OceanFirst Bank Publishes First ESG Report

RED BANK, N.J., May 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:OCFC), (the “Company”), the holding company for OceanFirst Bank N.A. (the “Bank”), today announced that the Bank has published its first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Report. The ESG Report highlights the Bank’s policies, practices and recent initiatives across a range of areas, including equitable access to capital; diversity, equity and inclusion; employee health and wellness; support for the community; environmental priorities; corporate governance; and other vital matters. The ESG Report is accessible by visiting the Investor Relations section of oceanfirst.com.

“We are proud to announce the first formal ESG Report for OceanFirst is now available on our website, while noting that our commitment to serve all of our stakeholders in a responsible manner dates back more than a century, reflecting our strong roots as a community banking organization,” said Christopher D. Maher, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“As our society and economy experience dramatic changes, we believe that companies must demonstrate leadership in a wide range of areas broadly known as ESG. At OceanFirst, we are acutely aware of the vital importance of maintaining responsible ESG policies and practices – to serve the interests of our stakeholders; expand access to economic opportunity; protect our enterprise from external risks; and fulfill our responsibilities to our communities, society and planet,” Mr. Maher added.

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank N.A., founded in 1902, is a $12.2 billion regional bank providing financial services throughout New Jersey and in the major metropolitan markets of Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Boston. OceanFirst Bank delivers commercial and residential financing, treasury management, trust and asset management, and deposit services and is one of the largest and oldest community-based financial institutions headquartered in New Jersey. To learn more about OceanFirst, go to www.oceanfirst.com.  

Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “view,” “opportunity,” “potential,” or similar expressions or expressions of confidence. The Company’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on the operations of the Company and its subsidiaries include, but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 or any other pandemic on our operations and financial results and those of our customers, changes in interest rates, inflation, general economic conditions, levels of unemployment in the Bank’s lending area, real estate market values in the Bank’s lending area, future natural disasters and increases to flood insurance premiums, the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, terrorism or other geopolitical events, the level of prepayments on loans and mortgage-backed securities, legislative/regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area, accounting principles and guidelines and the Bank’s ability to successfully integrate acquired operations. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, under Item 1A - Risk Factors and elsewhere, and subsequent securities filings and should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Company Contact:
Jill Hewitt
Senior Vice President
OceanFirst Financial Corp.
Tel: (732)240-4500, ext. 7513
email: jhewitt@oceanfirst.com