New York Community Bancorp Inc. on Thursday announced an immediate leadership shakeup, including a new CEO, after the bank reported a hit to its profits last year, saying it had “material weaknesses” in its accounting protocols and revealed other financial reporting issues.
The revelations mark the latest drama for the Long Island, New York-based bank, which has struggled with its exposure to a struggling commercial real estate market. Shares of the company — which operates Flagstar Bank in several states and last year picked up some of the remnants of the failed Signature Bank — fell 21.7% after the close.
New York Community Bancorp NYCB,
said it has named Alessandro DiNello as its new president and CEO effective immediately, after Thomas Cangemi steps down from the position after 27 years with the company. Former Flagstar CEO DiNello was named executive chairman of NYCB earlier this month, after previously serving as non-executive chairman of its board of directors. Cangemi will remain on the board.
The change in leadership came with some resistance from the NYCB board of directors. Hanif Dahya also resigned as president and board member, stating in his resignation letter that he “does not support the proposed appointment” of DiNello.
Marshall Lux has been named president of the board of directors, effective immediately.
“My mandate as president and CEO, along with our board of directors, is to continue our transformation into a larger, more diversified commercial bank,” DiNello said in a statement.
“While we have faced recent challenges, we are confident in the direction our bank is taking and in our ability to deliver long-term results for our customers, employees and shareholders,” he said. “The changes we are making to our board of directors and leadership team reflect a new chapter that is underway.”
In a statement Thursday, the company said that, following a review, a goodwill impairment charge resulted in a $2.4 billion decrease in fourth-quarter and annual net income.
It also said that in evaluating the bank’s internal financial controls, management identified “material weaknesses” related to loan review. The shortcomings, she said, are the result of “ineffective oversight, risk assessment and monitoring activities.”
Additionally, NYCB said it was unable to file its annual report on time, as it changes data related to the purchase of the former Signature Bank’s assets and other matters. It noted in the filing that it “does not currently anticipate” that its financial statements in its 2023 annual report will differ significantly from those contained in an amendment dated Feb. 29.
The rise of remote and hybrid work during the pandemic, along with higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve, have disrupted the office space and commercial real estate market and complicated refinancing. New York Community Bank is among the largest lenders for multifamily housing – such as multi-unit apartment buildings – both in New York and nationwide.
The bank’s shares came under fire last month after it reported a surprise quarterly loss and cut its dividend. Management at the time said the company had set aside more money to stem “office sector weakness.”
During a conference call this month, however, executives highlighted what they said was Flagstar’s recovery following the housing crash and Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. They said deposit trends have been “resilient” and added that they would “continuously” review their loans. wallet.
“If we have to get smaller, then we will get smaller,” DiNello said then. “If we have to sell non-strategic assets, then we will. We will do whatever it takes.”
Christopher Marinac, director of research for Janney Montgomery Scott, said Thursday’s announcement about material weakness “has to do with stress tests, not borrowers’ missed payments.”
“They have graded loans based on higher interest rates, and the financial condition of borrowers is weaker in a higher interest rate environment,” Marinac said during a phone interview with MarketWatch. “I still think it’s a solvable problem. It will take time.”
Marinac continues to rate NYCB stock a buy. “We feel the price-tangible ratio [ratio] it’s still very attractive,” he said. “The situation is noisy every day. We still think the company will make money this year.”
KBW analyst Christopher McGratty said the disclosure of the material weaknesses amounts to an “additional level of uncertainty” for the bank and that his firm remains on the sidelines because of it. He stuck to a market perform rating for the stock.
“The immediate objective is twofold, in our view: 1) file 10-K and 2) provide a strategic update once the loan portfolio review is complete,” McGratty said.
Karen Finnerman, chief executive of Metropolitan Capital, told CNBC that the discovery of a material weakness is bad for any company, but is particularly concerning for a bank that recently “had a terrible chapter.”
“This can’t be good, for so many reasons,” he said.
Earlier this month, Moody’s downgraded the bank’s credit rating to junk, citing challenges in commercial real estate and rent-regulated multifamily properties.
“Significant and unexpected loss on [NYCB’s] New York office and multifamily properties could create potential trust sensitivity,” the firm said.
Steve Gelsi contributed to this story.