Waterbury, Conn.-based Webster Bank said it plans to hire 150 full- and part-time employees in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Westchester County, N.Y.

The jobs will be added to the bank’s retail branches and its Wallingford, Conn. Customer Care Center.

"Webster is poised to grow in 2010 as we finance our regional economic recovery," said James C. Smith, Webster chairman and CEO. "In order to achieve our goal of increasing lending to small- and medium-sized businesses by $400 million this year, we have a growing need for individuals who share our passion for high-quality personal service and our mission to help families and businesses reach their financial goals. We are especially interested in bankers who are experienced in sales of financial products and services and in small business banking."

Webster has scheduled four job fairs to fill the positions.