Exhibit 4.1



                             DECLARATION OF TRUST OF

                               NPB Capital Trust V

         THIS   DECLARATION  OF  TRUST  is  made  as  of  April  5,  2004  (this
"Declaration"),  by and among  National Penn  Bancshares,  Inc., a  Pennsylvania
corporation,  as sponsor (the "Sponsor"), and Wells Fargo Delaware Trust Company
with its  principal  place of  business  in the State of  Delaware,  as Delaware
trustee (the "Trustee"). The Sponsor and the Trustee hereby agree as follows:

         1. The trust created  hereby shall be known as NPB Capital Trust V (the
"Trust"),  in which name the  Trustee  or the  Sponsor,  to the extent  provided
herein, may conduct the business of the Trust, make and execute  contracts,  and
sue and be sued.

         2. The Sponsor hereby assigns, transfers,  conveys and sets over to the
Trust the sum of $10. The Trustee hereby acknowledges  receipt of such amount in
trust from the Sponsor,  which amount shall constitute the initial trust estate.
The Trustee hereby  declares that it will hold the trust estate in trust for the
Sponsor. It is the intention of the parties hereto that the Trust created hereby
constitute a statutory  trust under chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code,
12 Del.  C. ss.  3801,  et seq.  (the  "Statutory  Trust  Act"),  and that  this
Declaration  constitute  the governing  instrument of the Trust.  The Trustee is
hereby  authorized  and directed to execute and file a certificate of trust with
the  Secretary  of State of the State of Delaware  in the form  attached to this
Declaration.

         3. The Sponsor and the Trustee  will enter into an amended and restated
Declaration  of  Trust  satisfactory  to each  such  party  to  provide  for the
contemplated operation of the Trust created hereby and the issuance by the Trust
of the Capital  Securities and Common Securities  referred to therein.  Prior to
the execution and delivery of such amended and restated Declaration of Trust (i)
the Trustee shall not have any duty or  obligation  hereunder or with respect to
the trust estate,  except as otherwise  required by applicable law, and (ii) the
Sponsor shall take or cause to be taken any action as may be necessary to obtain
prior to such  execution  and  delivery  any  licenses,  consents  or  approvals
required by applicable  law or otherwise.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  the
Trustee may take all actions  which the Sponsor deems  necessary,  convenient or
incidental to effect the transactions contemplated herein. The Trustee shall not
have any duty or obligation  under or in connection with this Declaration or any
document  contemplated hereby, except as expressly provided by the terms of this
Declaration,  and no  implied  duties  or  obligations  shall be read  into this
Declaration  against  the  Trustee.  The right of the  Trustee  to  perform  any
discretionary act enumerated herein shall not be construed as a duty.

         4. The  Sponsor  hereby  agrees to (i)  reimburse  the  Trustee for all
reasonable expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel and other
experts), (ii) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Trustee and the officers,
directors,  employees  and agents of the Trustee  (collectively,  including  the
Trustee in its individual capacity,  the "Indemnified Persons") from and against
any and  all  losses,  damages,  liabilities,  claims,  actions,  suits,  costs,
expenses,







disbursements (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), taxes and
penalties of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively,  "Expenses"),  to the
extent that such  Expenses  arise out of or are imposed  upon or asserted at any
time against such  Indemnified  Persons with respect to the  performance of this
Declaration,  the creation,  operation,  administration  or  termination  of the
Trust, or the transactions  contemplated  hereby;  provided,  however,  that the
Sponsor shall not be required to indemnify an Indemnified Person for Expenses to
the extent such Expenses result from the willful misconduct,  bad faith or gross
negligence  of  such  Indemnified   Person,  and  (iii)  advance  to  each  such
Indemnified  Person Expenses  incurred by such Indemnified  Person, in defending
any claim, demand,  action, suit or proceeding prior to the final disposition of
such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Sponsor of an
undertaking, by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person, to repay such amount if
it shall be  determined  that  such  Indemnified  Person is not  entitled  to be
indemnified  therefor under this Section 4. The obligations of the Sponsor under
this Section 4 shall survive the  resignation  or removal of the Trustee,  shall
survive the  termination,  amendment,  supplement,  and/or  restatement  of this
Declaration,  and shall survive the transfer by the Sponsor of any or all of its
interest in the Trust pursuant to Section 5 below or otherwise.

         5. The Sponsor,  as sponsor of the Trust, is hereby authorized,  in its
discretion,  (i) to  prepare,  execute  and file on  behalf of the  Trust,  such
applications,  reports,  surety bonds,  irrevocable  consents,  appointments  of
attorney  for service of process and other  papers and  documents  that shall be
necessary or desirable to register or establish the exemption from  registration
of the Capital  Securities of the Trust under the  securities or "Blue Sky" laws
of such jurisdictions as the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, may deem necessary
or desirable;  (ii) to negotiate,  execute, deliver and perform on behalf of the
Trust one or more placement agent agreements,  dealer/manager agreements, escrow
agreements,  subscription  agreements  and other  similar or related  agreements
providing for or relating to the sale and issuance of the Capital  Securities of
the Trust and/or any other interests in the Trust; (iii) to prepare, execute and
deliver  on behalf of the Trust  any and all  documents,  certificates,  papers,
instruments  and other writings as it deems  desirable in connection with any of
the foregoing; and (iv) to prepare, execute and deliver letters or documents to,
or instruments for filing with, a depository  relating to the Capital Securities
of the Trust as it deems necessary or desirable.

         In the event that any filing  referred to in this Section 5 is required
by the  rules  and  regulations  of  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  (the
"Commission")  or state  securities or Blue Sky laws to be executed on behalf of
the Trust by a trustee,  the Trustee, in its capacity as a trustee of the Trust,
so required to execute such filings is hereby  authorized  and, to the extent so
required,  directed  to join in any such  filing and to execute on behalf of the
Trust any and all of the foregoing, it being understood that the Trustee, in its
capacity  as a trustee of the Trust,  shall not be  required to join in any such
filing or execute on behalf of the Trust any such document unless required to do
so by the rules and regulations of the Commission or applicable state securities
or Blue Sky laws.

         6. The Trustee is authorized to take such action or refrain from taking
such  action  under this  Declaration  as it may be  directed  in writing by the
Sponsor  from time to time;  provided,  however,  that the Trustee  shall not be
required to take or refrain  from  taking any such  action if the Trustee  shall
have determined, or shall have been advised by counsel, that such performance is
likely to involve the Trustee in personal  liability or is contrary to the terms
of this



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Declaration  or of any  document  contemplated  hereby to which the Trust or the
Trustee is a party or is  otherwise  contrary to law. If at any time the Trustee
determines that it requires or desires guidance regarding the application of any
provision of this  Declaration or any other  document,  or regarding  compliance
with any direction it received hereunder,  then the Trustee may deliver a notice
to the  Sponsor  requesting  written  instructions  as to the  course  of action
desired by the Sponsor, and such instructions shall constitute full and complete
authorization  and  protection  for actions taken and other  performance  by the
Trustee in reliance  thereon.  Until the Trustee has received such  instructions
after delivering such notice, it may refrain from taking any action with respect
to the matters described in such notice.

         7. This Declaration may be executed in two or more counterparts.

         8. The number of trustees of the Trust  initially shall be one (1), and
thereafter  the number of trustees of the Trust shall be such number as shall be
fixed from time to time by a written  instrument signed by the Sponsor which may
increase or decrease the number of trustees of the Trust; provided,  however, to
the extent  required by the Statutory Trust Act, there shall at all times be one
trustee of the Trust that shall either be a natural  person who is a resident of
the  State of  Delaware  or, if not a natural  person,  an entity  which has its
principal  place of business in the State of Delaware  and  otherwise  meets the
requirements of applicable  Delaware law. Subject to the foregoing,  the Sponsor
is entitled to appoint or remove  without  cause any trustee of the Trust at any
time.  Any trustee of the Trust may resign upon thirty (30) days prior notice to
the Sponsor.

         9. This  Declaration  shall be governed by, and construed in accordance
with,  the laws of the State of  Delaware  (without  regard to  conflict of laws
principles).


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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Declaration of Trust to
be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.

                         National Penn Bancshares, Inc.
                         as Sponsor


                                            By:
                                               ---------------------------------
                                            Name:
                                                 -------------------------------
                                            Title:
                                                  ------------------------------


                                            WELLS FARGO DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY,
                                            As Trustee


                                            By:
                                               ---------------------------------

                                            Name:
                                                 -------------------------------

                                            Title:
                                                  ------------------------------




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