Exhibit 99.1


                          New York State Banking Board
                      Approves New York Community Bancorp's
                    Acquisition of Atlantic Bank of New York

    WESTBURY, N.Y. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2006--New
York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYB), the holding company for New
York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, and Atlantic Bank of
New York ("Atlantic Bank"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National
Bank of Greece, today announced that the acquisition of Atlantic Bank
by New York Community Bancorp, Inc. has been approved by the New York
State Banking Board.
    The acquisition was approved last month by the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System, and is expected to be completed this
month. Upon completion, Atlantic Bank will commence operations as a
division of New York Commercial Bank, which was established in
connection with New York Community Bancorp's acquisition of Long
Island Financial Corp. on December 30, 2005.
    New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is the $26.3 billion holding
company for New York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, and
the leading producer of multi-family loans for portfolio in New York
City. A New York State-chartered savings bank with 139 offices serving
New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, and northern New
Jersey, New York Community Bank is the third largest thrift depository
in the New York metropolitan region, and operates through seven local
divisions: Queens County Savings Bank, Roslyn Savings Bank, Richmond
County Savings Bank, Roosevelt Savings Bank, CFS Bank, First Savings
Bank of New Jersey, and Ironbound Bank. A New York State-chartered
commercial bank, New York Commercial Bank currently has 12 branches
serving Long Island and Brooklyn. Upon completion of the Atlantic Bank
transaction, New York Commercial Bank will have 29 branches serving
Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Westchester County, and Long Island.
Additional information about New York Community Bancorp, Inc. and its
bank subsidiaries is available at www.myNYCB.com.
    Established in 1926, Atlantic Bank of New York is one of the top
20 commercial banks serving the New York area. With $2.7 billion in
assets, Atlantic Bank of New York is a full-service commercial bank
providing a comprehensive range of financial services to small and
mid-sized businesses, commercial real estate investors, and consumers.
The Bank operates branch offices in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Long
Island, and Westchester County, and offers commercial insurance
premium financing on a nationwide basis through its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Standard Funding Corp. Atlantic Bank is a member of the
NBG Group which has more than $68 billion in assets and operates in 23
countries. Additional information is available on the Bank's website,
www.atlanticbank.com.


    CONTACT: New York Community Bancorp, Inc.
             Investor Relations:
             Ilene A. Angarola, 516-683-4420
             or
             Atlantic Bank of New York
             Anthony J. Morris, 212-714-7579