Disclaimer 26 These forward-looking statements may relate to the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses, market risk and the impact of interest rate changes, capital markets conditions, capital adequacy and liquidity, and the effect of legal proceedings and new accounting guidance on the Corporation's financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, and are generally identified by the use of words or phrases such as "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," "believe," "expect," "may" or similar expressions. The Corporation cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements since they speak only as of the date made and represent the Corporation's expectations of future conditions or results and are not guarantees of future performance. The Corporation does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligations to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of those statements. Forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to risks and uncertainties. While there is no assurance that any list of risks and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, below are certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially to those contained in any forward-looking statement: the strength or weakness of the real estate markets and of the consumer and commercial credit sectors and its impact on the credit quality of the Corporation's loans and other assets, including the Corporation's construction and commercial real estate loan portfolios, which have contributed and may continue to contribute, among other things, to the increase in the levels of non-performing assets, charge-offs and the provision expense; adverse changes in general economic conditions in the United States and in Puerto Rico, including the interest rate scenario, market liquidity, housing absorption rates and real estate prices, and disruptions in the U.S. capital markets, which may reduce interest margins, impact funding sources and affect demand for all of the Corporation's products and services and the value of the Corporation's assets, including the value of derivative instruments used for protection from interest rate fluctuations; an adverse change in the Corporation's ability to attract new clients and retain existing ones; a decrease in demand for the Corporation's products and services and lower revenues and earnings because of the continued recession in Puerto Rico and the current fiscal problems and budget deficit of the Puerto Rico government; uncertainty about the legislative and other measures adopted by the Puerto Rico government in response to its fiscal deficit situation and the impact of such measures on several sectors of the Puerto Rico economy; uncertainty about the effectiveness of the various actions undertaken to stimulate the United States economy and stabilize the United States financial markets, and the impact such actions may have on the Corporation's business, financial condition and results of operations; changes in the fiscal and monetary policies and regulations of the federal government, including those determined by the Federal Reserve System (FED), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), government-sponsored housing agencies and local regulators in Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands; risks of not being able to generate sufficient income to realize the benefit of the deferred tax asset; risks of not being able to recover the assets pledged to Lehman Brothers Special Financing, Inc.; risks associated with the soundness of other financial institutions; changes in the Corporation's expenses associated with acquisitions and dispositions; developments in technology; the impact of Doral Financial Corporation's financial condition on the repayment of its outstanding secured loans to the Corporation; the Corporation's ability to issue brokered certificates of deposit and fund operations; risks associated with downgrades in the credit ratings of the Corporation's securities; general competitive factors and industry consolidation; risks associated with regulatory and legislative changes for financial services companies in Puerto Rico, the United States, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, which could affect the Corporation's financial performance and could cause the Corporation's actual results for future periods to differ materially from those anticipated or projected; and the risk that the FDIC may further increase the deposit insurance premium and/or require special assessments to replenish its insurance fund, causing an increase in our non-interest expense. |