BPOP Popular Inc

Region's Growth Success Marks One Year Conversion Anniversary of Kislak National Bank; Celebration to Take Place at New Hialeah De Novo Branch Opening MIAMI, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Popular North America (BPNA), one of the nation's premier community banks and a leading small business lender, today celebrated the opening of a de novo branch in Hialeah and the region's tremendous growth in the past year. The Bank highlighted its growth in loan volume from $562 million as of June 2005, to a total of $902 million of July 2006. The region's achievements come on the heels of the one year conversion anniversary of Kislak National Bank, completed in June of 2005. The South Florida region has contributed significantly to BPNA's overall growth. The Bank remains committed to accelerating expansion in this region with more branch openings and continued delivery of BPNA's SBA Express program, Construction Lending, Community Association Lending and Business Banking. The region's Community Association Lending has created a national platform expanding in more than 16 states to become the largest lender to community associations in the U.S. As of July 2006, the group has $370 million on the books, $260 million in deposits and $150 million in commitments. "Our ongoing expansion in South Florida is a result of the strong brand recognition we have had here for the last year, coupled with our drive to identify and meet our customer's needs and requests," said Roberto R. Herencia, President of Banco Popular North America. "We have a strong regional team, and we applaud their efforts and contribution to helping us reach a 30% increase since June 2005." As part of BPNA's strategy, the Bank remains strongly focused on small business lending and through March 31 -- the first six months of the federal 2005-2006 fiscal year -- Banco Popular's South Florida Region made 113 U.S. Small Business Administration's 7(a) loans with total volume of $39 million. Complementing these efforts, the Business Banking group has contributed a total of $19 million over the past six months, attributed to resources and loan offerings for working capital, lines of credit, equipment financing and asset based lending. In addition, construction lending in this region has undergone tremendous development and in the last 20 months, has grown from $0 to $386 million in loans. "Banco Popular offers customers the opportunity to partner with a community bank and tap into sophisticated products and services," said Israel Velasco, Region Executive, South Florida. "We remain committed to serving our communities and customers. Our team has created an infrastructure and culture solely focused on service delivery, which has really become our growth engine." BPNA opened its first branch in Miami in 2000. The Bank expanded its services and offerings within the region with the acquisition of Kislak National Bank in January 2005. As of August 2006, BPNA has 10 branches within Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties with plans to open a regional headquarters and a branch in November 2006 on Brickell Avenue in Miami. The region now represents 16% or more than $1 billion of BPNA's total assets of $12 billion. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place today at Banco Popular North America's new De Novo branch opening in Hialeah located on 1620 West 49th Street, Hialeah, Florida at 6:15pm. Mayor Julio Robaina will be joining Richard L. Carrion, Chairman and CEO of Popular, Inc., and Roberto R. Herencia, President of BPNA in the festivities. About Banco Popular: Banco Popular North America, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the leading community banks in the U.S. with 141 branches in the states of California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Its core businesses include retail and commercial banking services, mortgage and consumer lending, and investment services. Banco Popular was named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2005 by FORTUNE Magazine and ranks among the top 10 Small Business Administration lenders in the country. Banco Popular North America is a subsidiary of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP). For more information about Banco Popular North America, visit the company's Web site at http://www.bancopopular.com/. Contact: Juan Carlos Cruz VP Public Relations and Media 847-994-6442 DATASOURCE: Banco Popular CONTACT: Juan Carlos Cruz, VP Public Relations and Media, +1-847-994-6442, Web site: http://www.bancopopular.com/

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