REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Exhibit 4.2

$100,000,000

HIBERNIA CORPORATION

5.35% Subordinated Notes due May 1, 2014

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

April 26, 2004

Credit Suisse First Boston LLC

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.

Hibernia Southcoast Capital, Inc.

Dear Sirs:

Hibernia Corporation, a Louisiana corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to Credit Suisse First Boston LLC, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Hibernia Southcoast Capital, Inc. (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”), upon the terms set forth in a purchase agreement of even date herewith (the “Purchase Agreement”), $100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 5.35% Subordinated Notes due May 1, 2014 (the “Initial Notes”) The Initial Notes will be issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of April 26, 2004, (the “Indenture”) between the Company and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. (the “Trustee”). As an inducement to the Initial Purchasers, the Company agrees with the Initial Purchasers, for the benefit of the holders of the Initial Notes (including, without limitation, the Initial Purchasers), the Exchange Notes (as defined below) and the Private Exchange Notes (as defined below) (collectively the “Holders”), as follows:

1. Registered Exchange Offer . The Company shall, at its own cost, prepare and, not later than 90 days after (or if the 90 ^th day is not a business day, the first business day thereafter) the date of original issue of the Initial Notes (the “Issue Date”), file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement (the “Exchange Offer Registration Statement”) on an appropriate form under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), with respect to a proposed offer (the “Registered Exchange Offer”) to the Holders of Transfer Restricted Notes (as defined in Section 6 hereof), who are not prohibited by any law or policy of the Commission from participating in the Registered Exchange Offer, to issue and deliver to such Holders, in exchange for the Initial Notes, a like aggregate principal amount of debt securities (the “Exchange Notes”) of the Company issued under the Indenture and identical in all material respects to the Initial Notes (except for the transfer restrictions relating to the Initial Notes and the provisions relating to the matters described in Section 6 hereof) that would be registered under the Securities Act. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause such Exchange Offer Registration Statement to become effective under the Securities Act within 180 days (or if the 180 ^th day is not a business day, the first business day thereafter) after the Issue Date of the Initial Notes and shall keep the Exchange Offer Registration Statement effective for not less than 30 days (or longer, if required by applicable law) after the date notice of the Registered Exchange Offer is mailed to the Holders (such period being called the “Exchange Offer Registration Period”).

If the Company effects the Registered Exchange Offer, the Company will be entitled to close the Registered Exchange Offer 30 days after the commencement thereof provided that the Company has accepted all the Initial Notes theretofore validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the Registered Exchange Offer.

Following the declaration of the effectiveness of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly commence the Registered Exchange Offer, it being the objective of such Registered Exchange

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Offer to enable each Holder of Transfer Restricted Notes (as defined in Section 6 hereof) electing to exchange the Initial Notes for Exchange Notes (assuming that such Holder is not an affiliate of the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, acquires the Exchange Notes in the ordinary course of such Holder’s business and has no arrangements with any person to participate in the distribution of the Exchange Notes and is not prohibited by any law or policy of the Commission from participating in the Registered Exchange Offer) to trade such Exchange Notes from and after their receipt without any limitations or restrictions under the Securities Act and without material restrictions under the securities laws of the several states of the United States.

The Company acknowledges that, pursuant to current interpretations by the Commission’s staff of Section 5 of the Securities Act, in the absence of an applicable exemption therefrom, (i) each Holder which is a broker-dealer electing to exchange Initial Notes, acquired for its own account as a result of market making activities or other trading activities, for Exchange Notes (an “Exchanging Dealer”), is required to deliver a prospectus containing the information set forth in (a) Annex A hereto on the cover, (b) Annex B hereto in the “Exchange Offer Procedures” section and the “Purpose of the Exchange Offer” section, and (c) Annex C hereto in the “Plan of Distribution” section of such prospectus in connection with a sale of any such Exchange Notes received by such Exchanging Dealer pursuant to the Registered Exchange Offer and (ii) an Initial Purchaser that elects to sell Exchange Notes acquired in exchange for Initial Notes constituting any portion of an unsold allotment is required to deliver a prospectus containing the information required by Items 507 or 508 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, as applicable, in connection with such sale.

The Company shall use its best efforts to keep the Exchange Offer Registration Statement effective and to amend and supplement the prospectus contained therein, in order to permit such prospectus to be lawfully delivered by all persons subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act for such period of time as such persons must comply with such requirements in order to resell the Exchange Notes; provided, however, that (i) in the case where such prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto must be delivered by an Exchanging Dealer or an Initial Purchaser, such period shall be the lesser of 180 days after the effective date of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement and the date on which all Exchanging Dealers and the Initial Purchasers have sold all Exchange Notes held by them (unless such period is extended pursuant to Section 3(j) below) and (ii) the Company shall make such prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, available to any Exchanging Dealer or Initial Purchaser for use in connection with any resale of any Exchange Notes for a period of not less than 90 days after the consummation of the Registered Exchange Offer.

If, upon consummation of the Registered Exchange Offer, any Initial Purchaser holds Initial Notes acquired by it as part of its initial distribution, the Company, simultaneously with the delivery of the Exchange Notes pursuant to the Registered Exchange Offer, shall issue and deliver to such Initial Purchaser upon the written request of such Initial Purchaser, in exchange (the “Private Exchange”) for the Initial Notes held by such Initial Purchaser, a like principal amount of debt securities of the Company issued under the Indenture and identical in all material respects (including the existence of restrictions on transfer under the Securities Act and the securities laws of the several states of the United States, but excluding provisions relating to the matters described in Section 6 hereof) to the Initial Notes (the “Private Exchange Notes”). The Initial Notes, the Exchange Notes and the Private Exchange Notes are herein collectively called the “Notes”.

In connection with the Registered Exchange Offer, the Company shall:

(a) mail to each Holder a copy of the prospectus forming part of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement, together with an appropriate letter of transmittal and related documents;

(b) keep the Registered Exchange Offer open for not less than 30 days (or longer, if required by applicable law) after the date notice thereof is mailed to the Holders;

(c) utilize the services of a depositary for the Registered Exchange Offer with an address in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, which may be the Trustee or an affiliate of the Trustee;

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(d) permit Holders to withdraw tendered Initial Notes at any time prior to the close of business, New York time, on the last business day on which the Registered Exchange Offer shall remain open; and

(e) otherwise comply with all applicable laws.

As soon as practicable after the close of the Registered Exchange Offer or the Private Exchange, as the case may be, the Company shall:

(a) accept for exchange all the Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to the Registered Exchange Offer and the Private Exchange;

(b) deliver to the Trustee for cancellation all the Initial Notes so accepted for exchange; and

(c) cause the Trustee to authenticate and deliver promptly to each Holder of the Initial Notes, Exchange Notes or Private Exchange Notes, as the case may be, equal in principal amount to the Initial Notes of such Holder so accepted for exchange.

The Indenture will provide that the Exchange Notes will not be subject to the transfer restrictions set forth in the Indenture and that all the Notes will vote and consent together on all matters as one class and that none of the Notes will have the right to vote or consent as a class separate from one another on any matter.

Interest on each Exchange Note and Private Exchange Note issued pursuant to the Registered Exchange Offer and in the Private Exchange will accrue from the last interest payment date on which interest was paid on the Initial Notes surrendered in exchange therefor or, if no interest has been paid on the Initial Notes, from the date of original issue of the Initial Notes.

Each Holder participating in the Registered Exchange Offer shall be required to represent to the Company that at the time of the consummation of the Registered Exchange Offer (i) any Exchange Notes received by such Holder will be acquired in the ordinary course of business, (ii) such Holder will have no arrangements or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of the Initial Notes or the Exchange Notes within the meaning of the Securities Act, (iii) such Holder is not an “affiliate,” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act, of the Company or if it is an affiliate, such Holder will comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act to the extent applicable, (iv) if such Holder is not a broker-dealer, that it is not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, the distribution of the Exchange Notes and (v) if such Holder is a broker-dealer, that it will receive Exchange Notes for its own account in exchange for Initial Notes that were acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and that it will be required to acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such Exchange Notes.

Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, the Company will ensure that (i) any Exchange Offer Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and any prospectus forming part thereof and any supplement thereto complies in all material respects with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, (ii) any Exchange Offer Registration Statement and any amendment thereto does not, when it becomes effective, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and (iii) any prospectus forming part of any Exchange Offer Registration Statement, and any supplement to such prospectus, does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

2. Shelf Registration . If, (i) because of any change in law or in applicable interpretations thereof by the staff of the Commission, the Company is not permitted to effect a Registered Exchange Offer, as contemplated by Section 1 hereof, (ii) the Registered Exchange Offer is not consummated within 210 days of the Issue Date, (iii) any Initial Purchaser so requests with respect to the Initial Notes (or the Private Exchange Notes) not eligible to be exchanged for Exchange Notes in the Registered Exchange Offer and held by it following consummation of

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the Registered Exchange Offer or (iv) any Holder (other than an Exchanging Dealer) is not eligible to participate in the Registered Exchange Offer or, in the case of any Holder (other than an Exchanging Dealer) that participates in the Registered Exchange Offer, such Holder does not receive freely tradeable Exchange Notes on the date of the exchange, the Company shall take the following actions:

(a) The Company shall, at its cost, as promptly as practicable (but in no event more than 60 days after so required or requested pursuant to this Section 2) file with the Commission and thereafter shall use its best efforts to cause to be declared effective a registration statement (the “Shelf Registration Statement” and, together with the Exchange Offer Registration Statement, a “Registration Statement”) on an appropriate form under the Securities Act relating to the offer and sale of the Transfer Restricted Notes (as defined in Section 6 hereof) by the Holders thereof from time to time in accordance with the methods of distribution set forth in the Shelf Registration Statement and Rule 415 under the Securities Act (hereinafter, the “Shelf Registration”); provided, however, that no Holder (other than an Initial Purchaser) shall be entitled to have the Notes held by it covered by such Shelf Registration Statement unless such Holder agrees in writing to be bound by all the provisions of this Agreement applicable to such Holder.

(b) The Company shall use its best efforts to keep the Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective in order to permit the prospectus included therein to be lawfully delivered by the Holders of the relevant Notes, for a period of two years (or for such longer period if extended pursuant to Section 3(j) below) from the date of its effectiveness or such shorter period that will terminate when all the Notes covered by the Shelf Registration Statement (i) have been sold pursuant thereto or (ii) are no longer restricted securities (as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or any successor rule thereof) (such period, the “Shelf Registration Period”). The Company shall be deemed not to have used its best efforts to keep the Shelf Registration Statement effective during the requisite period if it voluntarily takes any action that would result in Holders of Notes covered thereby not being able to offer and sell such Notes during that period, unless such action is required by applicable law.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall cause the Shelf Registration Statement and the related prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of the effective date of the Shelf Registration Statement, amendment or supplement, (i) to comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and (ii) not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

3. Registration Procedures . In connection with any Shelf Registration contemplated by Section 2 hereof and, to the extent applicable, any Registered Exchange Offer contemplated by Section 1 hereof, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) The Company shall (i) furnish to each Initial Purchaser, prior to the filing thereof with the Commission, a copy of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereof and each supplement, if any, to the prospectus included therein and, in the event that an Initial Purchaser (with respect to any portion of an unsold allotment from the original offering) is participating in the Registered Exchange Offer or the Shelf Registration Statement, the Company shall use its best efforts to reflect in each such document, when so filed with the Commission, such comments as such Initial Purchaser reasonably may propose; (ii) include the information set forth in Annex A hereto on the cover, in Annex B hereto in the “Exchange Offer Procedures” section and the “Purpose of the Exchange Offer” section and in Annex C hereto in the “Plan of Distribution” section of the prospectus forming a part of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement and include the information set forth in Annex D hereto in the Letter of Transmittal delivered pursuant to the Registered Exchange Offer; (iii) if requested by an Initial Purchaser, include the information required by Items 507 or 508 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, as applicable, in the prospectus forming a part of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement; (iv) include within the prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement a section entitled “Plan of Distribution,” reasonably acceptable to the Initial Purchasers, which shall contain a summary statement of the positions taken or policies made by the staff of

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the Commission with respect to the potential “underwriter” status of any broker-dealer that is the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) of Exchange Notes received by such broker-dealer in the Registered Exchange Offer (a “Participating Broker-Dealer”), whether such positions or policies have been publicly disseminated by the staff of the Commission or such positions or policies, in the reasonable judgment of the Initial Purchasers based upon advice of counsel (which may be in-house counsel), represent the prevailing views of the staff of the Commission; and (v) in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, include the names of the Holders, who propose to sell Notes pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement, as selling securityholders.

(b) The Company shall give written notice to the Initial Purchasers, the Holders of the Notes and any Participating Broker-Dealer from whom the Company has received prior written notice that it will be a Participating Broker-Dealer in the Registered Exchange Offer (which notice pursuant to clauses (ii)-(v) hereof shall be accompanied by an instruction to suspend the use of the prospectus until the requisite changes have been made):

(i) when the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto has been filed with the Commission and when the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective;

(ii) of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the prospectus included therein or for additional information;

(iii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose;

(iv) of the receipt by the Company or its legal counsel of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Notes for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and

(v) of the happening of any event that requires the Company to make changes in the Registration Statement or the prospectus in order that the Registration Statement or the prospectus do not contain an untrue statement of a material fact nor omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.

(c) The Company shall make every reasonable effort to obtain the withdrawal at the earliest possible time, of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.

(d) The Company shall furnish to each Holder of Notes included within the coverage of the Shelf Registration, without charge, at least one copy of the Shelf Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, including financial statements and schedules, and, if the Holder so requests in writing, all exhibits thereto (including those, if any, incorporated by reference).

(e) The Company shall deliver to each Exchanging Dealer and each Initial Purchaser, and to any other Holder who so requests, without charge, at least one copy of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, including financial statements and schedules, and, if any Initial Purchaser or any such Holder requests, all exhibits thereto (including those incorporated by reference).

(f) The Company shall, during the Shelf Registration Period, deliver to each Holder of Notes included within the coverage of the Shelf Registration, without charge, as many copies of the prospectus (including each preliminary prospectus) included in the Shelf Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto as such person may reasonably request. The Company consents, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, to the use of the prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling Holders of the Notes in connection with the offering and sale of the Notes covered by the prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, included in the Shelf Registration Statement.

(g) The Company shall deliver to each Initial Purchaser, any Exchanging Dealer, any Participating Broker-Dealer and such other persons required to deliver a prospectus following the Registered Exchange Offer, without charge, as many copies of the final prospectus included in the Exchange Offer Registration

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Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto as such persons may reasonably request. The Company consents, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, to the use of the prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto by any Initial Purchaser, if necessary, any Participating Broker-Dealer and such other persons required to deliver a prospectus following the Registered Exchange Offer in connection with the offering and sale of the Exchange Notes covered by the prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, included in such Exchange Offer Registration Statement.

(h) Prior to any public offering of the Notes, pursuant to any Registration Statement, the Company shall register or qualify or cooperate with the Holders of the Notes included therein and their respective counsel in connection with the registration or qualification of the Notes for offer and sale under the securities or “blue sky” laws of such states of the United States as any Holder of the Notes reasonably requests in writing and do any and all other acts or things necessary or advisable to enable the offer and sale in such jurisdictions of the Notes covered by such Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not then so qualified or (ii) take any action which would subject it to general service of process or to taxation in any jurisdiction where it is not then so subject.

(i) The Company shall cooperate with the Holders of the Notes to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing the Notes to be sold pursuant to any Registration Statement free of any restrictive legends and in such denominations and registered in such names as the Holders may request a reasonable period of time prior to sales of the Notes pursuant to such Registration Statement.

(j) Upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by paragraphs (ii) through (v) of Section 3(b) above during the period for which the Company is required to maintain an effective Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly prepare and file a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or a supplement to the related prospectus and any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered to Holders of the Notes or purchasers of Notes, the prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may suspend the effectiveness of the Registration Statement by written notice to the Initial Purchasers, the Holders of the Notes and any known Participating Broker-Dealer in accordance with paragraphs (ii) through (v) of Section 3(b) above, for a period not to exceed an aggregate of 30 days in any 90-day period (each such period from and including the date of the giving of such written notice to and including the date when the Initial Purchasers, the Holders of the Notes and any known Participating Broker-Dealer shall have received such amended or supplemented prospectus pursuant to this Section 3(j), a “Suspension Period”) if:

(x) an event occurs and is continuing as a result of which such Registration Statement would, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and

(y) the Company reasonably determines that the disclosure of such event at such time would have a material adverse effect on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on a previously undisclosed proposed or pending material business transaction;

provided, however, that Suspension Periods shall not exceed an aggregate of 60 days in any 360-day period; provided, further, the period of effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement provided for in Section 2(b) above and the Exchange Offer Registration Statement provided for in Section 1 above shall each be extended by the number of days of each Suspension Period; provided, further, however, that the commencement of a Suspension Period shall not relieve the Company of its obligations to pay Additional Interest in accordance with Section 6 (except as provided therein) or to consummate the Registered Exchange Offer as provided herein.

(k) Not later than the effective date of the appl