This is consistent with this board's pattern of disrespecting shareholder interests in favor of entrenching themselves in their lucrative positions.

I really haven't seen any situations, even with the most aggressive smaller hedge funds, where they have put their interest ahead of the other shareholders.

It's shocking. We have a pre- Enron board in a post-Enron world. People like this should be flushed out of corporate America.

Sovereign's board continues to march forward on its cynical campaign to deprive its shareholders, at their expense, of the right to vote on transformational transactions.

It defies credulity that they have now disavowed this right that they have promised shareholders. It's just another in a growing list of slaps to the face of their shareholders.

Sovereign's board members have repeatedly breached trust with the very shareholders they were elected to represent. These directors must be removed as promptly as possible.

Jerry is tough, and he's going to do it the right way. He is by far the finest in terms of being able to analyze business solutions that I've ever worked with.

We're happy with the decision and we're happy that the process will be moving forward.

These directors must be removed as promptly as possible and replaced with truly independent directors who will represent Sovereign and its shareholders' interests first and foremost.