Flushing Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Flushing Bank that provides a wide variety of financial services to meet the needs of the communities it serves.
The bank operates as a full-service New York State commercial bank. The company's primary business is the operation of the bank. The bank owned two subsidiaries during 2024: Flushing Service Corporation and FSB Properties Inc. The bank also operates an internet branch (the 'Internet Branch'), which operates under...
Flushing Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Flushing Bank that provides a wide variety of financial services to meet the needs of the communities it serves.
The bank operates as a full-service New York State commercial bank. The company's primary business is the operation of the bank. The bank owned two subsidiaries during 2024: Flushing Service Corporation and FSB Properties Inc. The bank also operates an internet branch (the 'Internet Branch'), which operates under the brands of iGObanking.com and BankPurely.
The company's principal business is attracting retail deposits from the general public and investing those deposits together with funds generated from ongoing operations and borrowings, primarily in (1) originations and purchases of multi-family residential properties loans, commercial business loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans and, to a lesser extent, one-to-four family loans (focusing on mixed-use properties, which are properties that contain both residential dwelling units and commercial units); (2) construction loans; (3) equipment financing loans; (4) Small Business Administration (SBA) loans; (5) mortgage loan surrogates, such as mortgage-backed securities; and (6) U.S. government securities, corporate fixed-income securities and other marketable securities. The company also originates certain other consumer loans, including overdraft lines of credit.
The company’s primary sources of funds are deposits, FHLB-NY borrowings, principal and interest payments on loans, mortgage-backed, other securities and to a lesser extent proceeds from sales of securities and loans. The bank’s primary regulator is the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), and its primary federal regulator is the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Deposits are insured to the maximum allowable amount by the FDIC. Additionally, the bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system.
Market Area
The bank's main office and its executive offices are in Uniondale, New York, located in Nassau County. The bank operates various full-service offices and the Internet Branch. The company has offices located in the New York City Boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and in Nassau and Suffolk County, New York. The vast majority of all of the company's mortgage loans are secured by properties located in the New York City metropolitan area.
Strategy
The company's strategy for attracting deposits includes using various marketing techniques, delivering enhanced technology and customer friendly banking services, and focusing on the unique personal and small business banking needs of the multi-ethnic communities the company serves. The company's strategy for attracting new loans is primarily dependent on providing timely response to applicants and maintaining a network of quality brokers and other business sources.
Lending Activities
Loan Portfolio Composition: The company's loan portfolio primarily consists of mortgage loans secured by multi-family residential, commercial real estate, one-to-four family mixed-use property, one-to-four family residential property, and commercial business loans. In addition, the company offers construction loans, SBA loans and other consumer loans. Most of the company's mortgage loans are secured by properties located within its market area.
The company has focused its loan origination efforts on multi-family residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate and commercial business loans with full banking relationships. All of these loan types generally include prepayment penalties that the company collects if the loans pay in full prior to the contractual maturity. The company's marketing efforts include frequent contact with mortgage brokers and other professionals who serve as referral sources.
The company's loan portfolio consists of adjustable-rate (ARM) and fixed-rate loans. Most of the company’s commercial business loans are generated by the company’s business banking group which focuses on loan and deposit relationships to businesses located within its market area.
Multi-family Residential Lending: The company offers both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate multi-family residential mortgage loans, with maturities of up to 30 years. The company offers ARM loans with adjustment periods typically of five years and for terms of up to 30 years. The company's fixed-rate multi-family mortgage loans are generally originated for terms up to 15 years.
Commercial Real Estate Lending: The company’s commercial real estate mortgage loans are secured by properties such as hotels/motels, small business facilities, strip shopping centers, warehouses, and office buildings.
The company’s commercial real estate loans are primarily investor properties (non-owner occupied) which are generally considered to have higher credit risk than multi-family lending. The repayment of principal is primarily dependent on the successful operation of the underlying tenant’s business. The company offers ARM loans with adjustment periods of one to five years and generally for terms of up to 15 years. The company’s fixed-rate commercial mortgage loans are generally originated for terms up to 20 years.
One-to-Four Family Mortgage Lending – Mixed-Use Properties: The company offers mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family mixed-use properties. These properties contain up to four residential dwelling units and include a commercial component. The company offers both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate one-to-four family mixed-use property mortgage loans with maturities of up to 30 years.
In underwriting one-to-four family mixed-use property mortgage loans, the company employs the same underwriting standards as are employed in underwriting multi-family residential mortgage loans.
The company offers adjustable-rate one-to-four family mixed-use property mortgage loans with adjustment periods typically of five years and for terms of up to 30 years. The company’s fixed-rate one-to-four family mixed-use property mortgage loans are originated for terms of up to 15 years.
One-to-Four Family Mortgage Lending - Residential Properties: The company offers mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family residential properties, including townhouses and condominium units. For purposes of the description contained in this section, one-to-four family residential mortgage loans, co-operative apartment loans and home equity loans are collectively referred to herein as 'residential mortgage loans.' The company offers both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans with maturities of up to 30 years.
The company offers ARM loans with adjustment periods of one, three, five, seven or ten years. The company's fixed-rate residential mortgage loans typically are originated for terms of 15 and 30 years. Home equity loans are included in the company's portfolio of residential mortgage loans. These loans are offered as adjustable-rate home equity lines of credit on which interest only is due for an initial term of 10 years.
The majority of home equity loans originated are owner occupied one-to-four family residential properties and condominium units. To a lesser extent, home equity loans are also originated on one-to-four residential properties held for investment and second homes.
Construction Loans. The company's construction loans primarily are adjustable-rate loans to finance the construction of one-to-four family residential properties, multi-family residential properties and owner-occupied commercial properties. The company also, to a limited extent, finances the construction of commercial properties.
Small Business Administration Lending: These loans are extended to small businesses and are guaranteed by the SBA. The company also provides term loans and lines of credit. The company may sell the guaranteed portion of certain SBA term loans in the secondary market.
Commercial Business and Other Loans: The company originates and purchases commercial business loans and other loans for business, personal, or household purposes. Commercial business loans are provided to businesses in the New York City metropolitan area. The company's commercial business loans include lines of credit and term loans, including owner occupied mortgages. These loans are secured by business assets, including accounts receivables, inventory, equipment and real estate and generally require personal guarantees. The bank also enters into participations/syndications on senior secured commercial business loans, which are serviced by other banks.
The company generally offers adjustable-rate loans with adjustment periods of five years for owner occupied mortgages and for lines of credit the adjustment period is generally monthly. The company's fixed-rate commercial business loans are generally originated for terms up to 20 years.
A portion of the company's commercial business and other loans are commercial loans secured by owner-occupied real estate. These loans are secured by properties used by the borrower for commercial use where the primary source of repayment is expected to be the income generated by the borrower's business use of the property. Other loans generally consist of overdraft lines of credit.
Investment Activities
The company primarily invests in mortgage-backed securities, securities issued by mutual or bond funds that invest in government and government agency securities, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, and collateralized loan obligations (CLO).
Deposits
The company offers a variety of deposit accounts having a range of interest rates and terms. The company's deposits primarily consist of savings accounts, money market accounts, demand accounts, NOW accounts and certificates of deposit.
In addition to its full-service offices, the company operates the Internet Branch and a government banking unit. The Internet Branch offers savings accounts, money market accounts, checking accounts, and certificates of deposit. The government banking unit provides banking services to public municipalities, including counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, libraries, fire districts, and the various courts throughout the New York City metropolitan area.
The company’s core deposits, consisting of savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market accounts, and non-interest bearing demand accounts, are typically more stable and lower costing than other sources of funding.
The company utilizes brokered deposits as an additional funding source, to assist in the management of its interest rate risk and as an underlying funding source for a portion of its interest rate swaps. The company obtains brokered certificates of deposit as a wholesale funding source when the interest rate on these deposits are below other wholesale options, or to extend the maturities of its deposits. Brokered deposits generally have a higher beta than the company's retail deposits as the interest rates are typically more sensitive to changes in the Fed funds rates. A portion of the company's brokered certificates of deposit are hedged against rising interest rates using interest rate swaps.
Regulation
The company is subject to examination, regulation, and periodic reporting under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the BHCA), as administered by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (FRB).
The bank is a New York State-chartered commercial bank whose deposit accounts are insured under the Deposit Insurance Fund (the DIF) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) up to applicable legal limits. The bank is subject to extensive regulation and supervision by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), as its chartering agency, by the FDIC, as its insurer of deposits, and to a lesser extent by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the CFPB), which was created under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act).
The company is required to file certain reports under, and otherwise comply with, the rules and regulations of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (the ‘FRB’), the FDIC, the NYDFS, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘SEC’). The bank is subject to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), which incorporates several laws, including the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the USA PATRIOT Act) and related regulations. The bank derives its lending, investment, and other authority primarily from the applicable provisions of New York State Banking Law and the regulations of the NYDFS, as limited by FDIC regulations. As of December 31, 2024, of the company’s most recent CRA examination, which was conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the NYSDFS, the bank's CRA performance was rated 'Outstanding'. The bank is also subject to provisions of the New York State Banking Law that impose continuing and affirmative obligations upon a banking institution organized in New York State to serve the credit needs of its local community (the NYCRA).
The bank is a member of the FHLB-NY. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 requires financial institutions to periodically disclose their privacy practices and policies relating to sharing such information and enable retail customers to opt out of the bank's ability to share certain information with affiliates and non-affiliates for marketing and/or non-marketing purposes, or to contact customers with marketing offers. The company’s common stock is registered with the SEC and listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq). Accordingly, the company is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules of Nasdaq.
History
Flushing Financial Corporation was founded in 1929. The company was incorporated in 1994.