Exhibit 99.1

		News Release

FIRST BANCORP ANNOUNCES INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF THE

PROPOSED CAPITAL RAISE AND RIGHTS OFFERING

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — July 18, 2011 — First BanCorp (the “Corporation”) (NYSE: FBP), the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico (“FirstBank” or “the Bank”), today announced it has entered into amended agreements with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and other institutional investors to increase the maximum size of the previously announced proposed capital raise from $515 million to $525 million.

The amended agreements also will enable the Corporation to increase the size of the proposed rights offering from $35 million to $37.3 million, which will allow each stockholder of record on the record date (which has not yet been established) to purchase one share of the Corporation’s common stock for every two shares of the common stock held on the record date at $3.50 per share. The proposed rights offering will allow the Corporation’s stockholders to purchase up to an aggregate of 10,657,142 shares of common stock. The Corporation intends to file a registration statement covering the rights offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the rights offering is expected to begin after the registration statement is declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The higher capital raise, together with the rights offering, will provide the Corporation up to $562.3 million in new common capital.

This press release is not an offer to sell nor a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities in any state or jurisdiction nor shall there by an sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction. These securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under or any exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any public offering of the Company’s securities to be

made in the United States will be made only by means a registration statement that is filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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 all operate within U.S. banking laws and regulations. The Corporation operates a total of 160 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. Additional information about First BanCorp may be found at www.firstbankpr.com.

Safe Harbor

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” concerning the Corporation’s future economic performance. The words or phrases “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “should,” “believes” and similar expressions are meant to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to the safe harbor created by such section. The Corporation wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such “forward-looking statements,” which speak only as of the date made, and to advise readers that various factors, including, but not limited to, uncertainty about whether the Corporation will be able to fully comply with the written agreement dated June 3, 2010 that the Corporation entered into with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FED”) and the order dated June 2, 2010 (the “Order”) that FirstBank Puerto Rico entered into with the FDIC and the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico that, among other things, require FirstBank to attain certain capital levels and reduce

its special mention, classified, delinquent and non-accrual assets; uncertainty as to whether the Corporation’s stockholders will approve the proposal to issue shares of common stock in the capital raise, which will enable the corporation to compel the U.S. Treasury to convert into common stock the shares of Series G Preferred Stock that the Corporation issued to the U.S. Treasury; uncertainty as to whether the Corporation will be able to complete any other future capital-raising efforts; uncertainty as to the availability of certain funding sources, such as retail brokered CDs; the Corporation’s reliance on brokered CDs and its ability to obtain, on a periodic basis, approval from the FDIC to issue brokered CDs to fund operations and provide liquidity in accordance with the terms of the Order; the risk of not being able to fulfill the Corporation’s cash obligations or pay dividends to its shareholders in the future due to its inability to receive approval from the FED to receive dividends from FirstBank Puerto Rico; the risk of being subject to possible additional regulatory actions; the strength or weakness of the real estate markets and of the consumer and commercial credit sectors and their impact on the credit quality of the Corporation’s loans and other assets, including the Corporation’s construction and commercial real estate loan portfolios, which have contributed and may continue to contribute to, among other things, the increase in the levels of non-performing assets, charge-offs and the provision expense and may subject the Corporation to further risk from loan defaults and foreclosures; adverse changes in general economic conditions in the United States and in Puerto Rico, including the interest rate scenario, market liquidity, housing absorption rates, real estate prices and disruptions in the U.S. capital markets, which may reduce interest margins, impact funding sources and affect demand for all of the Corporation’s products and services and the value of the Corporation’s assets; an adverse change in the Corporation’s ability to attract new clients and retain existing ones; a decrease in demand for the Corporation’s products and services and lower revenues and earnings because of the continued recession in Puerto Rico and the current fiscal problems and budget deficit of the Puerto Rico government; uncertainty about regulatory and legislative changes for financial services companies in Puerto Rico, the United States and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, which could affect the Corporation’s financial performance and could cause the Corporation’s actual results for future periods to differ materially from prior results and anticipated or projected results; uncertainty about the effectiveness of the various actions undertaken to stimulate the United States economy and stabilize the United States financial markets, and the impact such actions may have on the

Corporation’s business, financial condition and results of operations; changes in the fiscal and monetary policies and regulations of the federal government, including those determined by the Federal Reserve System, the FDIC, government-sponsored housing agencies and local regulators in Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands; the risk of possible failure or circumvention of controls and procedures and the risk that the Corporation’s risk management policies may not be adequate; the risk that the FDIC may further increase the deposit insurance premium and/or require special assessments to replenish its insurance fund, causing an additional increase in the Corporation’s non-interest expense; risks of not being able to recover the assets pledged to Lehman Brothers Special Financing, Inc.; impact to the Corporation’s results of operations and financial condition associated with acquisitions and dispositions; a need to recognize additional impairments on financial instruments or goodwill relating to acquisitions; the adverse effect of litigation; risks that further downgrades in the credit ratings of the Corporation’s long-term senior debt will adversely affect the Corporation’s ability to make future borrowings; general competitive factors and industry consolidation; and the possible future dilution to holders of common stock resulting from additional issuances of common stock or securities convertible into common stock. The Corporation does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any “forward-looking statements” to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

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For First BanCorp:
Sara Alvarez
Vice President
Corporate Affairs Office
sara.alvarez@firstbankpr.com
(787) 729-8041