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Westfield Bank's Security Officer to Appear on CBS News Program 60 Minutes
[November 26, 2014]

Westfield Bank's Security Officer to Appear on CBS News Program 60 Minutes


WESTFIELD, Mass. --(Business Wire)--

Westfield Bank (the "Bank"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Westfield Financial, Inc. (NasdaqGS:WFD), announced that Linda Swartz, Vice President of Security and Fraud Investigations, is scheduled to appear on the CBS News program "60 Minutes" on Sunday, November 30, 2014. While recently attending the Cyber Crime Symposium hosted by Sage Data Security in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Linda was interviewed by Bill Whitaker of "60 Minutes" on the topics of cyber fraud, the increasing merchant data breaches and what effect these cyber-crimes are having on the banking industry. Ms. Swartz was delighted to participate in the interview and stated, "Cyber fraud and data breaches are extremely serious issues that affect all of us each and every day. Banks, merchants and all businesses and entities should work together to ensure the security of our customer information to help prevent anyone from falling victim to identity theft. We can accomplish this through information sharing and education on these critical security issues."

Ms. Swartz became the Security and Fraud Invstigations Officer of Westfield Bank in 2008. Ms. Swartz is active in the security and fraud investigations field, most notably serving as Secretary of the New England Chapter of the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators ("IAFCI") and as a Board Member of the Cyber Fraud Industry Group. Ms. Swartz is an accomplished presenter in the area of security and has testified before the Massachusetts State Judiciary Committee on the issue of bank robbery legislation in addition to holding speaking engagements at multiple conferences across the country. Ms. Swartz holds several industry certifications in the security field, including Certified Financial Crime Investigator ("CFCI") and Certified Cyber Crime Investigator ("CCCI") with the IAFCI.



About Westfield Financial and Westfield Bank

Westfield Financial, Inc. is a Massachusetts-chartered stock holding company and the parent company of Westfield Bank, Elm Street Securities Corporation, WFD Securities, Inc. and WB Real Estate Holdings, LLC. Westfield Financial and its subsidiaries are headquartered in Westfield, Massachusetts and operate through 13 full-service banking offices located in Agawam, East Longmeadow, Feeding Hills, Holyoke, Southwick, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield, Massachusetts, Granby and Enfield Connecticut, and one Residential Loan Center in western Massachusetts.


Westfield Bank is a full-service community bank offering the products, services and conveniences of a big bank in a local and personalized way. Westfield Bank is able to meet the needs of retail banking customers from childhood to retirement, and business customers small and large. Westfield Bank is accessible 24-7 online at www.westfieldbank.com or by calling 413-568-1911 or 800-995-5734.


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