Shares of Common Stock (Par Value $1.00 Per Share) Oriental Financial Group Inc. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Exhibit 1.1

Shares of Common Stock

(Par Value $1.00 Per Share)

Oriental Financial Group Inc.

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

October , 2012

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & COMPANY, INC.

As Representative of the several Underwriters

c/o JEFFERIES & COMPANY, INC.

▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇

▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Introductory. Oriental Financial Group Inc. (the “Company”), a financial holding company and corporation organized in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of shares of common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”) of the Company (said shares to be issued and sold by the Company being collectively called the “Firm Shares”). In addition, the Company has granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any, as provided in Section 2 (said additional shares to be issued and sold by the Company pursuant to such option being collectively called the “Optional Shares”). The Firm Shares and, if and to the extent such option is exercised, the Optional Shares are collectively called the “Offered Shares.” Jefferies & Company, Inc. has agreed to act as representative of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representative”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares. To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A, the term “Representative” as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriter, and the term “Underwriters” shall mean either the singular or the plural, as the context requires.

The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-183890 covering the registration of the sale of the Offered Shares, which contains a form of prospectus to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Offered Shares. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein and any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or 430B under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of any such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.

The prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to confirm sales of the Offered Shares or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act, is called the “Prospectus.” The preliminary prospectus dated , 2012 describing the Offered Shares and the offering thereof is called the “Preliminary Prospectus,” and the Preliminary Prospectus and any other prospectus in preliminary form that describes the Offered Shares and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus is called a “preliminary prospectus.” As used herein, “Applicable Time” is [ ] [a.m.][p.m.] (New York time) on . As used herein, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus together with the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B hereto. As used herein, “Road Show” means a “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) relating to the offering of the Offered Shares contemplated hereby that is a “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus shall include the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which are “contained,” “included” or “stated” in, or “part of” the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, and all other references of like import, shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to (i) the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, or any free writing prospectus, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“▇▇▇▇▇”) and (ii) the Prospectus shall be deemed to include any “electronic Prospectus” provided for use in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares as contemplated by Section 3(l) of this Agreement.

The Company hereby confirms its agreements with the Underwriters as follows:

Section 1. Representations and Warranties of the Company.

Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to each Underwriter, as of the date of this Agreement, as of the First Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and as of each Option Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), if any, as follows:

(a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction, with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were filed with the Commission, or became effective under the Exchange Act, as the case may be, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act. The Company meets the requirements set out in paragraph VII (Eligibility to Use Incorporation by Reference) of the General Instructions to Form S-1 under the Securities Act, which allows the Company to provide the information required by Items 3 through 11 of Form S-1 in accordance with Item 11A and Item 12 of Form S-1.

(b) Disclosure. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic transmission pursuant to ▇▇▇▇▇, was identical (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act) to the copy thereof delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the respective time it became or becomes effective and at the First Closing Date (and, if any Optional Shares are purchased, at each Option Closing Date), complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, the Time of Sale Prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus wrapper) did not, and at the time of each sale of the Offered Shares and at the First Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Prospectus (including any Prospectus wrapper), as of its date and (as then amended or supplemented) at the First Closing Date (and, if any Optional Shares are purchased, at each Option Closing Date), did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the three immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by the Representative expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required.

(c) SEC Reports. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, exhibits, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it under the Exchange Act

pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof since January 1, 2012 (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”), on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective filing dates, all of the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(d) Free Writing Prospectuses; Road Show. As of the determination date referenced in Rule 164(h) under the Securities Act, the Company was not, is not or will not be (as applicable) an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending, and each such free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered Shares did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus and not superseded or modified. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Exhibit B, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. Each Road Show, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(e) Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. Prior to the later of (i) the expiration or termination of the option granted to the several Underwriters in Section 2, and (ii) the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Offered Shares, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares other than the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representative, the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified on Schedule B.

(f) The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(g) Authorization of the Offered Shares. The Offered Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be

validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Offered Shares.

(h) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no Persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities of the Company registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement.

(i) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations or business prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its Subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change being referred to herein as a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other Subsidiaries, by any of the Company’s Subsidiaries on any class of capital stock, or any repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any class of capital stock, except for any repurchases by the Company pursuant to its stock repurchase program in effect as of the date hereof.

(j) Independent Accountants. KPMG LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP, which have expressed their opinions with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) and supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, are each an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and, to the Company’s knowledge, KPMG LLP is (i) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and (ii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.

(k) Financial Statements. The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the financial position of (i) the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries taken as a whole as of the dates indicated and the statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries for the periods specified and (ii) BBVAPR as of the dates indicated and the statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of BBVAPR for the periods specified. The supporting schedules, if any, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein. Such financial statements and supporting schedules, if any, have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United

States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The pro forma condensed combined financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries and BBVAPR Holding Corporation and BBVA Securities of Puerto Rico, Inc. and the related notes thereto included under the caption “The BBVAPR Acquisition—Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information Relating to the BBVAPR Acquisition” and elsewhere in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus present fairly the information contained therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines with respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly presented on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. No other historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus. The financial data set forth in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the captions “Prospectus Summary—Selected Consolidated Historical Financial Information” and “Capitalization” fairly present the information set forth therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. All disclosures contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus and any free writing prospectus, that constitute non-GAAP financial measures (as defined by the rules and regulations under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act) comply with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, as applicable.

(l) Company’s Accounting System. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(m) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇; Disclosure Controls. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all of the provisions of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 which are applicable to it. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), and such disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance of effectiveness in recording, processing, summarizing and reporting, on a timely basis, information required to be disclosed by the Company in the SEC Reports. The Company has disclosed, based on its most recent evaluation prior to the date hereof, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls that could adversely affect in any material respect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the Company’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls.

(n) Organization and Qualification. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has the corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (as applicable), with the requisite power and authority to own or lease and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Significant Subsidiary is in violation of any of the provisions of its respective articles or certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. The Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), earnings, business, properties or operations of the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries, considered as one entity (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company is duly registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and a financial holding company under the ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 1999, as amended. The Company’s depository institution subsidiary’s deposit accounts are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC. The Company has conducted its business in compliance with all applicable federal, state and foreign laws, orders, judgments, decrees, rules, regulations and applicable stock exchange requirements, including all laws and regulations restricting activities of bank holding companies and banking organizations, except for any noncompliance that, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the Subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement.

(o) Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The number of shares and type of all authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock, options and other securities of the Company (whether or not presently convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company) set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in such documents as of their respective dates, other than changes only due to (i) the purchase of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s stock repurchase program in effect as of the date hereof, and (ii) stock grants or other equity awards or stock option and warrant exercises that do not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on the issued and outstanding capital stock, options and other securities. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights to

subscribe for or purchase any capital stock of the Company. Except as specified in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no shares of the Company’s outstanding capital stock are subject to preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries other than those described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, which, individually or in the aggregate, will have or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The descriptions of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.

(p) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Company’s Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to terminate the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received written notice from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance in all material respects with the listing and maintenance requirements for continued trading of the Common Stock on the Principal Trading Market.

(q) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, loan, credit agreement, note, lease, license agreement, contract, franchise or other instrument (including, without limitation, any pledge agreement, security agreement, mortgage or other instrument or agreement evidencing, guaranteeing, securing or relating to indebtedness) to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of their respective properties or assets are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as could not be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, of the Company or any Subsidiary (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) such as would not have or reasonably be

expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act and such as may be required under applicable state securities or blue sky laws or FINRA. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any Person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

(r) Compliance with Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries have been and are in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those which would have the effect of revoking or limiting FDIC deposit insurance, except in each case as would not have or reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

(s) No Material Actions or Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any governmental entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, which could be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; and the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any such Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is the subject, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, if determined adversely to the Company, could not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or with the employees of any principal supplier, manufacturer, customer or contractor of the Company, exists or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent.

(t) Patents and Trademarks. The Company and its Subsidiaries own, possess, license, or can acquire on reasonable terms, or have other rights to use all foreign and domestic patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service ▇▇▇▇ registrations, trade names, copyrights, inventions, trade secrets, technology, Internet domain names, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as now conducted, except where the failure to own, possess, license or have such rights would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports and except where such violations or infringements would not have or reasonably be expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, (a) there are no rights of third parties to any such Intellectual Property; (b) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property; (c) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’ rights in or to any such Intellectual Property; (d) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property; and (e) there is no Proceeding by others that the Company and/or any Subsidiary infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others.

(u) Regulatory Permits. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries possess or have applied for all certificates, authorizations, consents and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted and as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such certificates, authorizations, consents and permits, individually or in the aggregate, has not and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice in writing of proceedings relating to the revocation or material adverse modification of any such Material Permits and (ii) the Company is unaware of any facts or circumstances that would give rise to the revocation or material adverse modification of any Material Permits.

(v) Title to Assets. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property and tangible personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all Liens except such as do not materially affect the value of such property or do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and any of its Subsidiaries. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and any of its Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its Subsidiaries.

(w) Tax Matters. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has (i) filed all material foreign, U.S. federal, Puerto Rico and local tax returns, information returns and similar reports that are required to be filed, and all such tax returns are true, correct and complete in all material respects, and (ii) paid all material taxes required to be paid by it and any other material assessment, fine or penalty levied against it other than taxes (x) currently payable without penalty or interest, or (y) being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.

(x) Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as the Company believes to be prudent and customary in the businesses and locations in which the Company and its Subsidiaries are engaged. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation of any such insurance, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, will it or any Subsidiary be unable to renew their respective existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) Environmental Matters. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic

substances (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (ii) is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any Environmental Laws, or (iii) is subject to any claim relating to any Environmental Laws; in each case, which violation, contamination, liability or claim has had or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the Company’s knowledge, there is no pending or threatened investigation that might lead to such a claim.

(z) ERISA. The Company and each ERISA Affiliate is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of ERISA; no “reportable event” described in Section 4043 of ERISA (other than an event for which the 30-day notice requirement has been waived by applicable regulation) has occurred with respect to any Pension Plan for which the Company would have any liability that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company has not incurred liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any Pension Plan; or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Code that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and each Pension Plan for which the Company would have liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.

(aa) Company Not an “Investment Company.” The Company is not, and will not be, either after receipt of payment for the Offered Shares or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, required to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

(bb) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to, or that might reasonably be expected in the future to, cause or result in, or which has constituted, stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Stock or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”)) with respect to the Common Stock, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Shares or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.

(cc) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Underwriters or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company with respect to filings with FINRA relating to the offering of the Offered Shares is, to the knowledge of the Company, true, complete, correct.

(dd) Related-Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any other Person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

(ee) Parties to Lock Up Agreements. The Company has furnished to the Representative a letter agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E (the “Lock-up Agreement”) from each of the persons listed on Exhibit F.

(ff) Statistical and Market-Related Data. All statistical, demographic and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate. To the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.

(gg) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or any Subsidiary, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

(hh) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that has resulted or would result in a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA; and the Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

(ii) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or Person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, or any joint venture partner or other Person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any Person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

(jj) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are, and have been conducted at all times, in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) in all material respects and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(kk) Brokers. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(ll) Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.

(nn) No Rights to Purchase Preferred Stock. The issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated hereby will not cause any holder of any shares of capital stock, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or options, warrants or other rights to purchase capital stock or any other securities of the Company to have any right to acquire any shares of preferred stock of the Company. The issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated hereby will not result in any adjustment to the conversion price of the Company’s 8.75% Non Cumulative Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C.

(oo) Dividend Restrictions. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no Subsidiary of the Company is prohibited or restricted, directly or indirectly, from paying dividends to the Company, or from making any other distribution with respect to such Subsidiary’s equity securities or from repaying to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company any amounts that may from time to time become due under any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any property or assets to the Company or to any other Subsidiary.

(pp) Adequate Capitalization. As of September 30, 2012, the Company’s Subsidiary insured depository institution met or exceeded, and as of the date hereof, to the Company’s knowledge, meets or exceeds the standards necessary to be considered “adequately capitalized” under the FDIC’s regulatory framework for prompt corrective action.

(qq) Agreements with Regulatory Agencies; Compliance with Certain Banking Regulations. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any cease-and-desist or other similar order or enforcement action issued by, or is a party to any written agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or is a party to any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, or is subject to any capital directive by, or since December 31, 2007, has adopted any board resolutions at the request of, any governmental entity that currently restricts in any material respect the conduct of its business or that in any material manner relates to its capital adequacy, its liquidity and funding policies and practices, its ability to pay dividends, its credit, risk

management or compliance policies, its internal controls, its management or its operations or business (each item in this sentence, a “Regulatory Agreement”), nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries been advised since December 31, 2010 by any governmental entity that it intends to issue, initiate, order, or request any such Regulatory Agreement.

The Company has no knowledge of any facts and circumstances, and has no knowledge that any facts or circumstances exist, that would cause its Subsidiary insured depository institution not to be in satisfactory compliance, in any material respect, with all applicable privacy of customer information requirements contained in any applicable federal and state privacy laws and regulations as well as the provisions of all information security programs adopted by such Subsidiary.

(rr) Risk Management Instruments. Except as has not had or would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, since January 1, 2011, all material derivative instruments, including, swaps, caps, floors and option agreements, whether entered into for the Company’s own account, or for the account of one or more of the Company’s Subsidiaries, were entered into (1) only in the ordinary course of business, (2) in accordance with prudent practices and in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and regulatory policies, and (3) with counterparties believed to be financially responsible at the time; and each of them constitutes the valid and legally binding obligation of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, enforceable in accordance with its terms. Neither the Company or its Subsidiaries, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party thereto, is in breach of any of its material obligations under any such agreement or arrangement.

(ss) BBVA Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of BBVA contained in Article 3 of the Acquisition Agreement that are qualified by materiality or “Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement) or words to similar effect, to the Company’s knowledge, are true and correct as of the date of the Acquisition Agreement (except for such representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which are true and correct as of such date).

The representations and warranties of BBVA contained in Article 3 of the Acquisition Agreement that are not qualified as to materiality or “Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement) or words to similar effect, to the Company’s knowledge, are true and correct as of the date of the Acquisition Agreement (except for such representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which are true and correct as of such date), except where the failure to be true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

The Company has no reason to believe that the representations and warranties of BBVA contained in Article 3 of the Acquisition Agreement are not true and correct as of the date hereof.

Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and delivered to any Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering, or the purchase and sale, of the Offered Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 6 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Underwriters, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.

Section 2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Offered Shares.

(a) The Firm Shares. Upon the terms herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters an aggregate of Firm Shares. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company an aggregate of Firm Shares. The purchase price per Firm Share to be paid by the several Underwriters to the Company shall be $ per share.

(b) The First Closing Date. Delivery of the Firm Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters by electronic book-entry through the facilities of DTC to the account specified by the Representative and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of the Underwriters’ counsel (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representative) at 9:00 a.m. New York time, on , or such other time and date not later than 1:30 p.m. New York time, on , as the Representative shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “First Closing Date”). The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances under which the Representative may provide notice to postpone the First Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are not limited to, any determination by the Company or the Representative to recirculate to the public copies of an amended or supplemented Prospectus or a delay as contemplated by the provisions of Section 12.

(c) The Optional Shares; Option Closing Date. In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to an aggregate of Optional Shares from the Company at the purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm Shares, less an amount per share equal to any dividend or distribution declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on Optional Shares. The option granted hereunder may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Firm Shares by the Underwriters. The option granted hereunder may be exercised at any time and from time to time in whole or in part upon notice by the Representative to the Company, which notice may be given at any time within 30 days from the date of this Agreement. Such notice shall set forth (i) the aggregate number of Optional Shares as to which the Underwriters are exercising the option and (ii) the time, date of payment for, and delivery by electronic book-entry through the facilities of DTC to the account specified by the Representative of, the Optional Shares (which time and date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the First Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the First Closing Date, the term “First Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery for the Firm Shares and such Optional Shares). Any such time and date of delivery, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called an “Option Closing Date,” shall be determined by the Representative and shall not be earlier than three or later than five full business days after delivery of such notice of exercise. If any Optional Shares are to be purchased, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the

number of Optional Shares included in the applicable notice from the Representative to the Company. The Underwriters may cancel the option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.

(d) Public Offering of the Offered Shares. The Representative hereby advises the Company that the Underwriters intend to offer for sale to the public, initially on the terms set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, their respective portions of the Offered Shares as soon after this Agreement has been executed and the Registration Statement has been declared effective as the Representative, in its sole judgment, has determined is advisable and practicable.

(e) Payment for the Offered Shares. (i) Payment for the Offered Shares to be sold by the Company shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, at each Option Closing Date) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.

(ii) It is understood that the Representative has been authorized, for its own account and the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Firm Shares and any Optional Shares the Underwriters have agreed to purchase.

(f) Delivery of the Offered Shares. The Company shall issue and deliver, or cause to be delivered, by electronic book-entry through the facilities of DTC to the account specified by the Representative, the Firm Shares at the First Closing Date, against release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Company shall also deliver, or cause to be delivered, by electronic book-entry through the facilities of DTC to the account specified by the Representative, the Optional Shares the Underwriters have agreed to purchase at the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, against the release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The global certificate for the Offered Shares shall be registered in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee as may be designated by DTC at least two full business days prior to the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) and shall be made available for inspection on the business day preceding the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) at a location in New York City as the Representative may designate. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.

Section 3. Additional Covenants of the Company.

Covenants of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) Delivery of Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company shall furnish to the Representative in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered Shares, as many copies of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto as the Representative may reasonably request.

(b) Representative’s Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. During the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), the Company (i) will furnish to the Representative for review, a reasonable period of time prior to the proposed time of filing of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, a copy of each such amendment or supplement and (ii) will not file or use any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object. Prior to amending or supplementing any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representative for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the time of filing or use of the proposed amendment or supplement, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object. The Company shall file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.

(c) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall furnish to the Representative for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object; provided, however, that the prior consent of the Representative shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the free writing prospectus included in Schedule B hereto and any Road Show. The Company shall furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by or referred by the Company as such Underwriter may reasonably request. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered Shares (but in any event if at any time through and including the First Closing Date) there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, the Company shall promptly amend or supplement such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict so that the statements in such free writing prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, as the case may be; provided, however, that prior to amending or supplementing any such free writing prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representative for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus to which the Representative shall reasonably object.

(d) Amendments and Supplements to Time of Sale Prospectus. If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Offered Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the Time of Sale Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or the Company, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company shall (subject to Section 3(b) and Section 3(c) hereof) promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(e) Certain Notifications and Required Actions. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Representative in writing of: (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus; (iii) the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Common Stock from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 424(b), Rule 433 and Rule 430A under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.

(f) Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus so that the Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the

Representative or counsel for the Underwriters or the Company it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company agrees (subject to Section 3(b) and Section 3(c)) hereof to promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters upon request, amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law. Neither the Representative’s consent to, nor delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c).

(g) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, to qualify or register the Offered Shares for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the applicable state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws (or other foreign laws) of those jurisdictions designated by the Representative, to comply with such laws and to maintain such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not so otherwise subject. The Company will advise the Representative promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Offered Shares for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Offered Shares it in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(i) Earnings Statement. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the Exchange Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable an earnings statement (which need not be audited) for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act.

(j) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and the NYSE all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.

(k) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Offered Shares on the NYSE.

(l) Company to Provide Copy of the Prospectus in Form That May be Downloaded from the Internet. If requested by the Representative, the Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered, at its expense, within one business day from the effective date of this Agreement, to the Representative an “electronic Prospectus” to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares. As used herein, the term “electronic Prospectus” means a form of Time of Sale Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Offered Shares; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper Time of Sale Prospectus, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic Prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow investors to store and have continuously ready access to the Time of Sale Prospectus at any future time, without charge to investors (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time). The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in the Prospectus filed pursuant to ▇▇▇▇▇ or otherwise with the Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request by an investor or his or her representative, the Company shall transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(m) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Shares. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through and including the 90th day following the date of the Prospectus (such period, extended as described below, being referred to herein as the “Lock-up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion), directly or indirectly: (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities (as defined below); (ii) effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities; (iii) pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities; (iv) in any other way transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities (other than as provided below); (v) enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise; (vi) announce the offering of any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities other than as provided below; (vii) file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any shares of Common Stock or Related Securities (other than as provided below or as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Offered Shares); or (viii) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing; provided, however, that the Company may (A) effect the transactions contemplated hereby, (B) file registration statements on Form S-8 and/or issue shares of Common Stock, restricted stock units and/or options to purchase shares of Common Stock, or issue shares of

Common Stock upon exercise of options or the lapse of the restricted period of restricted stock units, pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (C) file registration statements relating to the issuance of, offer and sell preferred stock convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, the net proceeds of which are expected to be used to fund the acquisition of BBVAPR, and (D) file registration statements relating to the issuance of, offer and sell non-convertible preferred stock, the net proceeds of which are expected to be used to fund the acquisition of BBVAPR. For purposes of the foregoing, “Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire shares of Common Stock or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for, or convertible into, shares of Common Stock. If (i) during the last 17 days of the 90-day initial lock-up period, the Company issues an earnings release or discloses material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (ii) prior to the expiration of such period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of such period, then in each case the Lock-up Period will be extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the issuance of the earnings release or the disclosure of the material news or occurrence of the material event, as applicable, unless the Representative waives, in writing, such extension (which waiver may be withheld in its sole discretion. The Company will provide the Representative with prior notice of any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-up Period.

(n) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act.

(o) Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Offered Shares in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

(p) No Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Stock or any reference security with respect to the Common Stock, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Shares or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M.

The Representative may, in its sole discretion, waive in writing the performance by the Company of any one or more of the foregoing covenants or extend the time for their performance.

Section 4. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Offered Shares (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the

registrar and transfer agent of the Common Stock, (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares to the Underwriters, (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, each free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and each preliminary prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vi) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Offered Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the provincial securities laws of Canada, and, if requested by the Representative, preparing and printing a “Canadian wrapper”, and any supplements thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions, (vii) the costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with determining their compliance with the rules and regulations of FINRA related to the Underwriters’ participation in the offering and distribution of the Offered Shares, including any related filing fees and the legal fees of, and disbursements by, counsel to the Underwriters up to $12,500, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any Road Show undertaken in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic Road Show, expenses associated with the production of Road Show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the Road Show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives, employees and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the Road Show, (ix) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Offered Shares on the NYSE, and (x) all other fees, costs and expenses of the nature referred to in Item 13 of Part II of the Registration Statement. Except as provided in this Section 4 or in Section 7, Section 9 or Section 10 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay its own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel.

Section 5. Covenant of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally and jointly covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not, but for such actions, be required to be filed by the Company under Rule 433(d).

Section 6. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Offered Shares as provided herein on the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Shares, each Option Closing Date, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the First Closing Date as though then made and, with respect to the Optional Shares, as of each Option Closing Date as though then made, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:

(a) Comfort Letter. On the date hereof, the Representative shall have received from each of KPMG LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public accountants for the Company and BBVAPR, respectively, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters named on the Prospectus cover page containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to Underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information of the Company and BBVAPR, respectively, contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, and each free writing prospectus, if any.

(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA.

(i) The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information required by Rule 430A under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.

(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.

(iii) If a filing has been made with FINRA, FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

(c) No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional Shares purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:

(i) in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and

(ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act.

(d) Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, United States counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.

(e) Opinion of Puerto Rico Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC, Puerto Rico counsel for the Company with respect to the laws of Puerto Rico, dated as of such date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B.

(f) Opinion of General Counsel. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, General Counsel of the Company, dated as of such date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C.

(g) Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, dated as of such date, with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters named on the Prospectus cover page.

(h) Officers’ Certificate. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters named on the Prospectus cover page, to the effect set forth in Section 6(b)(ii) and further to the effect that:

(i) for the period from and including the date of this Agreement through and including such date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Change;

(ii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of such date, except for such representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date; and

(iii) the Company has complied with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such date.

(i) Bring-down Comfort Letter. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received from KPMG LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public accountants for the Company and BBVAPR, respectively, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters named on the Prospectus cover page, which letter shall reaffirm the statements made in the respective letters furnished by them pursuant to Section 6(a), except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be.

(j) CFO Certificate. On each of the date hereof, the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representative shall have received a certificate dated the date thereof from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company in the form of Exhibit D hereto.

(k) Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit E hereto signed by each of the Persons listed on Exhibit F hereto.

(l) Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. In the event that a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission on the date of this Agreement and shall have become effective automatically upon such filing.

(m) Additional Documents. On or before each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably request for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated herein shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters.

If any condition specified in this Section 6 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by notice from the Representative to the Company at any time on or prior to the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Shares, at any time on or prior to the applicable Option Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 4, Section 7, Section 9, and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

Section 7. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representative pursuant to Section 6 or Section 12 (excluding Section 12(v)), or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Offered Shares on the First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to sell the Offered Shares that it is obligated to sell hereunder, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representative and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representative and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves) in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Offered Shares, including, but not limited to, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

Section 8. Effectiveness of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

Section 9. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each Person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such affiliates, director,

officer, employee, agent or controlling Person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and to reimburse each Underwriter and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent and controlling Person for any and all reasonable expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by such Underwriter or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representative in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any such free writing prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

(b) Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or of the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling Person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such Underwriter), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement) or the omission

or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, such free writing prospectus, or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement), in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representative in writing expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling Person for any and all reasonable expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Representative has furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing) are the legal and marketing names of the Underwriters appearing on the cover pages and under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and the statements set forth in paragraphs 4, 5, 6 and 14 through 18 under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

(c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 9 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 9, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party to the extent the indemnifying party is not materially prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure and shall not in any event relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 9 for any legal or other expenses subsequently

incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), which counsel (together with any local counsel) for the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representative (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(a) above) or by the Company (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(b) above)) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.

(d) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 9 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 9(c) hereof, the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.

Section 10. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 9 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and of the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The

relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Offered Shares as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The aggregate amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 9(c), any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 9(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 10; provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 9(c) for purposes of indemnification.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 10 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 10.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 10, the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Offered Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public. No Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 10 are several, and not joint, in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments as set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A. For purposes of this Section 10, each affiliate, director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter and each Person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

Section 11. Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered Shares that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Offered Shares which

such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of the Offered Shares to be purchased on such date, the Representative may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Shares by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the Representative with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase the Offered Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered Shares and the aggregate number of Offered Shares with respect to which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the aggregate number of Offered Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representative and the Company for the purchase of such Offered Shares are not made within 48 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4, Section 7, Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination. In any such case either the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, but in no event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected.

As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section 11. Any action taken under this Section 11 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

Section 12. Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the purchase of the Firm Shares by the Underwriters on the First Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative by notice given to the Company if at any time: (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or by the NYSE, or trading in securities generally on either the NASDAQ or the NYSE shall have been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal, New York or Puerto Rico authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Representative is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Offered Shares in the manner and on the terms described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Offered Shares; or (iv) in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (v) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as may interfere materially with the conduct of the business and operations of the Company regardless of whether or not such loss shall have been insured. Any termination pursuant to this Section 12 shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company to any Underwriter, except that the Company shall be obligated to

reimburse the expenses of the Representative and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 4 or Section 7 hereof or (b) any Underwriter to the Company; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 9, Section 10 and Section 14 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

Section 13. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Offered Shares and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, or its creditors, employees or any other party, (c) the Underwriters have not assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement), (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

Section 14. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling Person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Shares sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.

Section 15. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:


If to the Representative:		▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Company, Inc.
		▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
		▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
		Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
		Attention: General Counsel

with a copy to:		Skadden, Arps, Slate, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ LLP ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
		Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇


If to the Company:		Oriental Financial Group Inc.
		▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
		▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Attention: General Counsel

with a copy to:		▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
		Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.

Section 16. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and to the benefit of the affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling Persons referred to in Section 9 and Section 10, and in each case their respective successors and no other Person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Offered Shares as such from any of the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.

Section 17. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

Section 18. Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each party not located in the United States irrevocably appoints CT Corporation System, which currently maintains a New York City office at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, #▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ of America, as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York.

With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.

Section 19. General Provisions. This Agreement together with the Schedules and Exhibits thereto constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.

Section 20. Certain Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated in this Section 20:

“Agreement” means this Underwriting Agreement.

“Acquisition Agreement” means that certain purchase agreement between the Company and BBVA, dated June 28, 2012.

“BBVA” means Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.

“BBVAPR” means BBVAPR Holding Corporation, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Puerto Rico, BBVA Seguros, Inc. and BBVA Securities of Puerto Rico, Inc.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder.

“ERISA Affiliate”, as applied to the Company, means any Person under common control with the Company, who together with the Company, is treated as a single employer within the meaning of Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code.

“FDIC” means the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

“GAAP” means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, as applied by the Company.

“Lien” means any lien, charge, claim, encumbrance, security interest, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restrictions of any kind.

“Multiemployer Plan” means a “multiemployer plan” as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA to which the Company or any ERISA Affiliate is making, or is accruing an obligation to make, contributions or has made, or been obligated to make, contributions within the preceding six (6) years.

“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange LLC.

“Pension Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA, other than a Multiemployer Plan, which is subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA and which (i) is maintained for employees of the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates or (ii) has at any time during the last six (6) years been maintained for the employees of the Company or any current or former ERISA Affiliate.

“Person” means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, business trust, association, joint stock company, joint venture, sole proprietorship, unincorporated organization or governmental authority.

“Principal Trading Market” means the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is primarily listed on and quoted for trading, which, as of the date of this Agreement, the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, shall be the NYSE.

“Significant Subsidiaries” means each of the Company’s “Significant Subsidiaries” (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act).

“Subsidiary” means any entity in which the Company, directly or indirectly, owns sufficient capital stock or holds a sufficient equity or similar interest such that it is consolidated with the Company in the financial statements of the Company.

“Trading Market” means whichever of the NYSE, the NYSE Amex, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or the OTC Bulletin Board on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question.

Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 9 and the contribution provisions of Section 10, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Section 9 and Section 10 hereof fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, each free writing prospectus and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements to the foregoing), as contemplated by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.


Very truly yours,

ORIENTAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representative in New York, New York as of the date first above written.


▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & COMPANY, INC.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

Schedule A


Underwriters		Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased


Total

Sch A-1

Schedule B

Free Writing Prospectuses Included in the Time of Sale Prospectus

Exhibit A

Form of Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company

Opinion of United States counsel for the Company to be delivered pursuant to Section 6(d) of the Underwriting Agreement.

(i) The statements made in the Final Prospectus under the heading “Certain United States Income Tax Considerations”, insofar as such statements purport to summarize certain federal income tax laws of the United States, constitute a fair summary of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Offered Shares.

(ii) The Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company under the law of the State of New York.

(iii) The issuance and sale of the Offered Shares to the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement do not, and the performance by the Company of its obligations in the Underwriting Agreement will not, (a) require any filing, consent, approval, authorization, registration of or with any governmental authority of the United States or the State of New York that in such counsel’s experience normally would be applicable to bank holding companies (as defined under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended) with respect to such issuance, sale or performance, except such as have been obtained or effected under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (but we express no opinion relating to any state or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico securities or Blue Sky laws and we have assumed for purposes of the foregoing opinion that the Company is not required to make any filing pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act because a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) was prepared or used by the Underwriter); (b) result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any of the agreements of the Company identified in Annex A hereto; or (c) result in any violation of any United States federal or New York State law or published rule or regulation that in such counsel’s experience normally would be applicable to bank holding companies (as defined under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended) with respect to such issuance, sale or performance (but we express no opinion relating to the United States federal securities laws or any state or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico securities or Blue Sky laws).

(iv) No registration of the Company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, is required for the offer and sale of the Offered Shares by the Company in the manner contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the Final Prospectus.

A-1

Form of Negative Assurance Letter of U.S. Counsel for the Company

Negative assurance letter of United States counsel for the Company to be delivered pursuant to Section 6(d) of the Underwriting Agreement.

(i) The Registration Statement (except the financial statements and schedules and other financial data included therein, as to which we express no view), at the time it became effective, and the Final Prospectus (except as aforesaid), as of the date thereof, appeared on their face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

(ii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus (except the financial statements and schedules and other financial data and management’s report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included therein, as to which we express no view), as of the respective dates of their filing with the Commission, appeared on their face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

(iii) No information has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the Registration Statement, including the documents incorporated by reference therein (except the financial statements and schedules and other financial data and management’s report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included therein, as to which we express no view), at the time it became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(iv) No information has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the Pricing Prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, considered together with the amount and the price to the public of the Securities on the front cover of the Final Prospectus (except in each case the financial statements and schedules and other financial data and management’s report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the Pricing Prospectus, as to which we express no view) at [0:00] [am/pm] [(Eastern time)] on [date]], contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(v) No information has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the Final Prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein (except the financial statements and schedules and other financial data and management’s report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included therein, as to which we express no view), as of the date thereof or hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

We confirm to you that, (a) based solely upon our review of the Notice of Effectiveness on the website of the Commission, the Registration Statement is effective under the Securities Act, and (b) based solely upon a telephonic confirmation from a representative of the Commission, no stop order with respect thereto has been issued by the Commission, and to the best of our knowledge, no proceeding for that purpose has been instituted or threatened by the Commission.

In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials.

A-2

Exhibit B

Form of Opinion of Puerto Rico Company Counsel

Opinion of Puerto Rico counsel for the Company to be delivered pursuant to Section 6(e) of the Underwriting Agreement.

References to the Prospectus in this Exhibit B include any amendments and supplements thereto at the Closing Date.

(i) The Company is a corporation duly incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (“Puerto Rico”), with corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.

(ii) The Company is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of Puerto Rico.

(iii) Each Significant Subsidiary of the Company is a bank or corporation, as applicable, duly incorporated or organized under the laws of Puerto Rico, with power and authority (corporate or other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; each such Significant Subsidiary is in good standing under the laws of Puerto Rico.

(iv) All of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity or ownership interests of each Significant Subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable; all of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity or ownership interests of such Significant Subsidiaries were owned of record by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, and to such counsel’s knowledge, there are no purchase options, purchase rights, preemptive rights or other rights that would entitle any third party to acquire an equity interest in any of the Company’s Significant Subsidiaries.

(v) The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company (including the Offered Shares) conforms to the descriptions thereof set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. All of the outstanding Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable. The form of certificate used to evidence the Shares is in due and proper form and complies with all applicable requirements of the certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the Company and the General Corporation Law of Puerto Rico.

(vi) No stockholder of the Company or any other person has any preemptive right, right of first refusal or other similar right to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company arising (i) by operation of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or the General Corporation Law of Puerto Rico or (ii) to the knowledge of such counsel, otherwise (excluding any and all outstanding stock options, restricted stock units and other equity awards pursuant to the Company’s 2007 Omnibus Performance Incentive Plan, as amended and restated, and any other equity-based compensation plan of the Company).

B-1

(vii) The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(viii) The Offered Shares to be purchased by the Underwriter from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth therein, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

(ix) The statements (i) in the Time of Sale Prospectus under the captions “Description of Capital Stock” and “Certain Puerto Rico Income Tax Considerations”, in each case insofar as such statements purport to describe certain provisions of documents, instruments, agreements, statutes, regulations or the subject legal proceedings referred to therein, are accurate in all material respects.

(x) To the knowledge of such counsel, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings in Puerto Rico pending or threatened which are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, other than those disclosed therein.

(xi) There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any debt or equity securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.

(xii) The execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement by the Company, the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares: (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company; (ii) will not result in any violation of the provisions of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary; (iii) to the knowledge of such counsel, will not constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to any loan, credit agreement, indenture, mortgage, note or other agreement or instrument to which the Company, any of its Significant Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties or assets is or may be bound; (iv) will not result in any violation of any Puerto Rico law, rule or regulation or, to the knowledge of such counsel, any order or decree of any Puerto Rico court or governmental authority applicable to the Company or any of the Significant Subsidiaries; or (v) will not require any consents, approvals or authorizations to be obtained by the Company, or any registrations, declarations or filings to be made by the Company, in each case under any Puerto Rico statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company that have not been obtained or made.

(xiii) Under Puerto Rico law, no consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act or applicable state securities or blue sky laws.

In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters involving the application of laws of any jurisdiction other than Puerto Rico, to the extent they deem proper and specified in such opinion, upon the opinion (which shall be dated the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative of the Underwriters) of other counsel of good standing whom they believe to be reliable and who are satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters; provided, however, that such counsel shall further state that they believe that they and the Underwriters are justified in relying upon such opinion of other counsel, and (B) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials.

B-2

Exhibit C

Form of Opinion of General Counsel of the Company

Opinion of Puerto Rico counsel for the Company to be delivered pursuant to Section 6(e) of the Underwriting Agreement.

(i) To the knowledge of such counsel, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or threatened which are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, other than those disclosed therein.

C-1

Exhibit D

Form of CFO Certificate

ORIENTAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S CERTIFICATE

, 2012

The undersigned, pursuant to Section 6(j) of the Underwriting Agreement, dated October , 2012 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between Oriental Financial Group Inc. (the “Company”) and Jefferies & Company, Inc., as representative of the several underwriters listed in Schedule A thereto, hereby certifies in his capacity as the chief financial officer of the Company, and not in his individual capacity, on behalf of the Company, that, as of the date hereof, the undersigned, has specific knowledge of the Company’s financial matters, and, based on his examination of the Company’s financial records and schedules undertaken by himself or members of his staff who are responsible for the Company’s financial accounting matters, hereby certifies that:

The undersigned has (i) reviewed the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus relating to the offering of the Offered Shares, (ii) supervised the compilation of the financial data and information included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and (iii) read the Company’s financial statements, books and records or schedules or analyses derived therefrom that the undersigned has deemed necessary to make the certifications and to perform the procedures set forth herein.

To the knowledge of the undersigned, as of the Applicable Time and as of the date hereof, each of the items identified on the attached selected pages of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus attached hereto as Annex A (the “Circled Information”) is or was, as applicable, consistent with or is or was, as applicable, accurately derived from the internal accounting and/or financial records of the Company, it being understood that the Circled Information reflects preliminary results or estimates which are subject to completion and review of the Company’s financial statements for the period covered.

Capitalized terms not defined in this certificate have the meaning ascribed to them in the Underwriting Agreement.

[Signature page follows]

D-1

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this certificate as of the date first written above.



By:
Name:				▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Title:				Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

D-2

Exhibit E

Form of Lock-up Agreement

[Date]

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Company, Inc.

▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇

▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇

RE:	Oriental Financial Group Inc. (the “Company”)

Ladies & Gentlemen:

The undersigned is an owner of shares of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the Company or of securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock. The Company proposes to conduct a public offering of shares of Common Stock (the “Offering”) for which Jefferies & Company, Inc. (“Jefferies”) will act as the representative of the underwriters. The undersigned recognizes that the Offering will benefit each of the Company and the undersigned. The undersigned acknowledges that you are relying on the representations and agreements of the undersigned contained in this letter agreement in conducting the Offering and, at a subsequent date, in entering into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) and other underwriting arrangements with the Company with respect to the Offering.

Annex A sets forth definitions for capitalized terms used in this letter agreement that are not defined in the body of this agreement. Those definitions are a part of this agreement.

In consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, during the Lock-up Period, the undersigned will not (and will cause any Family Member not to), without the prior written consent of Jefferies, which may withhold its consent in its sole discretion:

•

offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible or exchangeable for Common Stock; or

•

enter into any Swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of Common Stock,

whether any such swap or transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

The foregoing will not apply to (A) the registration of the offer and sale of the shares of Common Stock to you, in each case as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, (B) the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s profit sharing plan containing a qualified cash or deferred arrangement or the exercise by the undersigned of options to purchase shares of Common Stock, or the lapse of the restricted period of restricted stock units, that have

E-1

been granted by the Company pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, prior to, and are outstanding as of, the date of the Underwriting Agreement, where the shares of Common Stock received upon any such exercise or lapse of restricted period are held by the undersigned, individually or as a fiduciary, in accordance with the terms of this letter agreement, (C) transfers in connection with any merger or business combination involving the Company pursuant to which all outstanding shares of Common Stock are sold or exchanged for other securities, provided the remaining term of this letter agreement shall apply to any new securities issued to the undersigned in such transaction, (D) the adoption of a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act; provided that no shares of Common Stock are sold pursuant to such plan during the Lock-Up Period and (E) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or Related Securities by gift, or by will or intestate succession or to a Family Member or to a trust whose beneficiaries consist exclusively of one or more of the undersigned and/or a Family Member; provided, however, that in any such case, it shall be a condition to such transfer that:

•

each transferee executes and delivers to Jefferies an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Jefferies stating that such transferee is receiving and holding such shares of Common Stock and/or Related Securities subject to the provisions of this letter agreement and agrees not to Sell or Offer to Sell such shares of Common Stock and/or Related Securities, engage in any Swap or engage in any other activities restricted under this letter agreement except in accordance with this letter agreement (as if such transferee had been an original signatory hereto), and

•

prior to the expiration of the Lock-up Period, no public disclosure or filing under the Exchange Act by any party to the transfer (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) shall be required, or made voluntarily, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock in connection with such transfer.

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that written notice by Jefferies to the Company of any extension of the 90-day initial lock-up period will be deemed to have been given to, and received by, the undersigned. The undersigned further agrees that, prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the terms of this letter agreement during the period from the date of this letter agreement through the close of trading on the date that is the 34th day following the expiration of the 90-day initial lock-up period, the undersigned will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate any such transaction or take any such action unless the undersigned has received written confirmation from the Company that the Lock-Up Period has expired.

The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of shares of Common Stock or Related Securities held by the undersigned and the undersigned’s Family Members, if any, except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

The undersigned confirms that the undersigned has not, and has no knowledge that any Family Member has, directly or indirectly, taken any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale of the shares of Common Stock. The undersigned will not, and will cause any Family Member not to take, directly or indirectly, any such action.

E-2

Whether or not the Offering occurs as currently contemplated or at all depends on market conditions and other factors. The Offering will only be made pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and you.

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power, capacity and authority to enter into this letter agreement. This letter agreement is irrevocable and will be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned.

This letter agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

E-3

Signature

Printed Name of Person Signing

E-4

Certain Defined Terms

Used in Lock-up Agreement

For purposes of the letter agreement to which this Annex A is attached and of which it is made a part:

•

“Call Equivalent Position” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act.

•

“Common Stock” shall mean the Company’s shares of common stock, par value $1.00 per share.

•

“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

•

“Family Member” shall mean the spouse of the undersigned, an immediate family member of the undersigned or an immediate family member of the undersigned’s spouse, in each case living in the undersigned’s household or whose principal residence is the undersigned’s household (regardless of whether such spouse or family member may at the time be living elsewhere due to educational activities, health care treatment, military service, temporary internship or employment or otherwise). “Immediate family member” as used above shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(e) under the Exchange Act.

•

“Lock-up Period” shall mean the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through the close of trading on the date that is 90 days after the date of the Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement); provided, that if (i) during the last 17 days of the 90-day initial lock-up period, the Company issues an earnings release or discloses material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (ii) prior to the expiration of the 90-day initial lock-up period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day initial lock-up period, then in each case the Lock-up Period will be extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the issuance of an earnings release or the disclosure of the material news or occurrence of the material event, as applicable, unless Jefferies waives, in writing, such extension (which waiver may be withheld in its sole discretion). If the initial lock-up period is extended pursuant to the provisions above, “Lock-up Period” shall mean the period described in the first clause of this paragraph, as so extended.

•

“Put Equivalent Position” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act.

•

“Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire shares of Common Stock or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Common Stock, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Common Stock.

•

“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

E-5

•

“Sell or Offer to Sell” shall mean to:

–

sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend,

–

effect any short sale or establish or increase a Put Equivalent Position or liquidate or decrease any Call Equivalent Position

–

pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in, or

–

in any other way transfer or dispose of,

in each case whether effected directly or indirectly.

•

“Swap” shall mean any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of shares of Common Stock or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise.

Capitalized terms not defined in this Annex A shall have the meanings given to them in the body of this lock-up agreement.

E-6

Exhibit F

Directors and Officers

Signing Lock-up Agreement

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F-1

Shares of Common Stock (Par Value $1.00 Per Share) Oriental Financial Group Inc. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

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