From our humble beginnings 110 years ago in Puerto Rico , Banco Popular has had a clear mission: to bring financial services to underserved communities. Today, while our corporation has evolved into a complete financial services provider with an active presence in the most sophisticated markets of the Americas , we remain true to that mission and the values established more than a century ago.

In the U.S. mainland, Banco Popular’s strategic mission is to Become the Premier Community Bank in the Markets We Serve.

Wherever you find Banco Popular, you will find people ready to devote their energy and efforts to meet the needs of our communities and make dreams happen. At Banco Popular we welcome this challenge because we believe we are much more than a financial institution – we are a proud member and a reflection of every community we serve.

The well being of our community is as important as any of our business activities.

Beyond our banking products and services, Banco Popular gives back to the community through a donations and sponsorships program that focuses on education, financial literacy and economic development. We work to enrich the lives of our community members through the arts, cultural awareness and sports as a means to foster the spirit of achievement among our youth.

As a financial services company, we understand the importance of sound money management and financial independence. That is why we also support community development programs and initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and the integration of all sectors of the population into the banking mainstream.

Each member of the Banco Popular team is a DreamMaker whose mission is to make dreams happen. Last year, nearly half of our Banco Popular DreamMakers volunteered time helping individuals and community organizations. Volunteerism and commitment to community is one of the core leadership qualities we seek in each of our employees. Being engaged with the community is what we stand for.

Banco Popular has made a commitment to a group of national community partners through which DreamMakers across our five regions can make a difference.

Beginning in 2003, we increased the impact within the communities we serve by aligning our mission and our People with national partners who share our dreams. Whether becoming a mentor to an elementary school student, promoting financial literacy among high school students, or helping a budding entrepreneur with limited resources launch a new venture, our community partners – Acción, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Junior Achievement and Operation Hope – share our commitment to make dreams happen.

“My wish is that every one of our employees gets to experience the power of making a difference in the life of another person. At Banco Popular we are committed to facilitating that experience and creating the opportunity for every one of our DreamMakers to positively touch the life of another and be touched in return.”

Many exciting collaborative initiatives have already materialized out of our national partnership initiative, and we look forward to many more stories of success in the future.

Acción – Through our partnership with Acción, we support and strengthen “microenterprises,” the millions of small home-based and storefront businesses that enrich the communities where their owners live and work, but are often overlooked by the finance market. As a member of Accion’s national network, we provide entrepreneurs with access to capital, banking products, financial literacy and basic business training.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund - As part of our 110 anniversary celebration, Banco Popular North America partnered with international recording artist Marc Anthony to support Hispanic youth education with a special concert to benefit the Hispanic Scholarship Fund- the nation’s leading non-profit organization supporting the higher education of Hispanics.

Junior Achievement (JA) – In 2003, hundreds of our DreamMakers volunteered with JA to help educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, responsible business and economic development as a means to improve theirs and their communities’ quality of life. Through teaching the JA curriculum, DreamMakers mentor the business leaders of tomorrow where, through practical classroom experiences, students learn to manage a business venture.

Operation Hope – As a partner in Operation Hope’s “Banking on Our Future Across America” Program, our employees have access to more than 18,000 youth across the United States . DreamMakers volunteer to introduce program participants to finance and banking basics. With the support of these DreamMakers, students learn about account management, the importance of sound credit practices, and the long-term benefits of investing. Many of our DreamMakers have already collaborated as banker-teachers, bringing their positive message to children in Chicago , Los Angeles and New York .

Our goal of becoming the premier community bank in the markets we serve cannot be achieved without paying attention to the social and economic conditions of our regions. During 2003, we made contributions to more than 200 not-for-profit organizations across our five regions in the six states where we do business.

Following is a list of the most significant contributions made in each region.

California

• Contributed funds to the Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund, the New Horizons Family Center and the Buenanueva Foundation. These contributions helped provide scholarships to students, assistance to families in need of medical services and family education and childcare designed to help those in greatest need.
• Conducted the first series of “Popular People go to School” at Whittier Elementary School in support of Junior Achievement.
• Granted funds to the Korean American Service Center and the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles to support their efforts in the Korean American community.

Chicago

• Hosted seven Children’s Day events in different branches to provide entertainment for children while offering financial planning opportunities for their parents.
• Donated $25,000 to Aspire, an organization whose efforts are dedicated to providing adults with developmental disabilities, quality lifetime supports and opportunities to achieve their highest potential.
• Raised funds through a bowl-a-thon for Junior Achievement to benefit children in Chicago communities.

Florida

• Volunteered during Seniors First Week to remodel and upgrade senior citizens homes.
• Participated in annual Orange County Public Schools Education Fair by offering seminars to immigrant students.
• Sponsored Migrant Workers Youth education week for seventh consecutive year.
• Sponsored Hispanic Business Expo of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Houston

• Provided scholarship funds to benefit economically disadvantaged Hispanic children. Funds were granted to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Damas de Puerto Rico and Go Tejano Committee of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo.
• Contributed human and economic capital to SER-Jobs for Progress to support more than 100 people take English as a Second Language classes, thus reducing the employment barriers for underserved individuals.
• Conducted a series of “Buying Your First Home” mortgage seminars in Spanish to benefit customers that fit the Texas Wholesale Mortgage loan program.

New York / New Jersey

• Participated in Mortgage and Home Loan Program seminars, Women’s Health Issues education programs, SBA loan seminars, Anti-Predatory Lending Outreach and Education programs and FDIC Smart Money Education initiative.
• Conducted voter education and registration campaigns at all branches.
• Contributed funds to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities, Children Health Street Festival and Hispanic Federation.
• Delivered largest contribution to National Puerto Rican Day Parade Youth Scholarship Fund.
• Held Puerto Rican Arts exhibit at Rockefeller Center branch for second consecutive year.