Sovereign Bank to Sponsor Baseball on SNY

Sovereign Bank to Sponsor Baseball on SNY

Ron Darling to Serve as a Sovereign Spokesperson

NEW YORK, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sovereign Bank and SNY, the television home of the New York Mets, announced today that Sovereign will sponsor Mets programming on SNY for the 2008 baseball season. The sponsorship package includes commercial inventory during SNY's Emmy-nominated New York Mets telecasts, and further integration through the network's website (www.sny.tv). As part of the agreement, Sovereign will also be the presenting sponsor of "Tuesday Night Baseball" on the network, and the "Sovereign Bank Game Recap", which will be featured during the fifth inning of every game.

In addition, Ron Darling -- SNY's critically acclaimed baseball analyst and former Mets pitcher -- will serve as a spokesperson for Sovereign Bank. Darling will be featured in television advertising that will begin airing during games in early April. He will also be used in radio spots, and in outdoor advertising at major transit hubs around New York City.

"We're excited to be associated with SNY's winning sports programming and the New York Mets -- one of the most dynamic teams today in Major League Baseball," said Joseph P. Campanelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Bank. "Our partnership with SNY will provide us with a terrific opportunity to further build our relationship with customers and communities throughout the metropolitan New York region."

"We're pleased to have Sovereign Bank as a sponsor for our Mets telecasts," said Steve Raab, President of SNY. "In a short period of time, Sovereign has made a positive impact in the New York community, and we look forward to integrating them throughout SNY's multi-platform strategy."

Sovereign Bancorp, Inc., ("Sovereign") (NYSE:SOV) , is the parent company of Sovereign Bank, a financial institution with $85 billion in assets as of December 31, 2007 with principal markets in the Northeast United States. Sovereign Bank has 750 community banking offices, over 2,300 ATMs and approximately 12,000 team members. Sovereign offers a broad array of financial services and products including retail banking, business and corporate banking, cash management, capital markets, wealth management and insurance. Sovereign is the 19th largest banking institution in the United States. For more information on Sovereign Bank, visit http://www.sovereignbank.com/ or call 1-877-SOV-BANK.

SNY, which launched in 2006, is the official television home of the Mets and Jets, and New York's leader in local sports news coverage. SNY features unparalleled access to the New York Mets including more than 120 live Mets telecasts -- all produced in HD -- and other critically acclaimed Mets entertainment driven programs.

In addition to delivering over 250 hours of year-round -- exclusive -- in- depth New York Jets content, SNY is the leader in Big East basketball and football coverage in the New York market. On a daily basis, SNY also delivers the most comprehensive live sports and local news coverage of all the Tri- State area's professional and collegiate sports teams through five nightly sports and entertainment programs. SNY's programming roster also includes other live professional and collegiate sports, as well as classic sports, event programming, original entertainment shows and exclusive interview and magazine programs. Founded by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, Time Warner and Comcast, SNY is available to viewers throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, and nationally on DIRECTV and Dish Network. For additional details on the network, visit www.sny.tv.

Source: Sovereign Bank

CONTACT: Ellen Molle of Sovereign Bank, +1-617-757-5573,
emolle@sovereignbank.com; or Andrew Fegyveresi of SNY, +1-212-485-4841,
afegyveresi@sportsnet.com

Web site: http://www.sovereignbank.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment