Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Fixed-Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A - DCOMP STOCK NEWS

Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) has affirmed all ratings for Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCOM) and its subsidiary, Dime Community Bank. The Bank's senior unsecured debt rating remains at BBB+ and the Company's at BBB, with a stable outlook for all long-term ratings. This affirmation reflects Dime's successful merger integration, leading market share in Long Island, and a low expense base with noninterest expenses at 1.40% of average assets as of Q1 2023. KBRA noted Dime's minimal negative impact from AOCI on capital ratios, conservative underwriting in its investor CRE portfolio, and low historical credit losses. Additionally, Dime has shown strong performance in a volatile liquidity environment, with core deposits growing and uninsured deposit balances at 28% of total. The company has also added seven new deposit-focused groups in Q2 2023, indicating potential tailwinds for core deposit levels.

On June 1, 2023, Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ: DCOM), the parent company of Dime Community Bank, announced that Moody’s Investors Service affirmed all of its ratings. The Bank’s long-term deposit rating remains at A3, and the Company's long-term issuer rating is affirmed at Baa3. Moody’s report highlighted several positive factors: Dime’s efficient operating platform, a significant portion of noninterest-bearing deposits (30% of total), no large unrealized securities losses, increased cash balances (5% of total assets as of March 31, 2023), and strong liquidity. Additionally, Dime’s CRE loan underwriting is robust, with a favorable maturity profile, and its capital profile is stable with a TCE/risk-weighted asset ratio of 9.4% as of March 31, 2023, up from 9.2% at year-end 2022.