BPOP Popular Inc

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) announced today, following its annual stockholders meeting, that shareholders approved the reelection of three directors and four proposals by the Board of Directors with strong majorities. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard L. Carrion was reelected as Class I director for a three-year term with 87.41 percent of the shares voted in favor; Juan Bermudez was reelected as Class I director for a three-year term with 88.07 percent of the shares voted in favor; and Francisco Rexach was reelected to serve as Class I director for a three-year term with 81.54 percent of the shares voted in favor. In addition, shareholders approved a proposal to authorize the Board of Directors to increase the number of shares of common stock from 470,000,000 to 700,000,000 with 79.29 percent of outstanding shares in favor and a proposal to amend the par value of the common stock from $6 per share to $0.01 per share with 78.66 percent of outstanding shares in favor. Shareholders also approved the overall executive compensation policies and procedures with 93.68 of the shares voted in favor and ratified the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Corporation for 2009 with 95.32 percent of the shares voted in favor. For more information, visit http://www.popular.com/. Popular, Inc. is a full service financial services provider based in Puerto Rico with operations in Puerto Rico, the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. As the leading financial institution in Puerto Rico, with 240 branches and offices, the Corporation offers retail and commercial banking services through its principal banking subsidiary, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, as well as auto and equipment leasing and financing, mortgage loans, investment banking, broker-dealer and insurance services through specialized subsidiaries. In the United States, the Corporation operates Banco Popular North America (BPNA), including its wholly owned subsidiary E-LOAN. BPNA is a community bank providing a broad range of financial services and products to the communities it serves. BPNA operates branches in New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey and Florida. E-LOAN markets deposit accounts under its name for the benefit of BPNA and offers loan customers the option of being referred to a trusted consumer lending partner. The Corporation, through its transaction processing company, EVERTEC, continues to use its expertise in technology as a competitive advantage in its expansion throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as internally servicing many of its subsidiaries' system infrastructures and transactional processing businesses. The Corporation is exporting its 115 years of experience through these regions while continuing its commitment to meet the needs of retail and business clients through innovation and to foster growth in the communities it serves. Contact: Investor Relations: Jorge A. Junquera Chief Financial Officer Senior Executive Vice President 787-754-1685 Media Relations: Teruca Rullan Senior Vice President Corporate Communications 787-281-5170 or 917-679-3596 (mobile) DATASOURCE: Popular, Inc. CONTACT: Investors: Jorge A. Junquera, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, +1-787-754-1685, or Media: Teruca Rullan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, +1-787-281-5170, or +1-917-679-3596 (mobile), both of Popular Web site: http://www.popular.com/

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