Jackie Stewart is the executive editor of American Banker Magazine. Previously, she covered breaking news, community banks and mergers and acquisitions for American Banker before being named as the managing editor of the Credit Union Journal. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2006, Jackie taught for two years in the Bronx, N.Y., through Teach for America.
Seeking to stay below $50 billion, the regional is selling its origination and servicing businesses.
Joseph Ficalora, New York Community's CEO, told analysts that his company could still have a chance to buy Astoria "down the road."
The New York company may struggle with profitability as it decides whether to find a new buyer.
Profits at Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., fell along with net interest income in the fourth quarter.
The phrase "it is what it is" came up several times as CEO Joseph Ficalora addressed analysts' questions about nixing plans to buy Astoria and the challenges of getting another deal done.
The company wants a big deal to help push it over $50 billion of assets, at which point it will be considered systematically important.
Kenneth Mahon, the new CEO of Dime Community Bank, wants to reduce the 152-year-old institution's multifamily exposure by diversifying into other asset classes. But finding new business amid already fierce competition could be an immense challenge for Dime and other community banks in 2017.
Regulators have warned about the dangers of high commercial real estate concentrations despite bankers' assertions that they are managing risk better compared to the financial crisis. Still, CRE concerns could influence M&A and loan diversification in 2017.
So now what? New York Community Bancorp and Astoria Financial have been mum about why they nixed their merger agreement, or where they go next, but the companies have a surprising number of options in the current climate.
The pending purchase of Carlile Bancshares will lower Independent's concentration in commercial real estate, while introducing the company to fast-growing markets in Texas and Colorado.