8-K

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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                         ------------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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         Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): April 6, 2000


                         DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


   Delaware                            0-27782                      11-3297463
(State or other                      (Commission                  (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of                          File                     Identification
incorporation)                         Number)                         No.)


                 209 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211
          (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)


       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (718) 782-6200


                                 Not Applicable
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)




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Item 5. Other Events.

On April 6, 2000, Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. issued limited preliminary
financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2000.

A press release, issued on April 6, 2000, detailing the foregoing is attached
hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits. The following Exhibits are filed as part of this report:

Exhibit No.                        Description
- -----------                        -----------
   99.1                 Press Release issued April 6, 2000













                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                     DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC.
                                           (Registrant)



                                     By:  /s/ Kenneth J. Mahon
                                          ------------------------------
                                          Kenneth J. Mahon
                                          President and Chief Financial Officer





Dated: April 6, 2000









                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



         Exhibit                            Description
         -------                            -----------

           99.1                 Press Release issued April 6, 2000

EX-99.1

                                  EXHIBIT 99.1


                                  NEWS RELEASE

         DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC. ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY EARNINGS
         --------------------------------------------------------------

                   FOR THIRD FISCAL QUARTER OF $0.49 PER SHARE
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Brooklyn, NY, April 6, 2000. Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (the "Company")
(NASDAQ:DCOM), the holding company for The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh
(the "Bank"), today announced that it expects to report unaudited diluted
earnings per share of approximately $0.49 for its third fiscal quarter ended
March 31, 2000, an anticipated increase of 9% over diluted earnings per share of
$0.45 reported during the same quarter of the prior year.

CORE EARNINGS: Excluding non-recurring gains totaling approximately $377,000 on
an after-tax basis during the quarter ended March 31, 2000, which consisted of
net gain and losses on the sale of assets, prepayment penalty income, and income
tax adjustments which are deemed non- recurring in nature, unaudited "core" net
income is expected to be $0.46 per diluted share during the quarter ended March
31, 2000, compared to non-recurring gains of $541,000 for the quarter ended
March 31, 1999 compared to $0.41 per diluted share during the quarter ended
March 31, 1999. This would represent a year-over-year increase of 12%.

CASH EARNINGS: Unaudited diluted cash earnings per share are expected to be
approximately $0.69 deemed for the quarter ended March 31, 2000, compared to
$0.64 per share reported during the same quarter of the prior year, an
anticipated increase of 8%. On a "core" basis, unaudited cash earnings are
expected to be $0.66 per diluted share during the quarter ended March 31, 2000,
an anticipated increase of 10% over "core" cash earnings of $0.60 per diluted
share during the same quarter of the previous year.

The Company expects to issue its final earnings press release for the quarter
ended March 31, 2000, on or about April 19, 2000.

On March 16, 2000, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized
a sixth stock repurchase program (the "Sixth Repurchase Program"). The Company
currently has 35,779 shares remaining to be repurchased under its fifth stock
repurchase program, which was initiated in July, 1999. The Sixth Repurchase
Program allows for the repurchase of up to an additional 606,858 shares, which
represents up to 5% of the Company's outstanding common stock upon the
completion of the fifth stock repurchase program. All shares acquired under the
Sixth Repurchase Program will be purchased in open market transactions at the
discretion of management and placed into treasury. No deadline has been
established for the completion of the Sixth Repurchase Program.

Dime Community Bancshares, Inc., is the holding company for The Dime Savings
Bank of Williamsburgh, a community-oriented financial institution providing
financial services and loans for housing within its market areas. The Bank
maintains its headquarters in the Williamsburgh section of the borough of
Brooklyn, and seventeen additional offices in the boroughs of





Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, and in Nassau County. The Bank's deposits are
insured up to the maximum allowable amount by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation. More information on the Company and Bank can be found on the Bank's
Internet website at www.dimewill.com.

Statements made herein that are forward looking in nature within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 are subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such risks
and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those related to overall
business conditions and market interest rates, particularly in the market sin
which the Company operates, fiscal and monetary policy, changes in regulations
affecting financial institutions and other risks and uncertainties discussed in
the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company disclaims
any obligation to publicly announce future events or developments which may
affect the forward-looking statements herein.

Contact: Kenneth A. Ceonzo - First Vice President and Director of Investor
Relations // (718) 782-6200 extension 279