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

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