FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

May 12, 2008

Lehman Brothers Inc.
745 Seventh Avenue
New York, New York 10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          Sovereign Bancorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation (the “ Company ”), proposes to sell 156,250,000 shares (the “ Firm Stock ”) of the Company’s common stock, no par value per share (the “ Common Stock ”). In addition, the Company proposes to grant to Lehman Brothers Inc. (the “ Underwriter ”) an option to purchase up to 23,437,500 additional shares of the Common Stock (the “ Option Stock ”) on the terms set forth in Section 2. The Firm Stock and the Option Stock, if purchased, are hereinafter collectively called the “ Stock .” This is to confirm the agreement concerning the purchase of the Stock from the Company by the Underwriter.

          1. Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Company. The Company represents, warrants and agrees that:

     (a) A registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the Stock (i) has been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), and the rules and regulations (the “ Rules and Regulations ”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) thereunder; (ii) has been filed with the Commission under the Securities Act; and (iii) is effective under the Securities Act. Copies of such registration statement and any amendment thereto have been delivered by the Company to you as the Underwriter. As used in this Agreement:

     (i) “ Applicable Time ” means 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on May 12, 2008.

     (ii) “ Effective Date ” means any date as of which any part of such registration statement relating to the Stock became, or is deemed to have become, effective under the Securities Act in accordance with the Rules and Regulations (including pursuant to Rule 430B of the Rules and Regulations);

     (iii) “ Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means each “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations) prepared by or

on behalf of the Company or used or referred to by the Company in connection with the offering of the Stock;

     (iv) “ Preliminary Prospectus ” means any preliminary prospectus relating to the Stock filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations, including any preliminary prospectus supplement thereto relating to the Stock;

     (v) “ Pricing Disclosure Package ” means, as of the Applicable Time, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, together with the information included in Schedule 2 hereto and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed or used by the Company on or before the Applicable Time, other than a road show that is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus under Rule 433 of the Rules and Regulations;

     (vi) “ Prospectus ” means the final prospectus relating to the Stock, including any prospectus supplement thereto relating to the Stock, as filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations; and

     (vii) “ Registration Statement ” means, collectively, the various parts of such registration statement, each as amended as of the Effective Date for such part, including any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and all exhibits to such registration statement.

Any reference to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. Any reference to the “ most recent Preliminary Prospectus ” shall be deemed to refer to the latest Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement or filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) prior to or on the date hereof (including, for purposes hereof, any documents incorporated by reference therein prior to or on the date hereof). Any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any document filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to include any annual report of the Company on Form 10-K filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the Effective Date that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no proceeding or examination for such purpose has been instituted or threatened by the Commission. The Commission has not notified the Company of any objection to the use of the form of the Registration Statement.

     (b) The Company has been since the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement and continues to be a “well-known seasoned issuer” (as defined in Rule 405) eligible to use Form S-3 for the offering of the Stock, including not having been an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405) at any such time or date. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” (as defined in Rule 405) and was filed not earlier than the date that is three years prior to the applicable Delivery Date (as defined in Section 5).

     (c) The Registration Statement conformed and will conform in all material respects on the Effective Date and on the applicable Delivery Date, and any amendment to the Registration Statement filed after the date hereof will conform in all material respects when filed, to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. The most recent Preliminary Prospectus conformed, and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects when filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the applicable Delivery Date to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations. The documents incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus conformed, and any further documents so incorporated will conform, when filed with the Commission, in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

     (d) The Registration Statement did not, as of the Effective Date, 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; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

     (e) The Prospectus will not, as of its date and on the applicable Delivery Date, 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

     (f) The documents incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus did not, and any further documents filed and incorporated by reference therein will not, when filed with the Commission, 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

     (g) The Pricing Disclosure Package did not, as of the Applicable Time, 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

     (h) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including, without limitation, any road show that is a free writing prospectus under Rule 433), when considered together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

     (i) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations on the date of first use, and the Company has complied with any filing requirements applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to the Rules and Regulations. The Company has not made any offer relating to the Stock that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Underwriter. The Company has retained in accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that were not required to be filed pursuant to the Rules and Regulations.

     (j) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (as defined in Section 16) has been duly incorporated or organized, as the case may be, and is validly existing and in good standing as a corporation or other business entity under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization, with all power and authority necessary to conduct the business in which it is engaged or to own or lease its properties; and each of the Company and its subsidiaries is duly qualified to do business and in good standing as a foreign corporation or other business entity in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its businesses requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, stockholders’ equity, properties or business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association, or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year. Sovereign Bank (the “ Bank ”) is the only Significant Subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 405) of the Company.

     (k) The Company has been duly registered as a savings and loan holding company under the Home Owners Loan Act of 1933, as amended (the “ HOLA ”). The Bank is duly organized as a federal chartered savings bank under the HOLA and its deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “ FDIC ”) to the fullest extent permitted by law and all premiums and assessments required to be paid in

connection therewith have been paid when due. The Company and each of its subsidiaries (as such term is defined in Section 16 below) are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws administered by and regulations of the Office of Thrift Supervision (the “ OTS ”), the FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “ OCC ”) and any other federal or state bank regulatory authority (collectively, the “ Bank Regulatory Authorities ”) with jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than where such failures to comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be likely to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any written agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or a party to, any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, or is subject to any order or directive by, or is a recipient of an extraordinary supervisory letter from, or has adopted any board resolutions at the request of, any Bank Regulatory Authority which restricts in any material respect the conduct of its business, or in any manner relates to its capital adequacy, its liquidity and funding policies and practices, its ability to pay dividends, its credit, risk management or compliance policies or its management, nor have any of them been advised by any Bank Regulatory Authority that it is contemplating issuing or requesting (or is considering the appropriateness of issuing or requesting) any such order, decree, agreement, memorandum of understanding, extraordinary supervisory letter, commitment letter or similar submission, or any such board resolutions.

     (l) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, conform to the description thereof contained in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws and not in violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or similar right. All of the Company’s options, warrants and other rights to purchase or exchange any securities for shares of the Company’s capital stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, conform to the description thereof contained in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws. All of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any claim, lien, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer, preemptive rights or any other claim of any third party, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (m) The shares of the Stock to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriter hereunder have been duly authorized and, upon payment and delivery in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, will conform to the description thereof contained in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, will be issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws and will be free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights.

     (n) The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

     (o) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Stock as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, impose any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company and the Bank, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, license or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or the Bank is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or the Bank is subject; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws (or similar organizational documents) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (iii) result in any violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or the Bank or any of their properties or assets.

     (p) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties or assets is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, or the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Stock as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, except for the registration of the Stock under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act and applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and sale of the Stock by the Underwriter.

     (q) There is no contract or document required to be described in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or to a document incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus which is not described or filed as required.

     (r) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act.

     (s) The Company has not sold or issued any securities that would be integrated with the offering of the Stock contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the

Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations or the interpretations thereof by the Commission.

     (t) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any adverse change, or any development involving a prospective adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, stockholders’ equity, properties, management or business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (u) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not (i) incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, other than liabilities and obligations that were incurred in the ordinary course of business (ii) entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business or (iii) declared or paid any dividend on its capital stock, other than in the case of (i) and (ii) herein, those material liabilities or obligations or material transactions that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expect to (a) have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) materially affect the transactions contemplated hereby or (c) impair the Company’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder on a timely basis.

     (v) The financial statements and the notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the entities purported to be shown thereby at the dates and for the periods indicated and have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods indicated and comply as to form in all material respects with the Rules and Regulations.

     (w) Ernst & Young LLP, which have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, and which have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and management’s assessment thereof, are an independent public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and the rules and regulations of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

     (x) The statistical and market-related data included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects.

     (y) Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is, and as of the applicable Delivery Date and, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Stock and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in each of the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of them will be, (i) an

“investment company” within the meaning of such term under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ Investment Company Act ”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder or (ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act).

     (z) There is no litigation or legal or governmental proceeding to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject which is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened or contemplated against the Company or any of its subsidiaries which (i) if adversely determined, would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, except as disclosed in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance by the Company or on the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. Except as would, individually or in the aggregate, not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, there is no unresolved criticism or exception by any governmental authority with respect to any report or relating to any examination or inspection of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

     (aa) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, no relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company, on the other hand, that is required to be described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus which is not so described.

     (bb) No labor disturbance by the employees of the Company or its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (cc) (i) Each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”)) for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”)) would have any liability (each a “ Plan ”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA (a) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (b) no “accumulated funding deficiency” (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code), whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (c) the fair market value of the assets under each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan) and (d) neither the Company or any member of its Controlled Group has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the PBGC in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(c)(3) of ERISA); and (iii) each Plan that is

intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification, except in each such case as could not reasonably be expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

     (dd) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof, subject to permitted extensions, and have paid all taxes due thereon, and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, nor does the Company have any knowledge of any tax deficiencies that could, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (ee) There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Stock.

     (ff) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (i) is in violation or breach of its certificate of incorporation, by-laws, partnership agreement or other constitutive documents, (ii) is in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any loan agreement, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, license or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its properties or assets is subject, (iii) is in violation of any law or any rule, regulation, order or decree of any governmental agency or body or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its respective property or assets or (iv) has failed to obtain any license, permit, certificate, franchise or other governmental authorization or permit necessary for the conduct of its business or the ownership or holding of its property, except in the case of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), to the extent any such violation, breach, default or failure would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (gg) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith.

     (hh) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have such permits, licenses, patents, franchises, certificates of need and other approvals or authorizations of governmental or regulatory authorities (“ Permits ”) as are necessary under applicable law to own their properties and conduct their businesses in the manner described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, except for any of the foregoing that could not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; each of the Company and its subsidiaries has fulfilled and performed all of its obligations with respect to the Permits, and no event has occurred that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination thereof or results in any other impairment of

the rights of the holder or any such Permits, except for any of the foregoing that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (ii) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with U.S. management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect thereto. As of December 31, 2007, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective, and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.

     (jj) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

     (kk) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

     (ll) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, except, in each case, as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (mm) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or

otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

     (nn) The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of any Delivery Date and completion of the distribution of the Stock, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Stock other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Underwriter has consented in accordance with Section 1(i) or 5(a)(vii).

     (oo) The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the shares of the Stock.

          Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Underwriter in connection with the closing of the offering of the Stock shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.

          2. Purchase of the Stock by the Underwriter. On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, this Agreement, the Company agrees to sell 156,250,000 shares of the Firm Stock to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase 156,250,000 shares of the Firm Stock.

          In addition, the Company grants to the Underwriter an option to purchase up to 23,437,500 additional shares of Option Stock. Such option is exercisable to the extent that the Underwriter sells more shares of Common Stock than the number of Firm Stock in the offering and as set forth in Section 4 hereof.

          The price of both the Firm Stock and any Option Stock purchased by the Underwriter shall be $7.76 per share.

          The Company shall not be obligated to deliver any of the Firm Stock or Option Stock to be delivered on the applicable Delivery Date, except upon payment for all such Stock to be purchased on such Delivery Date as provided herein.

          3. Offering of Stock by the Underwriter . The Underwriter proposes to offer the Firm Stock for sale upon the terms and conditions to be set forth in the Prospectus.

          4. Delivery of and Payment for the Stock . Delivery of and payment for the Firm Stock shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the fourth full business day following the date of this Agreement or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Underwriter and the Company. This date and time are sometimes referred to as the “ Initial Delivery Date .” Delivery of the Firm Stock shall be made to the Underwriter against payment by the Underwriter of the aggregate purchase price of the Firm Stock being sold by the Company to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Company. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further

condition of the obligation of the Underwriter hereunder. The Company shall deliver the Firm Stock through the facilities of DTC unless the Underwriter shall otherwise instruct.

          The option granted in Section 2 will expire 30 days after the date of this Agreement and may be exercised in whole or from time to time in part by written notice being given to the Company by the Underwriter; provided that if such date falls on a day that is not a business day, the option granted in Section 2 will expire on the next succeeding business day. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of shares of Option Stock as to which the option is being exercised, the names in which the shares of Option Stock are to be registered, the denominations in which the shares of Option Stock are to be issued and the date and time, as determined by the Underwriter, when the shares of Option Stock are to be delivered; provided, however , that this date and time shall not be earlier than the Initial Delivery Date nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised nor later than the fifth business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised. Each date and time the shares of Option Stock are delivered is sometimes referred to as an “ Option Stock Delivery Date ,” and the Initial Delivery Date and any Option Stock Delivery Date are sometimes each referred to as a “ Delivery Date .”

          Delivery of the Option Stock by the Company and payment for the Option Stock by the Underwriter shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in the preceding paragraph or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Underwriter and the Company. On the Option Stock Delivery Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered the Option Stock to the Underwriter against payment by the Underwriter of the aggregate purchase price of the Option Stock being sold by the Company to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Company. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligation of the Underwriter hereunder. The Company shall deliver the Option Stock through the facilities of DTC unless the Underwriter shall otherwise instruct.

          5. Further Agreements of the Company and the Underwriter . (a) The Company agrees:

     (i) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Underwriter and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Delivery Date except as provided herein; to advise the Underwriter, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Underwriter with copies thereof; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Stock; to advise the Underwriter, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the

Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Stock for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding or examination for any such purpose, of any notice from the Commission objecting to the use of the form of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal;

     (ii) To pay the applicable Commission filing fees relating to the Stock within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein;

     (iii) To furnish promptly to the Underwriter and to counsel for the Underwriter a signed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith;

     (iv) To deliver promptly to the Underwriter such number of the following documents as the Underwriter shall reasonably request: (A) conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits other than this Agreement and the computation of per share earnings), (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amended or supplemented Prospectus, (C) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (D) any document incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus; and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time after the date hereof in connection with the offering or sale of the Stock or any other securities relating thereto and if at such time any events shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to notify the Underwriter and, upon its request, to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to the Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance;

     (v) To file promptly with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that may, in the judgment of the Company or the Underwriter, be required by the Securities Act or requested by the Commission;

     (vi) Prior to filing with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any amendment to any document incorporated by reference in the

Prospectus, to furnish a copy thereof to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter and obtain the consent of the Underwriter to the filing;

     (vii) Not to make any offer relating to the Stock that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Underwriter;

     (viii) To comply with all applicable requirements of Rule 433 with respect to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus; and if at any time after the date hereof any events shall have occurred as a result of which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as then amended or supple