Before joining Sovereign, Andrew Hove served as the Vice Chairman and then as the Acting Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Washington, D.C. ("FDIC") from 1990 until his retirement in January 2001. Prior to 1990, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Minden Exchange Bank & Trust Co., headquartered in Nebraska. Hove also served as President of the Nebraska Bankers Association and acted as Vice President, American Bankers Association, representing Nebraska. Since March 15, 2002, Hove has continuously served as a director of Great Western Bancorporation, Inc. ("Great Western"), a bank holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska (formerly known as Spectrum Bancorporation, Inc.). Great Western operates 65 banking locations in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, and had total assets, total deposits, and stockholders' equity of $2.5 billion, $1.9 billion and $151.0 million respectively at September 30, 2004. Hove also serves as a director of Saline State Bank of Wilber, Nebraska ("Saline"). Saline operates five branch locations in Nebraska and had total assets, total deposits, and stockholders' equity of $93.2 million, $69.2 million and $10.5 million respectively at September 30, 2004. Hove joined Sovereign Bank's Board as a Director in 2001, and became a Director of Sovereign Bancorp in February 2002.