Webster earnings rise

Webster Financial Corp. and banking subsidiary Webster Bank, based in Waterbury, Conn., reported earnings rose to $40.6 million, or 44 cents per share, for the quarter ended June 30, up from $33.4 million, or 36 cents per share, a year earlier.

Together, commercial loans and commercial real estate loans generated by the bank were up $467 million, or 9 percent, from a year ago.

There was continued improvement in asset quality, including a 5.8 percent reduction in nonperforming assets and a 12 percent decline in commercial classified loans, both compared to the quarter ended March 31, and reductions of 30 percent and 36 percent from a year ago.