EXHIBIT 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Webster Financial Corporation:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements No. 333-37530, 333-88021, 333-48548, 333-87508, 333-104871, 333-107263, 333-122344, 333-132068, 333-137951, 333-156419, 333-161604, 333-167161 and 333-183875 on Form S-8 and Registration Statements No. 333-37714, 333-60656, 333-67074, 333-71707, 333-100846 and 333-178642 on Form S-3 of Webster Financial Corporation of our reports dated February [28], 2014, with respect to the consolidated balance sheet of Webster Financial Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, which reports appear in the December 31, 2013 annual report on Form 10-K of Webster Financial Corporation.

/s/KPMG LLP

Hartford, Connecticut

February 28, 2014