Columbia Financial, Inc. (Columbia Financial) operates as a bank holding company for Columbia Bank that provides banking and other financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank MHC (MHC).
Through Columbia Bank, the company serves the financial needs of its depositors and the local community as community-minded, customer service-focused institutions. The company offers traditional financial services to businesses an...
Columbia Financial, Inc. (Columbia Financial) operates as a bank holding company for Columbia Bank that provides banking and other financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank MHC (MHC).
Through Columbia Bank, the company serves the financial needs of its depositors and the local community as community-minded, customer service-focused institutions. The company offers traditional financial services to businesses and consumers in its market areas. The company attracts deposits from the general public and uses those funds to originate a variety of loans, including multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, one-to-four family real estate loans, construction loans, home equity loans and advances, and other consumer loans. The company offers title insurance through its wholly-owned subsidiary, First Jersey Title Services, Inc., In addition, Columbia Insurance Services, Inc. (formerly known as ‘RSI Insurance Agency, Inc.’), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank, is a full-service insurance agency that offers a broad range of insurance products and investment solutions, including personal and business lines of insurance, to the company’s customers and primarily New Jersey residents. Wealth management services are also offered through a third-party relationship.
Columbia Financial is the holding company of Columbia Bank, which is a federally chartered stock savings bank.
Columbia Bank is a federally chartered savings bank. Columbia Bank has elected and has received regulatory approval to operate as a ‘covered savings association’ pursuant to Section 5A of the Homeowners’ Loan Act, as amended, and the regulations of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency promulgated thereunder.
Through Columbia Bank, the company serves the financial needs of its depositors and the local community as community-minded, customer service-focused institutions. The company attracts deposits from the public and use those funds to originate a variety of loans, including multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, one-to-four family real estate loans, construction loans, home equity loans and advances, and other consumer loans. The company offers title insurance through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Jersey Title Services, Inc., In addition, Columbia Insurance Services, Inc. (formerly known as ‘RSI Insurance Agency, Inc.’), a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank, is a full-service insurance agency that offers a broad range of insurance products and investment solutions, including personal and business lines of insurance, to the company’s customers and primarily New Jersey residents. Wealth management services are also offered through a third-party relationship.
Market Area
As of December 31, 2024, Columbia Bank operated various full-service banking offices in twelve of New Jersey’s 21 counties. In addition, (i) First Jersey Title Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank, operates in one of Columbia Bank’s offices in Fair Lawn, New Jersey; and (ii) Columbia Insurance Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank, operates in one of Columbia bank’s offices in Rahway, New Jersey. The company periodically evaluates its network of banking offices to optimize the penetration in the company’s market area. The company’s business strategy includes opening new branches in and around its market area, which may include neighbouring states.
The company considers its market area to be the state of New Jersey and the suburbs surrounding both the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.
Lending Activities
Through the company’s banking subsidiary, Columbia Bank, it offers a variety of loans, including commercial, residential and consumer loans. The company’s commercial loan portfolio includes multifamily and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans and construction loans. The company’s residential loan portfolio includes one-to-four family residential real estate loans and one-to-four family residential construction loans. The company’s consumer loan portfolio primarily includes home equity loans and advances, and to a lesser extent automobile, personal, unsecured and overdraft lines of credit.
The company intends to continue to emphasize commercial lending. In the past five years, it has completed the company’s acquisitions of Stewardship Financial, Roselle Bank, Freehold Bank and RSI Bank, and the company has continued to invest in its lending staff, technology and processes to position the company for continued growth.
Multifamily and Commercial Real Estate Loans. The company originates mortgage loans for the acquisition and refinancing of multifamily properties and nonresidential real estate. The company’s multifamily loans include loans primarily to finance apartment buildings located in the State of New Jersey, and to a lesser extent, in New York and Pennsylvania. The company’s commercial real estate loans include loans secured by non-medical office buildings, retail shopping centers, medical office buildings, industrial, warehouses, hotels, assisted-living facilities and similar commercial properties.
The company offers both fixed and adjustable rate multifamily and commercial real estate loans. The company originates these loans generally for terms of up to ten years and with payments generally based on an amortization schedule of up to 30 years for multifamily and industrial commercial real estate properties, and up to 25 years for commercial properties. The company’s adjustable-rate loans are typically fixed from three to ten years.
One-to-Four Family Residential Loans. The company offers fixed-rate and adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans. The company’s fixed-rate mortgage loans have terms of up to 30 years. The company also offers adjustable-rate mortgage loans with interest rates and payments that adjust annually after an initial fixed period of up to seven years.
Commercial Business Loans. The company makes commercial business loans in its market area to a variety of professionals, sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. The company offers a variety of commercial lending products, such as secured and unsecured loans that include term loans for equipment financing and for business acquisitions, working capital loans, inventory financing and revolving lines of credit. In most cases, fixed-rate loans have terms up to ten years and are fully amortizing.
Commercial loans are generally secured by a variety of collateral, including equipment, machinery, inventory and accounts receivable, and may be supported by personal guarantees. The company also originate commercial business and real estate loans under the Small Business Administration (‘SBA’).
Construction Loans. The company originates commercial construction loans primarily to professional builders for the construction and acquisition of personal residences, apartment buildings, retail, industrial, warehouse, office buildings and special purpose facilities. The company will originate construction loans on unimproved land in amounts typically up to 65% of the lower of the appraised value or the cost of the land. The company also originates loans for site improvements and construction costs in amounts generally up to 75% of as completed and stabilized appraised value. The company’s construction loans generally provide for the payment of interest only during the construction phase, which is usually six to 36 months. Many of the company’s commercial construction loans are structured to convert to permanent financing upon completion and stabilization.
The company also originates residential construction loans primarily on a construction-to-permanent basis with such loans converting to an amortizing loan following the completion of the construction phase. Most of the company’s residential construction loans are made to individuals building a personal residence.
Home Equity Loans and Advances. The company offers consumer home equity loans and advances that are secured by one-to-four family residential real estate, where it may be in a first or second lien position. The company generally offers home equity loans and advances with a maximum combined loan-to-value ratio of 80%.
Other Consumer Loans. The company offers a variety of other consumer loans, including loans for automobiles, personal loans, unsecured lines of credit, and overdraft lines of credit. The company’s unsecured lines of credit bear a substantially higher interest rate than its secured loans and lines of credit.
Securities Activities
The company maintains a securities portfolio that consists of the U.S. Government and agency obligations, mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (‘CMOs’), municipal obligations, corporate debt securities, equity securities, and trust preferred securities.
Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds
Deposit Accounts. Deposits are primarily attracted from within the company’s market area through the offering of a broad selection of deposit products, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits (such as checking accounts to individuals and commercial checking accounts), interest-bearing demand accounts (such as interest-earning checking account products and most municipal accounts), savings and club deposits, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. In 2023, the company began utilizing reciprocal and other deposit placement service companies, and in 2024, it began utilizing brokered deposits.
The company’s three primary categories of deposit customers consist of retail or individual customers, businesses and municipalities. The company’s business banking deposit products include a commercial checking account, a checking account specifically designed for small businesses and a money market product. Additionally, the company offers cash management services, including remote deposit, lockbox service, sweep accounts, and escrow services.
Subsidiaries
Columbia Bank’s active subsidiaries are First Jersey Title Services, Inc.; Commercial Management Co. LLC; Community Development Corporation; Stewardship Realty LLC; and Columbia Insurance Services, Inc. (formerly RSI Insurance Agency, Inc.).
Regulation and Supervision
As a federal savings bank, Columbia Bank is subject to examination, supervision and regulation, primarily by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and secondarily, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (‘FDIC’) as deposit insurer. Columbia Bank has elected and has received regulatory approval to operate as a ‘covered savings association’ pursuant to Section 5A of the Homeowners’ Loan Act, as amended, and the regulations of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency promulgated thereunder.
Columbia Bank is also regulated by the Federal Reserve Board, which governs the reserves to be maintained against deposits and other matters. In addition, Columbia Bank is a member of and owns stock in the FHLB of New York, which is one of the 11 regional banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
The company is also subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’) under the federal securities laws.
Columbia Bank received a ‘satisfactory’ Community Reinvestment Act rating in its most recent federal examination.
The authority of Columbia Bank to extend credit to their directors, executive officers and 10% stockholders, as well as to entities controlled by such persons, is governed by the requirements of Sections 22(g) and 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation O of the Federal Reserve Board.
The Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC insures deposits at FDIC-insured financial institutions such as Columbia Bank. Columbia Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which consists of 11 regional Federal Home Loan Banks.
The operations of Columbia Bank are also subject to various federal laws applicable to credit transactions, such as the:
Truth-In-Lending Act, governing disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers;
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, requiring financial institutions to provide information to enable the public and public officials to determine whether a financial institution is fulfilling its obligation to help meet the housing needs of the community it serves;
Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed or other prohibited factors in extending credit;
Fair Credit Reporting Act, governing the use and provision of information to credit reporting agencies;
Fair Debt Collection Act, governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies;
Truth in Savings Act, prescribing disclosure and advertising requirements with respect to deposit accounts; and
Rules and regulations of the various federal agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing such federal laws.
The operations of Columbia Bank also are subject to the:
Right to Financial Privacy Act, which imposes a duty to maintain confidentiality of consumer financial records and prescribes procedures for complying with administrative subpoenas of financial records;
Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E promulgated thereunder, which govern automatic deposits to and withdrawals from deposit accounts and customers’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of automated teller machines and other electronic banking services;
Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (also known as ‘Check 21’), which gives ‘substitute checks,’ such as digital check images and copies made from that image, the same legal standing as the original paper check;
The USA PATRIOT Act, which requires savings associations to, among other things, establish broadened anti-money laundering compliance programs, and due diligence policies and controls to ensure the detection and reporting of money laundering. Such required compliance programs are intended to supplement existing compliance requirements that also apply to financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations; and
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which places limitations on the sharing of consumer financial information by financial institutions with unaffiliated third parties. Specifically, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires all financial institutions offering financial products or services to retail customers to provide such customers with the financial institution’s privacy policy and provide such customers the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of the sharing of certain personal financial information with unaffiliated third parties.
The company and the MHC are non-diversified savings and loan holding companies within the meaning of the Homeowners’ Loan Act. As such, the company and the MHC are registered with the Federal Reserve Board and are subject to the regulation, examination, supervision and reporting requirements applicable to savings and loan holding companies and mutual holding companies.
Due to Columbia Bank’s status as a covered savings association, the activities of the company and the MHC are generally limited to activities permissible for bank holding companies under Section 4(c)(8) of the Bank Holding Company Act, subject to regulatory approval, and certain additional activities authorized by federal regulations.
The company’s common stock is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company is therefore subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
History
Columbia Financial, Inc. was founded in 1926. The company was incorporated in 1991.