Reinvestment Plan & Taxes

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

Our plan gives you the opportunity to acquire additional shares of OFG Bancorp common stock by reinvesting cash dividends or fractional share cash received into OFG stock. You can join through two different methods:

1. Through Your Brokerage Firm

If you have your OFG stock with a brokerage firm, contact your broker and inquire on how to reinvest proceeds from dividend distributions. If you are an Oriental Financial Services brokerage customer or if you would like to become one, call (787) 771-6800.

2. By Signing Up Directly with OFG Bancorp's Dividend Reinvestment Plan

If you have shares registered in your name, contact our transfer agent:


EQ Shareowner Services
1110 Centre Pointe Curve, Suite 101
Mendota Heights, MN 55120
Tel. (800) 468-9716
shareowneronline.com


How does the Plan work?

The Plan is automatic once you join. Our transfer agent, EQ Shareowner Services (EQ), will receive dividends paid on your shares as well as all dividends on any full or fractional shares purchased and held for you under the Plan. Acting on your behalf, EQ will use those funds to buy shares of the Group’s common stock for you at current market prices. If these funds are not sufficient to buy a full share, you will be credited with a fractional share computed to three decimal places. Fractional shares will earn additional dividends for you in the same way as full shares.

Reinvestment of dividends for your account will begin with the next dividend payable after receipt of your authorization, provided that your authorization is received no later than the record date for the dividend. If your authorization is received after the record date, you will receive that dividend payment in the normal manner, and your participation in the Plan begins with the next dividend. Once you have joined, your participation in the Plan continues automatically until you change it or terminate your plan. If your stock is held at a brokerage firm please contact them about your reinvestment.

Partial dividend reinvestment

You may designate a partial reinvestment only on shares registered in your name. Shares held on your behalf in the Plan will be fully reinvested.

Shareholder statement

You will receive a detailed statement of your account showing cash dividends for each quarter, full and fractional shares purchased, and total shares held for your account.

Certificates

EQ will hold shares purchased for you in safekeeping (book entry form) until termination of your participation in the Plan. A stock certificate for full shares held for your account will be issued to you upon request. You will receive cash instead of a certificate for a fractional share. Proxies sent to you as a record holder of shares will include the number of shares held for you under the Plan. All shares held for you under the Plan will be voted in accordance with these proxies.

Are there any costs involved?

OFG will bear all costs for administering the Plan. There is the normal nominal cost to you for shares purchased with your reinvested dividends at the market price of the shares.

How do I terminate my participation?

You may terminate your participation at any time by writing to EQ Shareowner Services at the above address. Upon termination a stock certificate will be issued in your name for the number of full shares then held for your account in the Plan and will be forwarded to you. Any fractional share at the time of termination will be converted to cash at the then current market value and a check in the amount of the proceeds will be sent to you. You can also transfer ownership of your shares at any time by writing to EQ Shareowner Services.

What are the tax consequences?

In general, dividends reinvested under the Plan continue to be taxable for U.S. and/or Puerto Rico income tax purposes as if you received them in cash. An individual participant -- whether a Puerto Rico resident or non-resident U.S. citizen -- will be subject to 15% Puerto Rico tax. See the section below on "Taxes on Puerto Rico Source Dividends Paid by Puerto Rico Corporations" for more details.

The amount of any brokerage commissions incurred to purchase shares for your Plan account may not be deducted by you, but should be added to the cost basis of the stock purchased under the Plan.


Taxes on Puerto Rico Source Dividends Paid by Puerto Rico Corporations

The Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code of 2011, as amended (the “PR Code”), currently imposes a special 15% income tax on the amount of any dividends paid by Puerto Rico corporations to individuals (whether or not they are residents of Puerto Rico), trusts or estates, and a 15% withholding tax rate on such dividend distributions.

Individuals, trusts or estates may elect for such Puerto Rico income tax withholding not to apply.

  • An individual resident of Puerto Rico who elects out of the special income tax withholding will be required to include the amount of the dividend as ordinary income and will be subject to income tax thereon at the regular Puerto Rico income tax rates.
  • A corporation or other business organization organized under Puerto Rico law and with its principal office and place of business in Puerto Rico may deduct 85% of the dividends that it receives during the taxable year from Puerto Rico corporations. The deduction may not exceed 85% of the net taxable income of such corporation or other business organization for such taxable year. The remaining 15% of such dividend distributions will be subject to the regular income and alternate minimum taxes applicable under the PR Code.
  • United States citizens not residents of Puerto Rico may also elect for the special withholding Puerto Rico income tax rate not to apply. Notwithstanding the making of this election, a separate 15% withholding Puerto Rico income tax will be required on the amount of the dividend unless the individual timely files a withholding exemption certificate to the effect that the individual’s gross income from sources within Puerto Rico during the taxable year does not exceed $16,000 if individual or married filing jointly taxpayer, or $12,500 if married filing separately. Withholding exemption certificates will be accepted through Puerto Rico Treasury Department Form AS 2732 (click here), Withholding Tax Exemption Certificate in the Case of Nonresident Individuals-Citizens of the United States, or any other form issued by the Puerto Rico Treasury Department for these purposes. If you own your shares directly and not through a brokerage account, email Form AS 2732 to EQ Shareowner Services at TaxCompliance@equiniti.com. If you own your shares in a brokerage account, the form should be submitted to your broker’s Tax Compliance Department. Check first whether your broker’s Tax Compliance Department can process this request. In general, and subject to certain conditions and limitations, the Puerto Rico income tax that may be withheld on dividends will be eligible for a credit against the United States income tax liability of the individual.
  • A non-PR resident is considered a foreign individual for Puerto Rico tax purposes, and the applicable withholding at source for dividends is 15%. In the case of a foreign corporation not engaged in trade or business in Puerto Rico, the withholding at source for dividend payments is 10%.

Note

The cash dividend paid on OFG common is considered to be a dividend for tax purposes (it is not interest). These dividends are considered to be "ordinary" and "qualified" because OFG is a domestic US financial holding company (it is not a foreign company) whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Mainland US resident investors receive Puerto Rico Form 480.6C reporting this information for tax purposes. The information is also reported on IRS Form 1099-Div. Puerto Rico resident investors receive Form 408.6 A or B (Informative Return).


Disclaimer

Whether you are an individual or institutional investor, you should always consult with your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of your OFG dividends or your participation in OFG’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan.


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