February 28, 2006
Popular Leasing to Begin Acquiring
Small Ticket Leasing Portfolios
Ballwin, Mo.
Popular Leasing USA, today announced it has formed a unit to acquire small ticket equipment leases from financial institutions, and the captive leasing companies of manufacturers on a nationwide basis.

“Portfolios have been increasing nationwide and several originators are now looking for liquidity by selling some or all of their portfolios,” said President of Popular Leasing USA. “We are an established, well-known servicer and aggregator of leases, and we are continually focusing on growing our asset base. We believe this move will help us do just that.”

Established in 1996, Popular Leasing is the 38th largest bank-owned leasing company in the U.S. and is recognized by the St. Louis RCGA as a “Top 50 Business”. The company offers small- to large-ticket equipment leasing services to medical and commercial markets throughout the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S.V.I. Headquartered in Ballwin, Missouri, Popular Leasing has a network of twelve sales offices in ten states. For further information, visit www.poplease.com.

Popular Leasing's parent company is one of the nation’s premier community banks with more than $48 billion in assets. It is ranked among the country’s 30 largest bank holding companies. It has more than 137 branches in six States and ranks among the top 10 Small Business Administration lenders in the country.