BCB BANCORP INC

EM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business and results of operations are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes affect the Company are described below. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or that management currently deems immaterial may also impair the Company’s business operations. This report is qualified in its entirety by these risk factors. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Credit and Interest Rate Risks;

Risks Related to the Company’s Common Stock;

Economic Risks;

Operational Risks;

Risks Related to the Regulation of our Industry; and,

Strategic Risks.

CREDIT AND INTEREST RATE RISKS

Our loan portfolio consists of a high percentage of loans secured by commercial real estate and multi-family real estate. These loans are riskier than loans secured by one-to-four family properties.

At December 31, 2023, $2.434 billion, or 73.37 percent, of our loan portfolio consisted of commercial and multi-family real estate loans. We intend to continue to emphasize the origination of these types of loans. These loans generally expose a lender to greater risk of nonpayment and loss than one-to-four family residential mortgage loans because repayment of the loans often depends on the successful operation and income stream of the collateral that is pledged. Such loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one-to-four family residential mortgage loans. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss compared to an adverse development with respect to a one-to-four family residential mortgage loan.

Commercial loans and commercial real estate loans generally carry larger balances and can involve a greater degree of financial and credit risk than other loans. As a result, banking regulators continue to give greater scrutiny to lenders with a high concentration of commercial real estate loans in their portfolios, such as us, and such lenders are expected to implement stricter underwriting standards, internal controls, risk management policies, and portfolio stress testing, as well as higher capital levels and loss allowances. The increased financial and credit risk associated with these types of loans are a result of several factors, including the concentration of principal in a limited number of loans and borrowers, the size of loan balances, the effects of general economic conditions on income-producing properties, and the increased difficulty of evaluating and monitoring these types of loans. If we cannot effectively manage the risk associated with our high concentration of commercial real estate loans, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our loan customers may not repay their loans according to the terms of their loans, and the collateral securing the payment of their loans may be insufficient to assure repayment. We may experience significant credit losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. We maintain allowance for credit losses on loans and off-balance sheet exposures. The calculation of allowance for credit losses utilizes the use of econometric models that rely on various assumptions including but not limited to historical credit loss experience, economic forecasts, and expected future credit risks and trends. Additionally, Management relies on qualitative adjustments, as deemed necessary, to supplement the quantitative results generated by the models. Several factors including possibility of a recession, inflation, global pandemics, natural disasters, changes in regulations, identification of additional loan downgrades and other factors that are within and outside of our control may require a material increase in the allowance for credit losses for both on balance sheet loans and off-balance sheet credit exposures. Any increase in the allowance for credit losses will negatively impact our net income, possibly capital, and may have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

While we have only been operating for 23 years, we have experienced significant growth in our loan portfolio, particularly in loans secured by commercial real estate. Although we believe we have underwriting standards to manage normal lending risks, it is difficult to assess the future performance of our loan portfolio due to the relatively recent origination of many of these loans. We can give you no assurance that our non-performing loans will not increase or that our non-performing or delinquent loans will not adversely affect our future performance.

In addition, federal and state regulators periodically review our allowance for credit losses and may require us to increase our allowance for credit losses or recognize further loan charge-offs. Any increase in our allowance for credit losses or loan charge-offs as required by these regulatory agencies could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The asset quality of our loan portfolio may deteriorate if the economy falters, resulting in a portion of our loans failing to perform in accordance with their terms. Under such circumstances our profitability will be adversely affected.

At December 31, 2023, we had $85.7 million in classified loans of which none were classified as doubtful or loss. We also had $56.1 million of loans that were classified as special mention. In addition, at that date we had $18.8 million in non-accruing loans, or 0.57 percent of total loans. We have adhered to stringent underwriting standards in the origination of our loans, but there can be no assurance that loans that we originated will not experience asset quality deterioration as a result of a downturn in the local or broader economy. Should our local or regional economy weaken, our asset quality may deteriorate resulting in losses to the Company.

Changes in interest rates could hurt our profits.

Our profitability, like most financial institutions, depends to a large extent upon our net interest income, which is the difference between interest income on interest-earning assets, such as loans and securities, and interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowed funds. Accordingly, our results of operations depend largely on movements in market interest rates and our ability to manage our interest-rate-sensitive assets and liabilities in response to these movements. Factors such as inflation, recession, and instability in financial markets, among other factors beyond our control, may affect interest rates.

If interest rates rise, and if rates on our deposits and variable rate borrowings reprice upwards faster than the rates on our long-term loans and investments, we could experience compression of our interest rate spread, which would have a negative effect on our profitability. Conversely, decreases in interest rates can result in increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-related securities, as borrowers refinance to reduce their borrowing costs. Under these circumstances, we are subject to reinvestment risk, as we may have to redeploy such loan or securities proceeds into lower-yielding assets, which might also negatively impact our income.

Any substantial, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. Also, our interest rate risk-modeling techniques and assumptions likely may not fully predict or capture the impact of actual interest rate changes on our balance sheet or projected operating results.

While we pursue an asset/liability strategy designed to mitigate our risk from changes in interest rates, changes in interest rates can still have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Changes in the level of interest rates also may negatively affect our ability to originate real estate loans, the value of our assets and our ability to realize gains from the sale of our assets, all of which ultimately affect our earnings. For further discussion of how changes in interest rates could impact us, see “Item 7A. – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.”

Rising interest rates have decreased the value of a portion of the Company’s securities portfolio, and the Company would realize losses if it were required to sell such securities to meet liquidity needs.

As a result of inflationary pressures and the resulting rapid increases in interest rates over the last year, the fair value of our securities classified as available for sale has declined. At December 31, 2023, the fair value of our total debt securities portfolio was $87.8 million, down from $91.7 million at December 31, 2022. The Company’s unrealized net loss on debt securities totaled $9.4 million on a pre-tax basis at December 31, 2023. If the Company were required to sell such securities to meet liquidity needs, including in the event of deposit outflows or slower deposit growth, it may incur losses, which could negatively impact the Company’s capital, financial condition, and results of operations. While the Company has taken actions to maximize its funding sources, there is no guarantee that such actions will be successful or sufficient in the event of sudden liquidity needs.

RISKS RELATED TO THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK

Our dividend policy may change without notice, and our future ability to pay dividends is also subject to regulatory restrictions.

Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive only such cash dividends as our board of directors may declare out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. We are a holding company that conducts substantially all of our operations through the Bank. As a result, our ability to make dividend payments on our common stock will depend primarily upon the receipt of dividends and other distributions from the Bank. Under New Jersey banking law, the Bank may pay a dividend to the Company provided that following the payment of the dividend the capital stock of the Bank will be unimpaired and the Bank will have a surplus of not less than 50 percent of its capital stock, or if not, the payment of such dividend will not reduce the surplus of the Bank.

Under New Jersey law, the Company may not make a distribution, if, after giving effect to the distribution, it would be unable to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business or if its total assets would be less than its liabilities. Our current intention is to continue to pay a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per share. However, any declaration and payment of dividends on common stock will substantially depend upon our earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, regulatory and state law restrictions, general economic conditions and regulatory climate and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Furthermore, consistent with our strategic plans, growth initiatives, capital availability, projected liquidity needs, and other factors, we have made, and will continue to make, capital management decisions and policies that could adversely impact the amount of dividends, if any, paid to our stockholders.

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol “BCBP.” Certain brokers currently make a market in the common stock, but such transactions are infrequent and the volume of shares traded is relatively small. Management cannot predict whether these or other brokers will continue to make a market in our common stock. Prices on stock that is not heavily traded, such as our common stock, can be more volatile than heavily traded stock. Factors such as our financial results, the introduction of new products and services by us or our competitors, publicity regarding the banking industry, inflation, changing interest rates, and various other factors affecting the banking industry may have a significant impact on the market price of the shares of the common stock. Management cannot predict the extent to which an active public market for our common stock will develop or be sustained in the future. Accordingly, stockholders may not be able to sell their shares of our common stock at the volumes, prices, or times that they desire.

ECONOMIC RISKS

Inflation can have an adverse impact on the Company’s business and its customers.

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. Over the past year, in response to a pronounced rise in inflation, the Federal Reserve has raised certain benchmark interest rates to combat inflation. As discussed above under CREDIT AND INTEREST RATE RISKS— Changes in interest rates could hurt our profits, as inflation increases and market interest rates rise, the value of the Company’s investment securities, particularly those with longer maturities, decreases, although this effect can be less pronounced for floating rate instruments. In addition, inflation generally increases the cost of goods and services the Company uses in its business operations, such as electricity and other utilities, and also generally increases employee wages, any of which can increase the Company’s non-interest expenses. Furthermore, the Company’s customers are also affected by inflation and the rising costs of goods and services used in their households and businesses, which could have a negative impact on their ability to repay their loans with the Company. Sustained higher interest rates by the Federal Reserve Board to tame persistent inflationary price pressures could also push down asset prices and weaken economic activity. A deterioration in economic conditions in the United States and the Company’s markets could result in an increase in loan delinquencies and non-performing assets, decreases in loan collateral values and a decrease in demand for the Company’s products and services, all of which, in turn, would adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Events similar to the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our business activities, financial condition, and results of operations.

The occurrence of events which adversely affect the global, national and regional economies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, may have a negative impact on our business. Like other financial institutions, our business relies upon the ability and willingness of our customers to transact business with us, including banking, borrowing and other financial transactions. A strong and stable economy at each of the local, federal and global levels is often a critical component of consumer confidence and typically correlates positively with our customers’ ability and willingness to transact certain types of business with us. Local and global events outside of our control which disrupt the New Jersey, New York, United States and/or global economy may therefore negatively impact our business and financial condition. A public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, and its adverse health and economic effects may adversely impact our business and financial condition.

OPERATIONAL RISKS

Our deposit services for businesses in the state licensed cannabis industry could expose us to liabilities and regulatory compliance costs.

In 2014 we implemented specialized deposit services intended for a limited number of state-licensed medical-use cannabis business customers. Medical use cannabis, as well as recreational use businesses are legal in numerous states and the District of Columbia, including our primary markets of New Jersey and New York. However, such businesses are not legal at the federal level and marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. In 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published guidelines for financial institutions servicing state legal cannabis businesses. We have implemented a comprehensive control framework that includes written policies and procedures related to the on-boarding of such businesses and the monitoring and maintenance of such business accounts that comports with the FinCEN guidance. Additionally, our policies call for due diligence review of the cannabis business before the business is on-boarded, including confirmation that the business is properly licensed and maintains the license in good standing in the applicable state. Throughout the relationship, our policies call for continued monitoring of the business, including site visits, to determine if the business continues to meet our requirements, including maintenance of required licenses and calls for undertaking periodic financial reviews of the business. The Bank’s program originally was limited to offering depository products to medical cannabis businesses. Deposit transactions are monitored for compliance with the applicable state medical program rules and other regulations. In 2022, the Bank expanded its cannabis-related business offerings to some limited lending on real estate and deposit services to licensed recreational dispensaries. The Bank may offer additional banking products and services to such customers in the future.

While we believe our policies and procedures allow us to operate in compliance with the FinCEN guidelines, there can be no assurance that compliance with the FinCEN guidelines will protect us from federal prosecution or other regulatory sanctions. Federal prosecutors have significant discretion and there can be no assurance that the federal prosecutors will not choose to strictly enforce the federal laws governing cannabis. Any change in the federal government’s enforcement position could potentially subject us to criminal prosecution and other regulatory sanctions. As a general matter, the medical and recreational cannabis business is considered high-risk, thus increasing the risk of a regulatory action against our BSA/AML program that has adverse consequences, including but not limited to, preventing us from undertaking mergers, acquisitions and other expansion activities.

Adverse events in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area, where our business is generally concentrated, could adversely affect our results and future growth.

Our business, the location of our branches, and the real estate collateralizing our real estate loans are generally concentrated in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. As a result, we are exposed to geographic risks. The occurrence of an economic downturn in New Jersey or the New York metropolitan area, or adverse changes in laws or regulations in New Jersey or the New York metropolitan area, could impact the credit quality of our assets, the business of our customers and our ability to expand our business.

Our success significantly depends upon the growth in population, income levels, deposits, and housing in our market area. If the communities in which we operate do not grow or if prevailing economic conditions locally, regionally, or nationally are unfavorable, our business may be negatively affected. In addition, the economies of the communities in which we operate are substantially dependent on the growth of the economy in the State of New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. To the extent that economic conditions in New Jersey are unfavorable or do not continue to grow as projected, the economy in our market area would be adversely affected. Moreover, we cannot give any assurance that we will benefit from any market growth or favorable economic conditions in our market area if they do occur.

In addition, the market value of the real estate securing loans as collateral could be adversely affected by unfavorable changes in market and economic conditions. As of December 31, 2023, approximately 89.5 percent of our total loans were secured by real estate. Adverse developments affecting commerce or real estate values in the local economies in our primary market areas could increase the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio. In addition, a significant percentage of our loans are to individuals and businesses in New Jersey. Our business customers may not have customer bases that are as diverse as businesses serving regional or national markets. Consequently, any decline in the economy of our market area could have an adverse impact on our revenues and financial condition. In particular, we may experience increased loan delinquencies, which could result in a higher provision for credit losses and increased charge-offs. Any sustained period of increased non-payment, delinquencies, foreclosures, or losses caused by adverse market or economic conditions in our market area could adversely affect the value of our assets, revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend primarily on net interest income for our earnings rather than fee income.

Net interest income is the most significant component of our operating income. We have less reliance on traditional sources of fee income utilized by some community banks, such as fees from sales of insurance, securities, or investment advisory products or services. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, our net interest income was $104.1 million and $113.9 million, respectively. The amount of our net interest income is influenced by the overall interest rate environment, competition, and the amount of our interest-earning assets relative to the amount of our interest-bearing liabilities. In the event that one or more of these factors were to result in a decrease in our net interest income, we do not have significant sources of fee income to make up for decreases in net interest income.

Information technology systems are critical to our business. We use various technology systems to manage our customer relationships, general ledger, securities investments, deposits, and loans. We have established policies and procedures to prevent or limit the impact of system failures, interruptions, and security breaches (including privacy breaches and cyber-attacks), but such events may still occur or may not be adequately addressed if they do occur. In addition, any compromise of our systems could deter customers from using our products and services. Although we take protective measures, the security of our computer systems, software, and networks may be vulnerable to breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, or other malicious code and cyber-attacks that could have an impact on information security.

In addition, we outsource a majority of our data processing to certain third-party providers. If these third-party providers encounter difficulties, or if we have difficulty communicating with them, our ability to adequately process and account for transactions could be affected, and our business operations could be adversely affected. Threats to information security also exist in the processing of customer information through various other vendors and their personnel.

There have been increasing efforts on the part of third parties, including through cyber-attacks, to breach data security at financial institutions or with respect to financial transactions. Cybercrime risks have increased as electronic and mobile banking activities increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been several recent instances involving financial services and consumer-based companies reporting the unauthorized disclosure of client or customer information or the destruction or theft of corporate data. In addition, because the techniques used to cause such security breaches change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target and may originate from less-regulated and remote areas of the world, we may be unable to proactively address these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. The ability of our customers to bank remotely, including through online and mobile devices, requires secure transmission of confidential information and increases the risk of data security breaches.

The occurrence of any system failures, interruption, or breach of security could damage our reputation and result in a loss of customers and business, thereby subjecting us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or could expose us to litigation and possible financial liability. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The Bank’s reliance on brokered and reciprocal deposits could adversely affect its liquidity and operating results.

Among other sources of funds, the Company, from time to time, relies on brokered deposits to provide funds with which to make loans and provide for other liquidity needs. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had $505.4 million in brokered certificate deposits. One of the Bank’s sources for brokered deposits is the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (“CDARS”). At December 31, 2023, the Bank has $38.6 million in CDARS reciprocal deposits and $48.1 million in Insured Cash Sweep or ICS network deposits. These amounts, are reciprocal and are not considered brokered deposits under recent regulatory reform.

Generally, brokered and reciprocal deposits may not be as stable as other types of deposits. In the future, those depositors may not replace their brokered or reciprocal deposits with us as they mature, or we may have to pay a higher rate of interest to keep those deposits, or to replace them with other deposits or other sources of funds. Not being able to maintain or replace those deposits as they mature would adversely affect our liquidity. Paying higher deposit rates to maintain or replace such deposits would adversely affect our net interest margin and operating results.

If deposit levels are not sufficient, it may be more expensive to fund loan originations.

Our deposits have been our primary funding source. In current market conditions, depositors may choose to redeploy their funds into the stock market or other investment alternatives, regardless of our effort to retain such depositors. If this occurs, it would hamper our ability to grow deposits and could result in a net outflow of deposits. We will continue to focus on deposit growth, which we use to fund loan originations. However, if we are unable to sufficiently increase our deposit balances, we may be required to increase our use of alternative sources of funding, including Federal Home Loan Bank advances, or to increase our deposit rates in order to attract additional deposits, each of which would increase our cost of funds.

A failure in our internal controls could have a significant negative impact not only on our earnings, but also on the perception that customers, regulators and investors may have of us. We continue to devote a significant amount of effort, time and resources to continually strengthening our internal controls and ensuring compliance with complex accounting standards and banking regulations.

If we cannot favorably assess the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide an unqualified attestation report on our internal controls, we may be subject to additional regulatory scrutiny.

Under the rules of the FDIC and the SEC, Company management is required to prepare a report that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting (including the Call Report that is submitted to the FDIC) as of the end of each fiscal year. Our independent registered public accounting firm is also required to examine, attest to and report on the assessment of our management concerning the effectiveness of our internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. The rules that must be met for management to assess our internal controls over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation and testing and possible remediation of internal control weaknesses. The effort to comply with regulatory requirements relating to internal controls will likely cause us to incur increased expenses and will cause a diversion of management’s time and other internal resources. We also may encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any changes necessary to make a favorable assessment of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, in connection with the attestation process, we may encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any requested improvements or receiving a favorable attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm. If we cannot favorably assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide an unqualified attestation report on our internal controls, investor confidence and the price of our common stock could be adversely affected and we may be subject to additional regulatory scrutiny.

The increasing use of social media platforms presents new risks and challenges and the inability or failure to recognize, respond to, and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could materially adversely impact the Bank’s business.

There has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including weblogs (blogs), podcasts, social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications which allow individuals’ access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. Social media practices in the banking industry are evolving, which creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to the Bank’s business. Consumers value readily available information concerning businesses and their goods and services and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants’ post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted. Information posted on such platforms at any time may be adverse to the Bank’s interests and/or may be inaccurate. The dissemination of information online could harm the Bank’s business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations, regardless of the information’s accuracy. The harm may be immediate without affording the Bank an opportunity for redress or correction.

Other risks associated with the use of social media include improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about the Bank’s business, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, out-of-date information, and improper use by employees, directors and customers. The inappropriate use of social media by the Bank’s customers, directors or employees could result in negative consequences such as remediation costs including training for employees, additional regulatory scrutiny and possible regulatory penalties, litigation, or negative publicity that could damage the Bank’s reputation adversely affecting customer or investor confidence.

Market conditions and economic cyclicality may adversely affect our industry.

Market developments, including unemployment, price levels, stock and bond volatility, and other changes due to world events, affect consumer confidence levels, economic activity and inflation. Changes in payment behaviors and payment rates may increase in delinquencies and default rates, which could affect our earnings and credit quality.

Negative developments in the banking industry could adversely affect our business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.

Actual events involving bank failures, limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to negative media attention and market-wide liquidity problems. The closures by the regulators of First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank in the first half of 2023 are examples of these events. These developments negatively impact customer confidence in regional and community banks, which could prompt customers to maintain their deposits with larger financial institutions. Further, competition for deposits has increased in recent periods, and the cost of funding has similarly increased, putting pressure on our net interest margin. If we were required to sell a portion of our securities portfolio to address liquidity needs, we may incur losses, including as a result of the negative impact of rising interest rates on the value of our securities portfolio, which could negatively affect our earnings and our capital. If we were required to raise additional capital in the current environment, any such capital raise may be on unfavorable terms, thereby negatively impacting book value and profitability. While we have taken actions to improve our funding, there is no guarantee that such actions will be successful or sufficient in the event of sudden liquidity needs.

There has also been increased regulatory scrutiny – in the course of routine examinations and otherwise – and new regulations directed towards banks of similar size to the Bank, designed to address the 2023 negative developments in the banking industry, all of which may increase our costs of doing business and reduce our profitability. Among other things, there may be an increased focus by both regulators and investors on deposit composition, the level of uninsured deposits, losses embedded in our securities portfolio, contingent liquidity, CRE composition and concentration, capital position and our general oversight and internal control structures regarding the foregoing. As a result, the Bank could face increased scrutiny or be viewed as higher risk by regulators and the investor community.

We are subject to stringent capital requirements, which may adversely impact our return on equity or constrain us from paying dividends or repurchasing shares.

Federal regulations require FDIC-insured depository institutions to meet several minimum capital standards: a common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 4.5 percent, a Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 6.0 percent, a total capital to risk-based assets of 8.0 percent, and a 4.0 percent Tier l capital to total assets leverage ratio. In addition to establishing the minimum regulatory capital requirements, the regulations limit capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments to management if the institution does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” consisting of 2.5 percent of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted asset above the amount necessary to meet its minimum risk-based capital requirements.

In 2019, the FDIC passed a final rule providing qualifying community banking organizations the ability to opt-in to a new community bank leverage ratio (“CBLR”) framework, (tier 1 capital to average consolidated assets) at 9.0 percent for institutions under $10.0 billion in assets that such institutions may elect to utilize in lieu of the general applicable risk-based capital requirements under Basel III. Such institutions that meet the CBLR and certain other qualifying criteria will automatically be deemed to be well-capitalized. The Bank decided to opt-in to the new CBLR, effective for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Pursuant to the “Regulatory Relief Act”, the Federal Reserve Board raised the asset threshold under its Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement from $1.0 billion to $3.0 billion for bank or savings and loan holding companies are permitted to have debt levels higher than would be permitted for larger holding companies, provided that such companies meet certain other conditions such as not engaging in significant nonbanking activities. The Company no longer meets the definition of a Small Bank Holding Company and the qualifications set forth in the “Regulatory Relief Act” at December 31, 2022 and was subject to the larger company capital requirements at March 31, 2023.

The application of more stringent capital requirements likely will result in lower returns on equity and could require raising additional capital in the future or result in regulatory actions if we are unable to comply with such requirements.

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and we may be adversely affected by changes in federal, state and local laws and regulations.

We are subject to extensive regulation, supervision, and examination by federal and state banking authorities. Any change in applicable regulations or federal, state or local legislation could have a substantial impact on us and our operations. Additional legislation and regulations that could significantly affect our powers, authority, and operations may be enacted or adopted in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, regulators have significant discretion and authority to prevent or remedy unsafe or unsound practices or violations of laws by banks and bank holding companies in the performance of their supervisory and enforcement duties. The exercise of regulatory authority may have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

The USA PATRIOT and Bank Secrecy Acts require financial institutions to develop programs to prevent financial institutions from being used for money laundering and terrorist activities. If such activities are detected, financial institutions are obligated to file suspicious activity reports with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. These rules require financial institutions to establish procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines or sanctions, including restrictions on conducting acquisitions or establishing new branches. During the last few years, several banking institutions have received large fines for non-compliance with these laws and regulations. While we have developed policies and procedures designed to assist in compliance with these laws and regulations, these policies and procedures may not be effective in preventing violations of these laws and regulations. Because we operate our business in the highly urbanized greater Newark/New York City metropolitan area, we may be at greater risk of scrutiny by government regulators for compliance with these laws.

The level of our commercial real estate loan portfolio subjects us to additional regulatory scrutiny.

The FDIC and the other federal bank regulatory agencies have promulgated joint guidance on sound risk management practices for financial institutions with concentrations in commercial real estate lending. Under the guidance, a financial institution that, like us, is actively involved in commercial real estate lending should perform a risk assessment to identify concentrations. A financial institution may have a concentration in commercial real estate lending if, among other factors, (i) total reported loans for construction, land acquisition and development, and other land represent 100 percent or more of total capital, or (ii) total reported loans secured by multi-family and non-owner occupied, non-farm, non-residential properties, loans for construction, land acquisition and development and other land, and loans otherwise sensitive to the general commercial real estate market, including loans to commercial real estate related entities, represent 300 percent or more of total capital. Based on these factors, we have a concentration in loans of the type described in (ii) above of 480.6 percent of our risk-based capital at December 31, 2023. The purpose of the guidance is to assist banks in developing risk management practices and capital levels commensurate with the level and nature of real estate concentrations. The guidance states that management should employ heightened risk management practices including board and management oversight and strategic planning, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing. Our bank regulators could require us to implement additional policies and procedures consistent with their interpretation of the guidance that may result in additional costs to us or that may result in a curtailment of our commercial real estate and multi-family lending and/or the requirement that we maintain higher levels of regulatory capital, either of which would adversely affect our loan originations and profitability.

Future legislative or regulatory actions responding to perceived financial and market problems could impair our ability to foreclose on collateral.

There have been proposals made by members of Congress and others that would reduce the amount distressed borrowers are otherwise contractually obligated to pay under their mortgage loans and limit an institution’s ability to foreclose on mortgage collateral. Were proposals such as these, or other proposals limiting our rights as a creditor, to be implemented, we could experience increased credit losses or increased expense in pursuing our remedies as a creditor.

STRATEGIC RISKS

Competition is intense within the banking and financial services industry in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. In our market area, we compete with commercial banks, savings institutions, mortgage brokerage firms, credit unions, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, and brokerage and investment banking firms operating locally and elsewhere. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources, higher lending limits and offer services that we do not or cannot provide. This competition makes it more difficult for us to originate new loans and retain and attract new deposits. Price competition for loans may result in originating fewer loans or earning less on our loans. Price competition for deposits may result in a reduction of our deposit base or paying more on our deposits.

The small to mid-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather a downturn in the economy, which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan to us that could materially harm our operating results.

We target our business development and marketing strategy primarily to serve the banking and financial services needs of small to mid-sized businesses. These small to mid-sized businesses frequently have smaller market share than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, often need substantial additional capital to expand or compete and may experience significant volatility in operating results. In addition, the success of a small to midsized business often depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the business and its ability to repay a loan. Economic downturns and other events that negatively impact our market areas could cause us to incur substantial credit losses that could negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition.

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