BANCO POPULAR, 114 YEARS OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP “We believe that great companies make bold promises and keep them. This is the Banco Popular Community Promise. We know we contribute through caring enough to make a difference. We are inspired by the communities we serve and we are committed to them through volunteerism, charitable giving or financial services. It is in our DNA and giving to them is what we strive to do every day.” – Roberto R. Herencia, President, Popular North America.

Our strategic partnerships include:

• ACCION is a nonprofit, community based organization whose mission is to make access to capital a permanent resource for small business owners. By providing small or “micro” loans to men and women who may not have access to the traditional banking sector, ACCION helps build their businesses, increase their incomes, create additional employment and contribute to the economic revitalization of our communities. Through its partnership with ACCION, Banco Popular supports and strengthens millions of small home-based and storefront businesses that enrich the communities where their owners live and work.
• Junior Achievement educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Hundreds of Banco Popular employees volunteer with Junior Achievement to help educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, responsible business and economic development as a means to improve their lives and communities. By teaching the Junior Achievement curriculum, Banco Popular employees mentor the business leaders of tomorrow.
• Operation Hope’s mission is to eradicate poverty as we know it in our lifetime, through the provision of economic education and ownership, creating stakeholders in the underserved communities of America. As a partner in Operation Hope’s “Banking on Our Future Across America” program, Banco Popular employees volunteer to introduce program participants to finance and banking basics. With the support of these employee volunteers, students learned about account management, the importance of sound credit practices and the long-term benefits of investing.
• Banco Popular and DeVry University are committed to providing higher education opportunities to individuals in our communities  Banco Popular Dream Scholarships are currently offered in Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York and New Jersey.  Two DeVry programs are geared toward making the dream of a college education into a reality for low-income, minority students.  High School scholarships provide assistance to current high school seniors from select schools; the goal is to promote education and community outreach and provide a gateway for students to reach their fullest potential.  The adult program is unique in that it provides an educational opportunity for adult undergraduate candidates whose dedication and perseverance will enable them to pursue their education and contribute to our communities. In the 2006-2007 academic year, a total of 121 scholarships valued at $1 million were awarded.  To learn more, contact DeVry University at 1-800-683-6132 or online at www.devry.edu/bancopopular.
  
  

Partnerships with the Banco Popular Foundation: The Banco Popular Foundation, a wholly employee-funded philanthropic organization, in 2007 has awarded more than $500,000 in grants to 43 organizations across the U.S., marking a 25 percent increase from 2006’s award. This is the third grant distribution for the Banco Popular Foundation which shares the bank’s mission to strengthen the social and economic well-being of the communities it serves. These awards were made possible by the generosity of the bank´s employees called DreamMakers. Over the last three years, the Banco Popular Foundation has seen a dramatic increase in employee contributions. In 2007, 55%of our Banco Popular employee base contributed financially and each gift was matched by the Bank. Local organizations supported in 2007 include:

For more information on the Banco Popular Foundation, click here for the latest e-newsletter or  visit our latest press releases to hear more about this organizations here.

We live our community commitment:

Through our service program, our people invested hundreds of hours in local projects and initiatives.

On October 28, 2006, all around Banco Popular’s regions, 719 DreamMakers came out and contributed over 2,349 hours to Make a Difference in the communities we serve.

• New York Metro’s 226 volunteers, including family and friends, contributed 725 hours
• Central Florida’s 120 DreamMakers contributed 367.5 hours
• South Florida’s 20 volunteers provided 60 hours
• Illinois’ 242 volunteers served 669 hours
• Texas’ 26 volunteers worked a total of 103 hours
• California’s 70 volunteers donated 265 hours
• Popular Leasing USA’s 16 DreamMakers contributed more than 160 hours

Making our community promise happen
Wherever you find Banco Popular, you will find people ready to devote their energy and efforts to meet the needs of our communities. To support our promise:

• Full-time DreamMakers may take 16 hours of paid time off per year to participate in company approved community service activities.
• Part-time DreamMakers may be eligible for paid time off in proportion to the hours worked.
• Additional hours may be available for pre-approved, company sponsored volunteer activities.