Blue Foundry Bancorp Announces Adoption of Second Stock Repurchase Program

RUTHERFORD, N.J., April 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Foundry Bancorp (NASDAQ: BLFY), the holding company for Blue Foundry Bank, announced that it has adopted a program to repurchase up to 1,335,126 shares of its common stock, which is approximately 5% of its outstanding common stock commencing upon the completion of the Company’s existing stock repurchase program. This is the Company’s second stock repurchase program since completing its mutual-to-stock conversion and related stock offering in July 2021.

On July 20, 2022, the Company announced its first stock repurchase program which authorized the purchase of up to 2,852,250 shares. Under this previously announced program, through April 18, 2023, 2,723,979 shares of common stock have been repurchased at a cost of $30,240,939, or $11.10 per share. As of April 18, 2023, there are 128,271 shares remaining to be repurchased under this existing program.

The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions, through block trades or pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The timing and amount of any repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of stock, general market conditions, the trading price of the stock, alternative uses for capital, and the Company’s financial performance. Open market purchases will be made in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other applicable legal requirements. The Company is not obligated to repurchase any particular number of shares or any shares in any specific time period.

James D. Nesci, President and CEO of the Company, remarked that “we are pleased to announce the second repurchase program as we are near completion of our first repurchase plan. We believe that share repurchases are a prudent use of capital and are happy to have the strong capital position that allows us to be in the market repurchasing our shares.”

About Blue Foundry Bancorp and Blue Foundry Bank

Blue Foundry Bancorp is the holding company for Blue Foundry Bank, a place where things are made, purpose is formed, and ideas are crafted. Headquartered in Rutherford NJ, with presence in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties, Blue Foundry Bank is a full-service, innovative bank serving the doers, movers, and shakers in our communities. We offer individuals and businesses alike the tailored products and services they need to build their futures. With a rich history dating back more than 145 years, Blue Foundry Bank has a longstanding commitment to its customers and communities.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, which are based on certain current assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “plan,” “potential,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “target” and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: conditions related to the recent global coronavirus outbreak that has and will continue to pose risks and could harm our business and results of operations; general economic conditions, either nationally or in our market areas, that are worse than expected; changes in the level and direction of loan delinquencies and write-offs and changes in estimates of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses; our ability to access cost-effective funding; fluctuations in real estate values and both residential and commercial real estate market conditions; demand for loans and deposits in our market area; our ability to implement and change our business strategies; competition among depository and other financial institutions; inflation and changes in the interest rate environment that reduce our margins and yields, the fair value of financial instruments or our level of loan originations, or increase the level of defaults, losses and prepayments on loans we have made and make; adverse changes in the securities or secondary mortgage markets; changes in laws or government regulations or policies affecting financial institutions, including changes in regulatory fees, capital requirements and insurance premiums; changes in monetary or fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board; changes in the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios; technological changes that may be more difficult or expensive than expected; a failure or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, including cyber-attacks; the inability of third party providers to perform as expected; our ability to manage market risk, credit risk and operational risk in the current economic environment; our ability to enter new markets successfully and capitalize on growth opportunities; our ability to successfully integrate into our operations any assets, liabilities, customers, systems and management personnel we may acquire and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames and any goodwill charges related there to; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the bank regulatory agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; our ability to retain key employees; the ability of the U.S. Government to manage federal debt limits; and changes in the financial condition, results of operations or future prospects of issuers of securities that we own.

Except as required by applicable law or regulation, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to release publicly the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Contact Information

Elyse D. Beidner
Investor Relations
BlueFoundryBank.com
investorrelations@bluefoundrybank.com
888-931-BLUE