SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At its meeting held on November 16, 2005, the Board of Directors of Popular, Inc. (NYSE:BPOP) declared a cash dividend of $0.16 per common share. The dividend is payable on January 2, 2006, to shareholders of record on December 9, 2005. Popular, Inc. is a full-service financial services provider with operations in Puerto Rico, the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. As the leading financial institution in Puerto Rico, with over 280 branches and offices, the Corporation offers retail and commercial banking services through its banking subsidiary, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, as well as investment banking, auto and equipment leasing and financing, mortgage loans, consumer lending, insurance, and information processing through specialized subsidiaries. In the United States, the Corporation has established the largest Hispanic-owned financial services franchise, providing complete financial solutions to all the communities it serves. Banco Popular North America operates over 135 branches in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Florida. The Corporation's consumer finance subsidiary in the United States, Popular Financial Holdings, operates nearly 200 retail lending locations, offering mortgage and personal loans, and also maintains a substantial wholesale broker network, a warehouse lending division, loan servicing, and an asset acquisitions unit. The Corporation continues to use its expertise in technology and electronic banking as a competitive advantage in its Caribbean and Latin America expansion, through its financial transaction processing company, EVERTEC. The Corporation is exporting its 112 years of experience through the region, while continuing its commitment to meet the needs of retail and business clients through innovation, and to fostering growth in the communities it serves. Popular is ranked among FORTUNE magazine's 2005 100 Best Companies to Work For. An electronic version of this release can be found at the Corporate website, http://www.popularinc.com/ . DATASOURCE: Popular, Inc. CONTACT: Jorge A. Junquera, Chief Financial Officer, Senior Executive Vice President, +1-787-754-1685, or Teruca Rullan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, +1-787-281-5170, or +1-917-679-3596, both of Popular, Inc. Web site: http://www.popularinc.com/

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