 million at December 31, 2016.2018. On October 28, 2016,November 2, 2018, the FHLB declaredpaid a quarterly cash dividend equal to an annual yield of 3.80%5.87%.

Federal Reserve System policy requires bank holding companies to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to their subsidiary banks. Section 616 of the Dodd-Frank Act codified the requirement that bank holding companies act as a source of financial strength. As a result, Webster Financial Corporation is expected to commit resources to support Webster Bank, including at times when Webster Financial Corporation may not be in a financial position to provide such resources. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to any of its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary banks. The U.S. bankruptcy code provides that, in the event of a bank holding company's bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment. In addition, under the National Bank Act, if the capital stock of Webster Bank is impaired by losses, or otherwise, the OCC is authorized to require payment of the deficiency by assessment upon the Holding Company. If the assessment is not paid within three months, the OCC could order a sale of the Webster Bank stock held by Webster Financial Corporation to cover any deficiency.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act provides that, in the event of the liquidation or other resolution of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution, including the claims of the FDIC as subrogee of insured depositors, and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver, will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution. If an insured depository institution fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non-deposit creditors, including the parent bank holding company, with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to such insured depository institution.

Webster Bank has a responsibility under the CRA, as implemented by OCC regulations to help meet the credit needs of its communities, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution's discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community, consistent with the CRA. In connection with its examination, thecommunity. The OCC assessesexamines Webster Bank's record of compliance with the CRA. In addition, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination in lending practices on the basis of characteristics specified in those statutes. Webster Bank's failure to comply with the provisions of the CRA could, at a minimum, result in regulatory restrictions on its activities and the activities of Webster.Webster Financial Corporation. Webster Bank's failure to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act could result in enforcement actions against it by the OCC, as well as other federal regulatory agencies, including the CFPB and the Department of Justice. Webster Bank's latest OCC CRA rating was Satisfactory.Outstanding.

Under Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act, all financial institutions are required to take certain measures to identify their customers, prevent money laundering, monitor customer transactions, and report suspicious activity to U.S. law enforcement agencies. Financial institutions also are required to respond to requests for information from federal banking regulatory authoritiesagencies and law enforcement agencies. Information sharing among financial institutions for the above purposes is encouraged by an exemption granted to complying financial institutions from the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and other privacy laws. Financial institutions that hold correspondent accounts for foreign banks or provide private banking services to foreign individuals are required to take measures to avoid dealing with certain foreign individuals or entities, including foreign banks with profiles that raise money laundering concerns, and are prohibited from dealing with foreign "shell banks" and persons from jurisdictions of particular concern. The primary federal banking regulatorsagencies and the Secretary of the Treasury have adopted regulations to implement several of these provisions. All financial institutions also are required to establish internal anti-money laundering programs. The effectiveness of a financial institution in combating money laundering activities is a factor to be considered in any application submitted by the financial institution under the Bank Merger Act. Webster has in place a Bank Secrecy Act and USA PATRIOT Act compliance program and engages in very few transactions of any kind with foreign financial institutions or foreign persons.

The United States government has imposed economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, nationals, and others. These are typically known as the "OFAC" rules based on their administration by the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control. The Office of Foreign Assets Control-administered sanctions targeting countries take many different forms. Generally, they contain one or more of the following elements: (i) restrictions on trade with or investment in a sanctioned country, including prohibitions against direct or indirect imports from and exports to a sanctioned country and prohibitions on U.S. persons engaging in financial transactions relating to making investments in, or providing investment-related advice or assistance to, a sanctioned country; and (ii) a blocking of assets in which the government or specially designated nationals of the sanctioned country have an interest, by prohibiting transfers of property subject to U.S. jurisdiction (including property in the possession or control of U.S. persons). Blocked assets (property and bank deposits) cannot be paid out, withdrawn, set off, or transferred in any manner without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences.

Considering the recent changes in administrationFederal and controlling party in the United States, Congress, state legislatures andmay introduce legislation that will impact the financial regulatoryservices industry. In addition, federal banking agencies are expected tomay introduce various legislative and regulatory initiatives that are likely to impact the financial services industry, generally. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and/or depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Company in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities, or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Company cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it or any implementing regulations would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company. A change in statutes, regulations, or regulatory policies applicable to Webster or any of its subsidiaries could have a material effect on the business of the Company.

Webster’sWebster takes a comprehensive approach to risk management with a defined enterprise risk management framework which provides a structured approach for identifying, assessing and managing risks across the Company in a coordinated manner, including strategic and reputational, risks, as well as, credit, information security and technology, operational and compliance, market, liquidity, capital, and operational and compliancecapital risks as discussed in detail in the sections below.

Market risk refers to the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, and other relevant market rates and prices, such as equity prices. The risk of loss is assessed from the perspective of adverse changes in fair values, cash flows, and future earnings. Due to the nature of its operations, Webster is primarily exposed to interest rate risk. Webster's interest rate sensitivity is monitored on an ongoing basis by its ALCO.Asset/Liability Committee (ALCO). The primary goal of ALCO is to manage interest rate risk to maximize earnings and net economic value in changing interest rate and business environments, subject to Board approved risk limits. ALCO is chaired by Webster's Corporate Treasurer and members include the Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer. ALCO activities and findings are regularly reported to the ERMC and Risk Committee of the Board of Directors.

Webster aims to maintain adequate capital in both normal and stressed environments to support its business objectives and risk appetite. ALCO monitors regulatory and tangible capital levels according to regulatory requirements and management operating ranges and recommends capital conservation, generation, and/or deployment strategies. ALCO also has responsibility for the annual capital plan, capital ratio range setting, contingency planning and stress testing, which are all reviewed and approved by the ERMC and Risk Committee of the Board of Directors, at least annually.

The business environment and financial markets in the U.S. hashave experienced volatility in recent years and may continue to do so for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that economic conditions will not worsen. Difficult economic conditions could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

A significant percentage of our mortgage loans are secured by real estate, inprimarily across the State of Connecticut.Northeast. Our success depends in part upon economic conditions in thisSouthern New England and our other geographic markets. Adverse changes in such local markets could reduce our growth in loans and deposits, impair our ability to collect our loans, increase problem loans and charges-offs, and otherwise negatively affect our performance and financial condition.

Our ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services companies are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, mutual and hedge funds, and other institutional clients. As a result, defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services companies, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated if the collateral held by us cannot be realized or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the loan or derivative exposure due us. There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are a separate and distinct legal entity from our banking and non-banking subsidiaries and depend on the payment of cash dividends from Webster Bank and our existing liquid assets as the principal sources of funds for paying cash dividends on our common stock. Unless we receive dividends from Webster Bank or choose to use our liquid assets, we may not be able to pay dividends. Webster Bank’s ability to pay dividends is subject to its ability to earn net income and to meet certain regulatory requirements. See the sub-section captioned "Dividends" in Item 1 of this report for a discussion of regulatory and other restrictions on dividend declarations.

Our consolidated earnings and financial condition are dependent to a large degree upon net interest income, which is the difference between interest earned from loans and investments and interest paid on deposits and borrowings. The narrowing of interest rate spreads could adversely affect our earnings and financial condition. We cannot predict with certainty or control changes in interest rates. Regional and local economic conditions and the policies of regulatory authorities, including monetary policies of the FRB, affect interest income and interest expense. While we have ongoing policies and procedures designed to manage the risks associated with changes in market interest rates, changes in interest rates still may have an adverse effect on our profitability. For example, high interest rates could affect the amount of loans that we can originate because higher rates could cause customers to apply for fewer mortgages, or cause depositors to shift funds from accounts that have a comparatively lower cost to accounts with a higher cost, or experience customer attrition due to competitor pricing. If the cost of interest-bearing deposits increases at a rate greater than the yields on interest-earning assets increase, net interest income will be negatively affected. Changes in the asset and liability mix may also affect net interest income. Similarly, lower interest rates cause higher yielding assets to prepay and floating or adjustable rate assets to reset to lower rates. If we arewere not able to reduce our funding costs sufficiently, due to either competitive factors or the maturity schedule of existing liabilities, then our net interest margin would decline.

General market fluctuations, industry factors and general economic and political conditions and events, such as economic slowdowns or recessions, interest rate changes, credit loss trends or currency fluctuations, could also cause our stock price to decrease regardless of our operating results.

While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent any such violations, there can be no assurance that such violations will not occur. See the section captioned "Supervision and Regulation" in Item 1 of this report for further information.

The nature of our business ordinarily results in a certain amount of claims and legal action. Whether claims and related legal actions are founded or unfounded, if such claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to us they may result in significant financial liability and/or adversely affect our market perception, the products and services we offer, as well as impact customer demand for those products and services. We assess our liabilities and contingencies in connection with outstanding legal proceedings as well as certain threatened claims utilizing the latest and most reliable information. For matters where a loss is not probable or the amount of the loss cannot be estimated, no accrual is established. For matters where it is probable we will incur a loss and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we establish an accrual for the loss. Once established, the accrual is adjusted periodically to reflect any relevant developments. The actual cost of any outstanding legal proceedings or threatened claims, however, may turn out to be substantially higher than the amount accrued. These costs may adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

A large portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate. In the course of our business, we may foreclose and take title to real estate and could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties. We may be held liable to a government entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination, or may be required to clean up hazardous or toxic substances, or chemical releases at a property. The costs associated with investigation and remediation activities could be substantial. In addition, if we are the owner or former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. These costs and claims could adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

Failure to perform in any of these areas could significantly weaken our competitive position, which could adversely affect our growth and profitability, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to attract and retain key people. Competition for the best people in most activities in which we engage can be intense and we may not be able to hire people or to retain them. The unexpected loss of services of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse impact on the business because we would lose their skills, knowledge of the market, years of industry experience and may have difficulty promptly finding qualified replacement personnel.

The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology can increase efficiency and enable financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. However, some new technologies needed to compete effectively result in incremental operating costs and capital investments. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in operations. Many of our competitors, because of their larger size and available capital, have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers within the same time frame as our large competitors. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse impact on our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time, we may implement new lines of business, offer new products and services within existing lines of business or shift our asset mix. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. In developing and marketing new lines of business and/or new products and services and/or shifting asset mix, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business and/or new products or services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove attainable. External factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives, and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. Furthermore, any new line of business and/or new product or service could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely on third-party vendors to provide products and services necessary to maintain day-to-day operations. For example, we are dependent on our vendor-provided core banking processing systems to process a large number of increasingly complex transactions. Accordingly, we are exposed to the risk that these vendors might not perform in accordance with the contracted arrangements or service level agreements because of changes in the vendor’s organizational structure, financial condition, support for existing products, services and technology strategic focus or for any other reason. Such failure to perform could be disruptive to our operations, which could have a materially adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. While we require third-party outsourced service providers to have business continuity and disaster recovery plans that are aligned with our overall recovery plans, we cannot be assured that such plans will operate successfully or in a timely manner so as to prevent any such material adverse impact.

Management regularly reviews and updates our internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures. Any system of controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of theour controls and procedures, failure to implement any necessary improvement of our controls and procedures, or failure to comply with regulations related to controls and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Acquisitions typically involve the payment of a premium over book and market values, and therefore, some dilution of the Corporation’sCompany’s tangible book value and net income per common share may occur in connection with any future transaction. Furthermore, failure to realize the expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases in geographic or product presence, and/or other projected benefits from an acquisition could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’sCompany’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a financial institution, we are inherently exposed to operational risk in the form of theft and other fraudulent activity by employees, customers, and other third parties targeting the CorporationCompany or the Corporation’sCompany’s customers or data. Such activity may take many forms, including check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud, phishing, social engineering and other dishonest acts. Although we devote substantial resources to maintaining effective policies and internal controls to identify and prevent such incidents, given the increasing sophistication of possible perpetrators, we may experience financial losses or reputational harm as a result of fraud.

Our business is subject to periodic fluctuations based on national and local economic conditions. These fluctuations are not predictable, cannot be controlled and may have a material adverse impact on our operations and financial condition. For example, declines in housing activity including declines in building permits, housing starts and home prices, may make it more difficult for our borrowers to sell their homes or refinance their debt. Sales may also slow, which could strain the resources of real estate developers and builders. We may suffer higher loan and lease losses as a result of these factors and the resulting impact on our borrowers. Recent economic uncertainty continues toA declining economy could negatively affect employment levels and impact the ability of our borrowers to service their debt. Bank regulatory agencies also periodically review our allowance for loan and lease losses and may require an increase in the provision for loan and lease losses or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on judgments different than those of management. In addition, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance for loan and lease losses, we may need, depending on an analysis of the adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses, additional provisions to increase the allowance for loan and lease losses. Any increases in the allowance for loan and lease losses will result in a decrease in net income and, possibly, capital, and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Applicable accountingAccounting standards require that the purchase method of accounting be used for all business combinations. Under purchase accounting, if the purchase price of an acquired company exceeds the fair value of the acquired company’s net assets, the excess is carried on the acquirer's balance sheet as goodwill.goodwill, by the acquirer. A significant decline in our expected future cash flows, a continuing period of market disruption, market capitalization to book value deterioration, or slower growth rates may require us to record charges in the future related to the impairment of our goodwill or intangible assets.goodwill. If we were to conclude that a future write-down is necessary, we would record the appropriate charge, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

To the extent that any portion of the unrealized losses in our portfolio of investment securities portfolio is determined to be OTTI,other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI), we will recognize a charge to our earnings in the quarter during which such determination is made and our capital ratios will be adversely impacted. If any such charge is deemed significant, a rating agency might downgrade our credit rating or put us on a credit watch. A downgrade or a significant reduction in our capital ratios might adversely impact our ability to access the capital markets or might increase our cost of capital. Even if we do not determine that the unrealized losses associated with the investment portfolio require an impairment charge, increases in such unrealized losses adversely impact the tangible common equity ratio, which may adversely impact credit rating agency and investor sentiment. Any such negative perception also may adversely impact our ability to access the capital markets or might increase our cost of capital.

The Commercial Banking segment maintains offices across a footprint that primarily ranges from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. Significant properties include:are located in: Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; New York City and White Plains, New York; Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; and Providence, Rhode Island.

The HSA Bank segment is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with an office in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.