Core Deposit Growth of 19% Annualized Versus Year End Dime Has Been Executing on Growth Plan And Has Recruited Numerous Talented Groups of Bankers to Position Itself for Future Growth Capital Ratios Continue to Increase and Asset Quality Remains Stable HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM) (the "Company" or "Dime"), the parent company of Dime Community Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income available to common stockholders of $15.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, or $0.41 per diluted common share, compared to $14.5 million, or $0.37 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, and $35.5 million, or $0.92 per diluted common share for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. Stuart H. Lubow, President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of the Company, stated, "Dime began 2024 by executing on our growth plan, which prioritizes core deposit growth and diversifying our balance sheet. On a year-to-date basis, we have recruited 34 talented revenue-producing bankers, across our Private and Commercial Bank and C&I lending operations, spread across 8 different Groups. We expect these bankers to contribute meaningfully to our growth in the years ahead. Looking back, our recruiting efforts last year are beginning to pay dividends, with the deposit-gathering Groups hired in 2023 approaching $600 million in deposits; these achievements helped drive the 19% annualized growth in core deposits in the first quarter of 2024. The significant momentum on the deposit front allowed us to reduce our FHLB borrowing position by 41% versus year-end levels." Commenting on the first quarter results, Mr. Lubow said "Our results were characterized by stable asset quality, increasing capital ratios, a reduction in our wholesale funding, and prudent expense management. Importantly, the Net Interest Margin for the month of March was 2.23%, which was above the reported first quarter Net Interest Margin of 2.21%. This portends well for the quarters ahead in terms of the NIM trajectory. We continue to build our loan pipeline prudently and recently closed our first loan in our new Healthcare vertical; this new vertical provides us an important avenue to diversify our balance sheet over time. The reduction in our loan-to-deposit ratio to 98.8%, driven by strong deposit growth, provides us even more flexibility to take advantage of the current lending opportunities in the marketplace." Highlights for the First Quarter of 2024 Included: Core deposits (excluding brokered deposits and time deposits) increased $421 million versus year-end levels; The ratio of average non-interest-bearing deposits to average total deposits for the first quarter was 27%; Non-interest expenses remained well controlled and declined by 3% versus the linked quarter; Credit quality continues to be stable with non-performing assets and loans 90 days past due representing only 0.26% of total assets as of March 31, 2024; Net charge-offs were $739 thousand for the quarter, representing only 0.03% of average loans; Capital ratios continue to build, with the Company's Tier 1 Risk Based Capital Ratio increasing to 11.11% and the Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio increasing to 10.00% at March 31, 2024; and Announced the addition of a National Deposits Group, 4 Groups in Brooklyn, 1 Group in Nassau County and 1 Group in Westchester County (marking Dime's extension into this new attractive banking market). Management's Discussion of Quarterly Operating Results Net Interest Income Net interest income for the first quarter of 2024 was $71.5 million compared to $74.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 and $85.8 million for the first quarter of 2023. The table below provides a reconciliation of the reported net interest margin ("NIM") and adjusted NIM excluding the impact of purchase accounting accretion on the loan portfolio. (Dollars in thousands)   Q1 2024   Q4 2023   Q1 2023   Net interest income   $ 71,530     $ 74,121     $ 85,752     Purchase accounting amortization (accretion) on loans ("PAA")     (82 )     (55 )     586     Adjusted net interest income excluding PAA on loans (non-GAAP)   $ 71,448     $ 74,066     $ 86,338                             Average interest-earning assets   $ 13,015,755     $ 12,828,060     $ 12,685,235                             NIM (1)     2.21   %     2.29   %   2.74   % Adjusted NIM excluding PAA on loans (non-GAAP) (2)     2.21   %     2.29   %   2.76   % ________________________(1)   NIM represents net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.(2)   Adjusted NIM excluding PAA on loans represents adjusted net interest income, which excludes PAA amortization on acquired loans divided by average interest-earning assets. Loan Portfolio The ending weighted average rate ("WAR") on the total loan portfolio was 5.34% at March 31, 2024, a 5 basis point increase compared to the ending WAR of 5.29% on the total loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. Outlined below are loan balances and WARs for the period ended as indicated.     March 31, 2024     December 31, 2023     March 31, 2023   (Dollars in thousands)      Balance      WAR (1)        Balance      WAR (1)        Balance      WAR (1)   Loans held for investment balances at period end:                                     Business loans (2)   $ 2,327,403   6.90 %   $ 2,310,379   6.81 %   $ 2,255,316   6.41 % One-to-four family residential, including condominium and cooperative apartment     873,671   4.48       889,236   4.47       799,321   4.06   Multifamily residential and residential mixed-use (3)(4)     3,996,654   4.57       4,017,703   4.53       4,118,439   4.23   Non-owner-occupied commercial real estate     3,386,333   5.24       3,381,842   5.19       3,330,582   4.85   Acquisition, development, and construction     175,352   8.40       168,513   8.71       221,015   8.62   Other loans     5,170   7.10       5,755   6.75       7,172   11.03   Loans held for investment   $ 10,764,583   5.34 %   $ 10,773,428   5.29 %   $ 10,731,845   4.96 % ________________________(1)   Weighted average rate is calculated by aggregating interest based on the current loan rate from each loan in the category, adjusted for non-accrual loans, divided by the total balance of loans in the category.(2)   Business loans include commercial and industrial loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate loans and Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans.(3)   Includes loans underlying multifamily cooperatives.(4)   While the loans within this category are often considered "commercial real estate" in nature, multifamily and loans underlying cooperatives are here reported separately from commercial real estate loans in order to emphasize the residential nature of the collateral underlying this significant component of the total loan portfolio. Outlined below are the loan originations, for the quarter ended as indicated. (Dollars in millions)   Q1 2024   Q4 2023      Q1 2023 Loan originations   $ 98.3     $ 195.9     $ 351.9   Deposits and Borrowed Funds Period end total deposits (including mortgage escrow deposits) at March 31, 2024 were $10.90 billion, compared to $10.53 billion at December 31, 2023 and $10.57 billion at March 31, 2023. CEO Lubow commented, "Deposit growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2024 as the investments in talent and technology that we made in 2023 began to pay dividends. Hires that we made in the second quarter of 2023 have generated approximately $600 million of core deposits, at a weighted average rate of approximately 2.5%, providing an important proof-of-concept for our growth plan. We expect the new Groups hired in 2024 to benefit from all the operational, process and technology improvements we have made over the course of the past year and they will be significant contributors to the growth of our franchise in the years ahead." Total Federal Home Loan Bank advances were $773.0 million at March 31, 2024 compared to $1.31 billion at December 31, 2023 and $1.50 billion at March 31, 2023. Mr. Lubow commented, "Given the strong deposit growth, we proactively reduced our FHLB borrowings in the first quarter. Based on our strong deposit pipelines, we expect to continue paying down wholesale funding and we intend to create a primarily core-deposit funded institution over the course of the next year." Non-Interest Income Non-interest income was $10.5 million during the first quarter of 2024, $8.9 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, and $9.0 million during the first quarter of 2023. Non-Interest Expense Total non-interest expense was $52.5 million during the first quarter of 2024, $53.9 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, and $47.5 million during the first quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of the FDIC special assessment, loss on extinguishment of debt, amortization of other intangible assets and severance expense, adjusted non-interest expense was $51.7 million during the first quarter of 2024, $52.6 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, and $47.1 million during the first quarter of 2023 (see "Non-GAAP Reconciliation" tables at the end of this news release). The ratio of non-interest expense to average assets was 1.52% during the first quarter of 2024, compared to 1.58% during the linked quarter and 1.41% for the first quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of the FDIC special assessment, loss on extinguishment of debt, amortization of other intangible assets and severance expense, the ratio of adjusted non-interest expense to average assets was 1.50% during the first quarter of 2024, compared to 1.54% during the linked quarter and 1.40% for the first quarter of 2023 (see "Non-GAAP Reconciliation" tables at the end of this news release). The efficiency ratio was 64.0% during the first quarter of 2024, compared to 65.0% during the linked quarter and 50.1% during the first quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of net (gain) loss on sale of securities and other assets, fair value change in equity securities and loans held for sale, severance expense, the FDIC special assessment, loss on extinguishment of debt and amortization of other intangible assets the adjusted efficiency ratio was 64.7% during the first quarter of 2024, compared to 63.6% during the linked quarter and 48.9% during the first quarter of 2023 (see "Non-GAAP Reconciliation" tables at the end of this news release). Income Tax Expense The reported effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2024 was 27.1% compared to 35.6% for the fourth quarter of 2023, and 26.8% for the first quarter of 2023. Credit Quality Non-performing loans were $34.8 million at March 31, 2024 compared to $29.1 million at December 31, 2023 and $31.5 million at March 31, 2023. A credit loss provision of $5.2 million was recorded during the first quarter of 2024, compared to a credit loss provision of $3.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, and a credit loss recovery of $3.6 million during the first quarter of 2023. Capital Management The Company's and the Bank's regulatory capital ratios continued to be in excess of all applicable regulatory requirements as of March 31, 2024. All risk-based regulatory capital ratios increased in the first quarter of 2024. Mr. Lubow commented, "Over the course of the past year, we have prudently increased our risk-based capital ratios. Our Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio is now at 10% and we are well positioned from a capital perspective to support all of our customers' needs." Dividends per common share were $0.25 during the first quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2023, respectively. Book value per common share was $28.84 at March 31, 2024 compared to $28.58 at December 31, 2023. Tangible common book value per share (which represents common equity less goodwill and other intangible assets, divided by the number of shares outstanding) was $24.72 at March 31, 2024 compared to $24.44 at December 31, 2023 (see "Non-GAAP Reconciliation" tables at the end of this news release). Earnings Call Information The Company will conduct a conference call at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, during which CEO Lubow will discuss the Company's first quarter 2024 financial performance, with a question-and-answer session to follow. Participants may access the conference call via webcast using this link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/2kw49bi9. To participate via telephone, please register in advance using this link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI99c326361aa645968fe05719ed5f55cb. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive a one-time confirmation email detailing how to join the conference call, including the dial-in number along with a unique PIN that can be used to access the call. All participants are encouraged to dial-in 10 minutes prior to the start time. A replay of the conference call and webcast will be available on-demand for 12 months. ABOUT DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC.Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for Dime Community Bank, a New York State-chartered trust company with over $13.5 billion in assets and the number one deposit market share among community banks on Greater Long Island(1). (1) Aggregate deposit market share for Kings, Queens, Nassau & Suffolk counties for community banks less than $20 billion in assets. This news release contains a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These statements may be identified by use of words such as "annualized," "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "likely," "may," "outlook," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would" and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Forward-looking statements are based upon various assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of management's experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors (many of which are beyond the Company's control) that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could affect our results include, without limitation, the following: the timing and occurrence or non-occurrence of events may be subject to circumstances beyond the Company's control; there may be increases in competitive pressure among financial institutions or from non-financial institutions; changes in the interest rate environment may affect demand for our products and reduce interest margins and the value of our investments; changes in deposit flows, the cost of funds, loan demand or real estate values may adversely affect the business of the Company; changes in the quality and composition of the Company's loan or investment portfolios or unanticipated or significant increases in loan losses may negatively affect the Company's financial condition or results of operations; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines may cause the Company's financial condition to be perceived differently; changes in corporate and/or individual income tax laws may adversely affect the Company's financial condition or results of operations; general socio-economic conditions, public health emergencies, international conflict, inflation, and recessionary pressures, either nationally or locally in some or all areas in which the Company conducts business, or conditions in the securities markets or the banking industry may be less favorable than the Company currently anticipates and may adversely affect our customers, our financial results and our operations; legislation or regulatory changes may adversely affect the Company's business; technological changes may be more difficult or expensive than the Company anticipates; there may be failures or breaches of information technology security systems; success or consummation of new business initiatives may be more difficult or expensive than the Company anticipates; and litigation or other matters before regulatory agencies, whether currently existing or commencing in the future, may delay the occurrence or non-occurrence of events longer than the Company anticipates. For discussion of these and other risks that may cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to the sections entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and updates set forth in the Company's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.     Contact: Avinash Reddy   Senior Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer   718-782-6200 extension 5909         DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION(In thousands)          March 31,       December 31,       March 31,      2024     2023     2023   Assets:                     Cash and due from banks   $ 370,852     $ 457,547     $ 663,132   Securities available-for-sale, at fair value     859,216       886,240       926,812   Securities held-to-maturity     589,331       594,639       605,642   Loans held for sale     8,973       10,159       2,171   Loans held for investment, net:                   Business loans (1)     2,327,403       2,310,379       2,255,316   One-to-four family and cooperative/condominium apartment     873,671       889,236       799,321   Multifamily residential and residential mixed-use (2)(3)     3,996,654       4,017,703       4,118,439   Non-owner-occupied commercial real estate     3,386,333       3,381,842       3,330,582   Acquisition, development and construction     175,352       168,513       221,015   Other loans     5,170       5,755       7,172   Allowance for credit losses     (76,068 )     (71,743 )     (78,335 ) Total loans held for investment, net     10,688,515       10,701,685       10,653,510   Premises and fixed assets, net     44,501       44,868       45,863   Premises held for sale     —       905       —   Restricted stock     74,346       98,750       105,258   Bank Owned Life Insurance ("BOLI")     352,277       349,816       335,455   Goodwill     155,797       155,797       155,797   Other intangible assets     4,753       5,059       6,107   Operating lease assets     51,988       52,729       57,204   Derivative assets     135,162       122,132       130,294   Accrued interest receivable     55,369       55,666       49,926   Other assets     110,012       100,013       104,553   Total assets   $ 13,501,092     $ 13,636,005     $ 13,841,724   Liabilities:                    Non-interest-bearing checking (excluding mortgage escrow deposits)   $ 2,819,481     $ 2,884,378     $ 3,012,378   Interest-bearing checking     635,640       515,987       908,988   Savings (excluding mortgage escrow deposits)     2,347,114       2,335,354       2,333,196   Money market     3,440,083       3,125,996       2,686,290   Certificates of deposit     1,555,157       1,607,683       1,519,267   Deposits (excluding mortgage escrow deposits)     10,797,475       10,469,398       10,460,119   Non-interest-bearing mortgage escrow deposits     101,229       61,121       109,867   Interest-bearing mortgage escrow deposits     173       136       249   Total mortgage escrow deposits     101,402       61,257       110,116   FHLBNY advances     773,000       1,313,000       1,498,000   Other short-term borrowings     —       —       2,068   Subordinated debt, net     200,174       200,196       200,261   Derivative cash collateral     132,900       108,100       120,680   Operating lease liabilities     54,727       55,454       59,757   Derivative liabilities     122,112       121,265       115,568   Other liabilities     79,931       81,110       83,902   Total liabilities     12,261,721       12,409,780       12,650,471   Stockholders' equity:                    Preferred stock, Series A     116,569       116,569       116,569   Common stock     416       416       416   Additional paid-in capital     492,834       494,454       493,801   Retained earnings     819,130       813,007       789,010   Accumulated other comprehensive loss ("AOCI"), net of deferred taxes     (85,466 )     (91,579 )     (98,638 ) Unearned equity awards     (10,191 )     (8,622 )     (13,468 ) Treasury stock, at cost     (93,921 )     (98,020 )     (96,437 ) Total stockholders' equity     1,239,371       1,226,225       1,191,253   Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 13,501,092     $ 13,636,005     $ 13,841,724   ________________________(1)   Business loans include commercial and industrial loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate loans and PPP loans.(2)   Includes loans underlying multifamily cooperatives.(3)   While the loans within this category are often considered "commercial real estate" in nature, multifamily and loans underlying cooperatives are here reported separately from commercial real estate loans in order to emphasize the residential nature of the collateral underlying this significant component of the total loan portfolio.   DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(Dollars in thousands except share and per share amounts)       Three Months Ended        March 31,       December 31,       March 31,      2024     2023   2023   Interest income:                      Loans   $ 143,565     $ 144,744     $ 128,439   Securities     7,880       7,918       8,431   Other short-term investments     9,564       6,094       3,802   Total interest income     161,009       158,756       140,672   Interest expense: