8-K

UNITED STATES

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

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): January 8, 2021

BRIDGE BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of the registrant as specified in its charter)

-
New York	001-34096	11-2934195
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

2200 Montauk Highway
Bridgehampton, New York	11932
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(631) 537-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (See General Instruction A.2. below):

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4c)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock	BDGE	NASDAQ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 8.01            Other Events.

On January 8, 2021, Bridge Bancorp, Inc. (“the Company”), along with Dime Community Bancshares, Inc., announced the declaration by the Company of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per share, payable on February 12, 2021 to the Company’s shareholders of record on February 5, 2021. The Company’s shareholders as of the record date will include the former shareholders of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. following the expected February 1, 2021 consummation of the merger of equals between the Company and Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Pursuant to the merger agreement dated July 1, 2020, Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. will not declare its typical quarterly dividend. As previously disclosed, each share of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. common stock will be exchanged for 0.648 shares of the Company’s common stock at the closing of the transaction.  A copy of the press release announcing the dividend is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report.

.

Item 9.01            Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a)  Not Applicable.

(b)  Not Applicable.

(c)  Not Applicable.

(d)  Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated January 8, 2021.
104.1	Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL)

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.

	Bridge Bancorp, Inc.
	/s/ Kevin M. O’Connor
	Kevin M. O’Connor
	President and Chief Executive Officer
Date:   January 8, 2021

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRIDGE BANCORP, INC. AND DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC. ANNOUNCE BRIDGE BANCORP FOURTH QUARTER 2020 DIVIDEND

(Bridgehampton, NY and Brooklyn, NY – January 8, 2021) Bridge Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BDGE), the holding company for BNB Bank, and Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (“Dime”) (NASDAQ:DCOM), the holding company for Dime Community Bank, announced the declaration by the Company of a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share. The dividend will be paid on February 12, 2021 to the Company’s shareholders of record as of February 5, 2021. The Company’s shareholders as of the record date will include the former Dime shareholders following the expected February 1, 2021 consummation of the merger of equals between the Company and Dime. Pursuant to the merger agreement dated July 2020, Dime will not declare its typical quarterly dividend.  As previously disclosed, each Dime share will be exchanged for 0.648 shares of the Company at the closing of the transaction.  The Company continues its trend of uninterrupted dividends.

About Bridge Bancorp, Inc.

Bridge Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company engaged in commercial banking and financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, BNB Bank. Established in 1910, BNB Bank, with assets of approximately $6.3 billion, operates 39 branch locations serving Long Island and the greater New York metropolitan area. Through its branch network and its electronic delivery channels, BNB Bank provides deposit and loan products and financial services to local businesses, consumers and municipalities. Title insurance services are offered through BNB Bank's wholly-

owned subsidiary, Bridge Abstract. Bridge Financial Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BNB Bank, offers financial planning and investment consultation.  For more information visit www.bnbbank.com.

About Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.

Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for Dime Community Bank, a New York State-chartered community commercial bank that was founded in 1864. Dime Community Bank is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and operates 28 banking offices located throughout Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York. More information on Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. and Dime Community Bank can be found on Dime's website at www.dime.com.

On July 1, 2020, the Company and Dime entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which Dime will merge with and into the Company, and Dime Community Bank will merge with and into BNB Bank.Following the merger, the Company will operate under the name “Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.” and BNB Bank will operate under the name “Dime Community Bank.” All shareholder and regulatory approvals have been obtained for the transaction, and the merger is expected to close effective February 1, 2021.

Bridge Bancorp, Inc

Investor Relations Contact

John M. McCaffery

Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 631-537-1001; Ext. 7290

Email: jmccaffery@bnbbank.com

Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.

Investor Relations Contact:

Avinash Reddy

Senior Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 718-782-6200; Ext. 5909

Email: areddy@dime.com

XML

Document and Entity Information	Oct. 09, 2020
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Document Period End Date	Jan. 08, 2021
Entity File Number	001-34096
Entity Registrant Name	BRIDGE BANCORP, INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	NY
Entity Tax Identification Number	11-2934195
Entity Address, Address Line One	2200 Montauk Highway
Entity Address, City or Town	Bridgehampton
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	11932
City Area Code	631
Local Phone Number	537-1000
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock
Trading Symbol	BDGE
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000846617
Amendment Flag	false