BOSTON, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Holdings USA, Inc. ("SHUSA"), parent company of Sovereign Bank, announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend on SHUSA's Preferred Stock. A dividend payment of $0.45625 per depositary share is payable on February 15, 2012 to holders of record on February 1, 2012 for the SHUSA's Series C Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock (NYSE: SOVPRC).

About our company

Santander Holdings USA, Inc. (SHUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A. and is the holding company for Sovereign Bank, a financial institution with principal markets in the northeastern United States. Sovereign Bank has more than 700 branches, nearly 2,300 ATMs and approximately 8,500 team members.

Banco Santander S.A. (SAN.MC, STD.N) is a retail and commercial bank, headquartered in Spain, with a presence in ten main markets: Spain, Portugal, Germany, UK, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the U.S. Founded in 1857, Santander has 92 million customers, approximately 14,000 branches - more than any other international bank - and more than 190,000 employees. For more information on Santander, visit http://www.santander.com.

Note: "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release regarding Santander Holdings USA Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual future events to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

SOURCE Santander Holdings USA, Inc.