FirstBank Florida Donates $10,000 to ASPIRA of Florida

MIAMI, FL--(Marketwire - Oct 18, 2011) - FirstBank Florida today announced a $10,000 donation to ASPIRA, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and leadership development of underprivileged youth. Through ASPIRA's charter schools and various leadership programming, the organization stays true to its mission of empowering youth in the pursuit of educational excellence.

"We are proud to support ASPIRA in developing the next generation of community leaders," said Hernando Novoa, regional branch administrator and member of ASPIRA's Board of Directors. "Through weekly leadership club meetings, guided by a strong curriculum, ASPIRA helps young adults build skills they need for the future."

FirstBank Florida is led by Calixto Garcia-Velez, EVP, Florida Region, who added, "We are highly involved in the communities and our support of ASPIRA is an important aspect of our bank's commitment to Florida."

In addition to ASPIRA, FirstBank Florida supports local organizations like United Way, FIU's "First Generation Scholarship Fund," Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes, Centro Mater, Autism Speaks and Autism Charter School, His House, and the American Bankers Association's "Teach Children to Save Day."

ASPIRA of Florida provides youth with a variety of leadership development opportunities through charter schools and youth leadership programs, facilitated by its staff of young professionals. For 30 years, ASPIRA of Florida has served approximately 60,000 students in the South Florida area, with a long-term positive impact on their families and communities.

About First BanCorp
First BanCorp is the parent corporation of FirstBank Puerto Rico, a state-chartered commercial bank with operations in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Florida, and of FirstBank Insurance Agency. First BanCorp and FirstBank Puerto Rico operate within U.S. banking laws and regulations. The Corporation operates a total of 161 branches, stand-alone offices and in-branch service centers throughout Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Florida. Among the subsidiaries of FirstBank Puerto Rico are First Federal Finance Corp., a small loan company; FirstBank Puerto Rico Securities, a broker-dealer subsidiary; First Management of Puerto Rico; and FirstMortgage, Inc., a mortgage origination company. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, FirstBank operates First Express, a small loan company. First BanCorp's common and publicly-held preferred shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols FBP, FBPPrA, FBPPrB, FBPPrC, FBPPrD and FBPPrE. Visit www.firstbankpr.com for more information.