BASIS OF PRESENTATION	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
BASIS OF PRESENTATION.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	1.BASIS OF PRESENTATION On February 1, 2021, Dime Community Bancshares, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy Dime”) merged with and into Bridge Bancorp, Inc., a New York corporation (“Bridge”) (the “Merger”), with Bridge as the surviving corporation under the name “Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.” (the “Holding Company”). At the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each outstanding share of Legacy Dime common stock, par value $0.01 per share, was converted into the right to receive 0.6480 shares of the Holding Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share. At the Effective Time, each outstanding share of Legacy Dime’s Series A preferred stock, par value $0.01 (the “Dime Preferred Stock”), was converted into the right to receive one share of a newly created series of the Holding Company’s preferred stock having the same powers, preferences and rights as the Dime Preferred Stock. Immediately following the Merger, Dime Community Bank, a New York-chartered commercial bank and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy Dime, merged with and into BNB Bank, a New York-chartered trust company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bridge, with BNB Bank as the surviving bank, under the name “Dime Community Bank” (the “Bank”). The unaudited consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q include the collective results of the Holding Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Bank, which are collectively herein referred to as “we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company.” The Merger was accounted for as a reverse merger using the acquisition method of accounting, which means that for accounting and financial reporting purposes, Legacy Dime was deemed to have acquired Bridge in the Merger, even though Bridge was the legal acquirer. Accordingly, Legacy Dime’s historical financial statements are the historical financial statements of the combined company for all periods before February 1, 2021 (the “Merger Date”). The Company’s results of operations for 2021 include the results of operations of Bridge on and after the Merger Date. Results for periods before the Merger Date reflect only those of Legacy Dime and do not include the results of operations of Bridge. The number of shares issued and outstanding, earnings per share, additional paid-in capital, dividends paid and all references to share quantities of the Company have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the equivalent number of shares issued to holders of Legacy Dime common stock in the Merger. The assets and liabilities of Bridge as of the Merger Date have been recorded at their estimated fair value and added to those of Legacy Dime. See Note 2. Merger for further information. As of September 30, 2022, we operated 59 branch locations throughout Long Island and the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The Company is a bank holding company engaged in commercial banking and financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dime Community Bank. The Bank was established in 1910 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. The Holding Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1988 to serve as the holding company for the Bank. The Company functions primarily as the holder of all of the Bank’s common stock. Our bank operations include Dime Community Inc., a real estate investment trust subsidiary which was formerly known as Bridgehampton Community, Inc., as an operating subsidiary. Our bank operations also include Bridge Abstract LLC (“Bridge Abstract”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank, which is a broker of title insurance services. In September 2021, the Company dissolved two REITs, DSBW Preferred Funding Corporation and DSBW Residential Preferred Funding Corporation, which were wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Bank, and the preferred shares outstanding were redeemed by their shareholders. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The unaudited consolidated financial statements included herein reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. In preparing the interim financial statements, management has made estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reported periods. Such estimates are subject to change in the future as additional information becomes available or previously existing circumstances are modified. Actual future results could differ significantly from those estimates. The annualized results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that may be expected for the entire fiscal year. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts, and the related discussion and analysis, to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not have an impact on net income or total stockholders' equity. The unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which remain significantly unchanged and have been followed similarly as in prior periods. ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13 on January 1, 2021 using the modified retrospective method for all financial assets measured at amortized cost and off-balance sheet credit exposures. The CECL Standard requires that the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date be based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This standard requires financial institutions and other organizations to use forward-looking information to better inform their credit loss estimates. The adoption of the CECL Standard resulted in an initial decrease of $3.9 million to the allowance for credit losses and an increase of $1.4 million to the reserve for unfunded commitments in other liabilities. The after-tax cumulative-effect adjustment of $1.7 million was recorded in retained earnings as of January 1, 2021. There were no held-to-maturity securities as of January 1, 2021 and, therefore, no impact from the adoption of the CECL Standard. Risks and Uncertainties In March 2020, the United States declared a National Public Health Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 has materially, adversely impacted labor supply, supply chains, and certain industries in which our customers and vendors operate, and could continue to materially impair their ability to fulfill their obligations to us. Further additional outbreaks of COVID-19 variants could lead to economic recession and other severe disruptions in the U.S. economy, may disrupt banking and other financial activity in the areas in which we operate, and could potentially create widespread business continuity issues for us. Future government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccination mandates, may also affect our workforce, human capital resources, and infrastructure. It is possible that there will be continued material, adverse impacts to significant estimates, asset valuations, and business operations, including intangible assets, investments, loans, deferred tax assets, and derivative counter party risk, changes in consumer behavior, and supply chain interruptions.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

1.BASIS OF PRESENTATION

On February 1, 2021, Dime Community Bancshares, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy Dime”) merged with and into Bridge Bancorp, Inc., a New York corporation (“Bridge”) (the “Merger”), with Bridge as the surviving corporation under the name “Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.” (the “Holding Company”). At the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each outstanding share of Legacy Dime common stock, par value $0.01 per share, was converted into the right to receive 0.6480 shares of the Holding Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share.

At the Effective Time, each outstanding share of Legacy Dime’s Series A preferred stock, par value $0.01 (the “Dime Preferred Stock”), was converted into the right to receive one share of a newly created series of the Holding Company’s preferred stock having the same powers, preferences and rights as the Dime Preferred Stock.

Immediately following the Merger, Dime Community Bank, a New York-chartered commercial bank and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy Dime, merged with and into BNB Bank, a New York-chartered trust company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bridge, with BNB Bank as the surviving bank, under the name “Dime Community Bank” (the “Bank”).

The unaudited consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q include the collective results of the Holding Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Bank, which are collectively herein referred to as “we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company.”

The Merger was accounted for as a reverse merger using the acquisition method of accounting, which means that for accounting and financial reporting purposes, Legacy Dime was deemed to have acquired Bridge in the Merger, even though Bridge was the legal acquirer. Accordingly, Legacy Dime’s historical financial statements are the historical financial statements of the combined company for all periods before February 1, 2021 (the “Merger Date”).

The Company’s results of operations for 2021 include the results of operations of Bridge on and after the Merger Date. Results for periods before the Merger Date reflect only those of Legacy Dime and do not include the results of operations of Bridge. The number of shares issued and outstanding, earnings per share, additional paid-in capital, dividends paid and all references to share quantities of the Company have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the equivalent number of shares issued to holders of Legacy Dime common stock in the Merger. The assets and liabilities of Bridge as of the Merger Date have been recorded at their estimated fair value and added to those of Legacy Dime. See Note 2. Merger for further information.

As of September 30, 2022, we operated 59 branch locations throughout Long Island and the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

The Company is a bank holding company engaged in commercial banking and financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dime Community Bank. The Bank was established in 1910 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. The Holding Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1988 to serve as the holding company for the Bank. The Company functions primarily as the holder of all of the Bank’s common stock. Our bank operations include Dime Community Inc., a real estate investment trust subsidiary which was formerly known as Bridgehampton Community, Inc., as an operating subsidiary. Our bank operations also include Bridge Abstract LLC (“Bridge Abstract”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank, which is a broker of title insurance services. In September 2021, the Company dissolved two REITs, DSBW Preferred Funding Corporation and DSBW Residential Preferred Funding Corporation, which were wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Bank, and the preferred shares outstanding were redeemed by their shareholders.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The unaudited consolidated financial statements included herein reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. In preparing the interim financial statements, management has made estimates and assumptions that affect the

reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reported periods. Such estimates are subject to change in the future as additional information becomes available or previously existing circumstances are modified. Actual future results could differ significantly from those estimates. The annualized results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that may be expected for the entire fiscal year. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts, and the related discussion and analysis, to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not have an impact on net income or total stockholders' equity. The unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which remain significantly unchanged and have been followed similarly as in prior periods.

ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)

The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13 on January 1, 2021 using the modified retrospective method for all financial assets measured at amortized cost and off-balance sheet credit exposures. The CECL Standard requires that the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date be based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This standard requires financial institutions and other organizations to use forward-looking information to better inform their credit loss estimates.

The adoption of the CECL Standard resulted in an initial decrease of $3.9 million to the allowance for credit losses and an increase of $1.4 million to the reserve for unfunded commitments in other liabilities. The after-tax cumulative-effect adjustment of $1.7 million was recorded in retained earnings as of January 1, 2021. There were no held-to-maturity securities as of January 1, 2021 and, therefore, no impact from the adoption of the CECL Standard.

Risks and Uncertainties

In March 2020, the United States declared a National Public Health Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 has materially, adversely impacted labor supply, supply chains, and certain industries in which our customers and vendors operate, and could continue to materially impair their ability to fulfill their obligations to us. Further additional outbreaks of COVID-19 variants could lead to economic recession and other severe disruptions in the U.S. economy, may disrupt banking and other financial activity in the areas in which we operate, and could potentially create widespread business continuity issues for us. Future government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccination mandates, may also affect our workforce, human capital resources, and infrastructure.

It is possible that there will be continued material, adverse impacts to significant estimates, asset valuations, and business operations, including intangible assets, investments, loans, deferred tax assets, and derivative counter party risk, changes in consumer behavior, and supply chain interruptions.