diff --git a/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/BandGroupingPath.java b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/BandGroupingPath.java
index 20d6ef50cc3..a6c187b07d0 100644
--- a/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/BandGroupingPath.java
+++ b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/BandGroupingPath.java
@@ -10,17 +10,50 @@ public class BandGroupingPath {
     BandGroupingPath(String[] groups) {
         this.groups = groups;
         entries = new Entry[groups.length];
+
+        // Default for SNAP and SeaDAS differs here, SeaDAS uses 'true', SNAP uses 'false'
+        // Ideally this would be defined in preferences
+        boolean useStartsWithInsteadOfContains = false;
+
         for (int i = 0; i < groups.length; i++) {
             final String groupPattern = groups[i];
-            if (groupPattern.contains("*") || groupPattern.contains("?")) {
+             if (groupPattern.contains("*") || groupPattern.contains("?")) {
+                 // Wildcard Matching
                 entries[i] = new WildCardEntry(groupPattern);
-            } else if (groupPattern.contains("#")) {
-                final String[] split = StringUtils.split(groupPattern, new char[]{'#'}, true);
-                final String groupName = split[0];
-                this.groups[i] = groupName;
-                entries[i] = new BandNamesEntry(groupName, split[1]);
+            } else if (groupPattern.contains("#") || groupPattern.contains(",")) {
+                 // BandNames Matching
+                 if (groupPattern.contains("#")) {
+                     // Rename the group
+                     final String[] split = StringUtils.split(groupPattern, new char[]{'#'}, true);
+                     final String groupName = split[0];
+                     // comment this out as this is problematic, although it does work, the Band 'Properties' editor reads it as only the name and not the full expression
+//                     this.groups[i] = groupName;
+                     entries[i] = new BandNamesEntry(groupName, split[1]);
+                 } else {
+                     // Maintain the original group expression as the group name
+                     entries[i] = new BandNamesEntry(groupPattern, groupPattern);
+                 }
+             } else if (groupPattern.startsWith("^") && groupPattern.endsWith("$")) {
+                 // Exact Matching
+                String groupTrimmed = groupPattern.substring(1, groupPattern.length() -1);
+                entries[i] = new ExactEntry(groupTrimmed);
+             } else if (groupPattern.startsWith("^")) {
+                 // StartsWith Matching
+                 String groupTrimmed = groupPattern.substring(1);
+                 entries[i] = new StartsWithEntry(groupTrimmed);
+             } else if (groupPattern.endsWith("$")) {
+                 // EndsWith Matching
+                 String groupTrimmed = groupPattern.substring(0, groupPattern.length() - 1);
+                 entries[i] = new EndsWithEntry(groupTrimmed);
             } else {
-                entries[i] = new EntryImpl(groupPattern);
+                 // Default Matching
+                if (useStartsWithInsteadOfContains) {
+                    // StartsWith Matching
+                    entries[i] = new StartsWithEntry(groupPattern);
+                } else {
+                    // Contains Matching
+                    entries[i] = new EntryImpl(groupPattern);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/EndsWithEntry.java b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/EndsWithEntry.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..37e2a515d10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/EndsWithEntry.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package eu.esa.snap.core.datamodel.group;
+
+class EndsWithEntry implements Entry {
+
+    private final String group;
+
+    protected EndsWithEntry(String group) {
+        this.group = group;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean matches(String name) {
+        return name.endsWith(group);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/ExactEntry.java b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/ExactEntry.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aefa6322af7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/ExactEntry.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package eu.esa.snap.core.datamodel.group;
+
+class ExactEntry implements Entry {
+
+    private final String group;
+
+    protected ExactEntry(String group) {
+        this.group = group;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean matches(String name) {
+        return name.equals(group);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/StartsWithEntry.java b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/StartsWithEntry.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3b8b9c71eb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snap-core/src/main/java/eu/esa/snap/core/datamodel/group/StartsWithEntry.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package eu.esa.snap.core.datamodel.group;
+
+class StartsWithEntry implements Entry {
+
+    private final String group;
+
+    protected StartsWithEntry(String group) {
+        this.group = group;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean matches(String name) {
+        return name.startsWith(group);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/snap-core/src/main/java/org/esa/snap/core/util/StringUtils.java b/snap-core/src/main/java/org/esa/snap/core/util/StringUtils.java
index 107d6428a8a..cecd07d1b87 100644
--- a/snap-core/src/main/java/org/esa/snap/core/util/StringUtils.java
+++ b/snap-core/src/main/java/org/esa/snap/core/util/StringUtils.java
@@ -1073,4 +1073,54 @@ static String toProperCase(String s) {
 
         return s.substring(0, 1).toUpperCase() + s.substring(1).toLowerCase();
     }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a more user friendly folder name for the band group with the match criteria being removed.
+     * For example: if the band grouping was "^a_" (which would match a_442, a_460, etc.) then the returned
+     * displayName would be "a"
+     *
+     * @param displayName  current display name of the particular group
+     * @return a modified display name which has removed characters intended for the match criteria
+     */
+    static  public String cleanUpGroupName(String displayName) {
+
+        if (displayName == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if (displayName.contains("#")) {
+            final String[] split = StringUtils.split(displayName, new char[]{'#'}, true);
+            final String groupName = split[0];
+            if (groupName.length() > 0) {
+                displayName = groupName;
+            }
+        } else {
+            if (displayName.startsWith("^")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(1);
+            }
+
+            if (displayName.endsWith("$")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(0, displayName.length() - 1);
+            }
+
+            if (displayName.startsWith("*")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(1);
+            }
+
+            if (displayName.endsWith("*")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(0, displayName.length() - 1);
+            }
+
+            if (displayName.startsWith("_")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(1);
+            }
+
+            if (displayName.endsWith("_")) {
+                displayName = displayName.substring(0, displayName.length() - 1);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return displayName;
+    }
 }