SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At its meeting held on August 16, 2006, the Board of Directors of Popular, Inc. (NYSE:BPOP) declared a cash dividend of $0.16 per common share. The dividend is payable on October 2, 2006, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 8, 2006. 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, as well as 112 financial services stores under the name of Popular Cash Express. The Corporation's 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. PFH, through its newly acquired subsidiary E-Loan, provides online consumer direct lending to obtain mortgage, auto and home equity loans. 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. An electronic version of this release can be found at the Corporation website, http://www.popularinc.com/ . Visit our web site at 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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