SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Santander BanCorp (NYSE: SBP; LATIBEX; XSBP) ("the Corporation") has filed its Form 10K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2009 and in addition to being available at http://www.sec.gov/, it is also available at http://www.santandernet.com/ and can be accessed by clicking on "Investor Relations" on the website main page. In addition, the Corporation makes available additional financial information on the Corporation's website at http://www.santandernet.com/ and can be accessed by clicking on "Investor Relations" on the website main page and clicking on "Financial Highlights on Excel". Around March 30, 2009, the proxy statement, the proxy card, the notice of annual meeting and the Corporation's Annual Report to Shareholders will be available at: http://bnymellon.mobular.net/bnymellon/sbp A hard copy of Santander BanCorp's most recent Form 10K and Annual Report, including the complete audited financial statements is available free of charge upon request at http://www.santandernet.com/ and can be accessed by clicking on "Investor Relations" on the website main page. Institutional Background Santander BanCorp is a publicly held financial holding company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (SBP) and on Latibex (Madrid Stock Exchange) (XSBP). 91% of the outstanding common stock of Santander BanCorp is owned by Banco Santander, S.A. (Santander). The Corporation has five wholly owned subsidiaries, Banco Santander Puerto Rico, Santander Securities Corporation, Santander Financial Services, Inc., Santander Insurance Agency, Inc. and Island Insurance Corporation. Banco Santander Puerto Rico has been operating in Puerto Rico for thirty-two years. It offers a full array of services through 57 branches in the areas of commercial, mortgage and consumer banking, supported by a team of over 1,700 employees. Santander Securities offers securities brokerage services and provides portfolio management services through its wholly owned subsidiary Santander Asset Management Corporation. Santander Financial Services, Inc. offers consumer finance products through its network of 64 branches throughout the Island. Santander Insurance Agency offers life, health and disability coverage as a corporate agent and also operates as a general agent. For more information, visit the Company's website at http://www.santandernet.com/. Banco Santander, S.A., (SAN.MC, STD.N), headquartered in Madrid, engages primarily in commercial banking with complementary activities in global wholesale banking, cards, asset management and insurance. Santander had over EUR 1.168 trillion in funds under management at the close of 2008, from more than 80 million customers served through more than 14,000 offices - more branches than any other international bank. Founded in 1857, Santander is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America and has a significant presence in Western Europe and in the United Kingdom. In 2008, Santander registered EUR 8,876 million in attributable net profit, an increase of 9% from 2007, excluding capital gains. For more information, see http://www.santander.com/. In Latin America, Santander manages over US$200 billion in business volumes (loans, deposits, mutual funds, pension funds and managed funds) through 6,089 branches. In 2008, Santander reported EUR 2,945 million in net attributable income in Latin America, up 10% from the previous year. This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry in which the Company operates, its beliefs and its management's assumptions. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required under federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC, the Company does not have any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. DATASOURCE: Santander BanCorp CONTACT: Juan M. Diaz, +1-787-777-4240, or Michelle Balaguer, +1-787-777-4186, both of Santander BanCorp Web Site: https://www.santandernet.com/

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