GlobeNewswire Inc | Jan 27, 2021 04:01PM EST

January 27, 2021

FAIR LAWN, N.J., Jan. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Columbia Financial, Inc. (the Company) (NASDAQ: CLBK), the mid-tier holding company for Columbia Bank (the "Bank"), reported net income of $20.7 million, or $0.19 per basic and diluted share, for the quarter ended December31, 2020, as compared to net income of $13.5 million, or $0.12 per basic and diluted share, for the quarter ended December31, 2019. Earnings for the quarter ended December31, 2020 reflected higher net interest income, non-interest income, and lower provision for loan losses, partially offset by higher non-interest expense and income tax expense. The increase in net interest income for the quarter ended December31, 2020 was primarily due to a decrease in interest expense of $9.8 million, or 41.4%. During the quarter ended December31, 2020, the reduction of the cost of funds on deposits coupled with a lower average borrowings balance contributed to the reduction in interest expense. During the quarter ended December31, 2020, $149.6 million of Federal Home Loan Bank of New York ("FHLB") borrowings which were prepaid, and accounted for as early extinguishments of debt, resulted in a loss of $1.2 million included in non-interest expense.

For the year ended December31, 2020, the Company reported net income of $57.6 million, or $0.52 per basic and diluted share, as compared to net income of $54.7 million, or $0.49 per basic and diluted share, for the year ended December31, 2019. Earnings for the year ended December31, 2020 reflected higher net interest income, partially offset by higher provision for loan losses, lower non-interest income, and higher non-interest expense and higher income tax expense.

The higher provision for losses for the year ended December31, 2020 was primarily attributable to consideration of the deterioration of economic factors and loan performance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in increases to qualitative factors, and to a lesser extent, due to an increase in charge-offs for the year. The Company elected to defer the adoption of the Current Expected Credit Loss ("CECL") methodology until December 31, 2020 as permitted by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"). In late December 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 was enacted, and extended certain provisions of the CARES Act, which allowed the Company to extend the adoption of CECL until January 1, 2022. The Company expects to extend its adoption of CECL in accordance with the recent legislation.

Mr. Thomas J. Kemly, President and Chief Executive Officer commented: "In 2020, we achieved strong financial results in a year of economic uncertainty and challenges due to the pandemic, and remained committed to supporting our customers, employees and communities. Our favorable earnings reflect the strength of our balance sheet, particularly our credit quality, liquidity and capital levels. During the year, we successfully completed the system conversion related to our acquisition of Stewardship Financial Corporation ("Stewardship") and also completed the acquisition of Roselle Bank ("Roselle"). The Company has fully achieved the cost synergies anticipated by these transactions during the fourth quarter. These acquisitions contributed to a 7% growth in our assets and a 20% growth in our deposits, while we also decreased our reliance on wholesale funding, continued to transform our deposit mix, and prudently deployed excess capital by repurchasing 7.6 million shares of our common stock in 2020. Our accomplishments were achieved in part by significantly lowering our cost of funds, focusing on expense discipline throughout the year and by fast-tracking our technological operating capabilities."

Results of Operations for the Quarters Ended December31, 2020 and December31, 2019

Net income of $20.7 million was recorded for the quarter ended December31, 2020, an increase of $7.1 million, or 52.4%, compared to net income of $13.5 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The increase in net income was primarily attributable to a $11.2 million increase in net interest income, a $1.9 million decrease in provision for loan losses, a $1.3 million increase in non-interest income, a $4.6 million increase in non-interest expense and a $2.7 million increase in income tax expense.

Net interest income was $58.7 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, an increase of $11.2 million, or 23.7%, from $47.4 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The increase in net interest income was primarily attributable to a $1.5 million increase in interest income, compounded by a $9.8 million decrease in interest expense. The increase in interest income for the quarter ended December31, 2020 was largely due to increases in the average balances on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, which was the result of internal growth and the acquisitions of Stewardship and Roselle, partially offset by decreases in the average yields on these assets. Deferred fee acceleration of $2.9 million was recognized upon the forgiveness of $144.0 million of SBA Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans for the quarter ended December31, 2020. Prepayment penalties, which are included in interest income on loans, totaled $1.8 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, compared to $1.0 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019.

The average yield on loans for the quarter ended December31, 2020 decreased 17 basis points to 3.97%, as compared to 4.14% for the quarter ended December31, 2019, while the average yield on securities for the quarter ended December31, 2020 decreased 43 basis points to 2.30%, as compared to 2.73% for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The average yield on other interest-earning assets for the quarter ended December31, 2020 decreased 419 basis points to 0.68%, as compared to 4.87% for the quarter ended December31, 2019, as there were substantially higher cash balances in low yielding bank accounts in the 2020 period. Decreases in the average yields on these portfolios for the quarter ended December31, 2020 were influenced by the lower interest rate environment as the Federal Reserve reduced rates by 75 basis points in the third and fourth quarters of 2019, and in response to COVID-19, reduced rates again by 150 basis points in March 2020.

Total interest expense was $13.8 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, a decrease of $9.8 million, or 41.4%, from $23.6 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The decrease in interest expense was primarily attributable to a 70 basis point decrease in the average cost of interest-bearing deposits which was partially offset by the impact from the increase in the average balance of deposits. The decrease in the cost of deposits was driven by both an inflow of lower costing deposits and the repricing of existing deposits at lower interest rates. Interest on borrowings decreased $3.9 million due to a decrease in the average balances of Federal Home Loan Bank advances and subordinated notes, coupled with an 89 basis point decrease in the cost of total borrowings. During the quarter ended December31, 2020, we prepaid $122.6 million of FHLB borrowings with an average rate of 2.18% and original contractual maturities through July 2021, and $27.0 million of FHLB borrowings acquired in our Roselle acquisition with an average rate of 2.65% and original contractual maturities through November 2023. The prepayments were funded by excess cash liquidity. The transactions were accounted for as early debt extinguishments resulting in a total loss of $1.2 million.

The Company's net interest margin for the quarter ended December31, 2020 increased 22 basis points to 2.81%, when compared to 2.59% for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The weighted average yield on interest-earning assets decreased 40 basis points to 3.47% for the quarter ended December31, 2020 as compared to 3.87% for the quarter ended December31, 2019. Excluding the impact of the PPP loan deferred fee acceleration for the quarter ended December31, 2020, the net interest margin would have been 2.67%. The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased 78 basis points to 0.86% for the quarter ended December31, 2020 as compared to 1.64% for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The decrease in yields and costs for the quarter ended December31, 2020 were largely driven by a continued lower rate environment. The net interest margin increased for the quarter as the cost of interest-bearing liabilities continued to reprice lower more rapidly than yields on interest-earning assets.

The provision for loan losses was $627,000 for the quarter ended December31, 2020, a decrease of $1.9 million, from $2.5 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in loan balances and net charge-offs for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. Net charge-offs decreased to $2.1 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, as compared to $3.4 million, for the quarter ended December31, 2019.

Non-interest income was $10.0 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, an increase of $1.3 million, or 14.4%, from $8.7 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in income from the gain on the sale of loans of $1.9 million, income from bank-owned life insurance of $756,000 and an increase in the fair value of equity securities of $595,000, partially offset by a decrease in gain on securities transactions of $891,000 and loan fees and services charges of $756,000. The decrease in loan fees and service charges includes a decrease in income from swap transactions.

Non-interest expense was $40.8 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, an increase of $4.6 million, or 12.6%, from $36.2 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in compensation and employee benefits expense of $1.4 million, a loss on the extinguishment of debt of $1.2 million, and an increase in other non-interest expense of $2.9 million, partially offset by a decrease in merger-related expenses of $1.6 million during the quarter. The increase in other non-interest expense includes $1.6 million related to interest rate swap transactions.

Income tax expense was $6.5 million for the quarter ended December31, 2020, an increase of $2.7 million, as compared to $3.8 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019, mainly due to an increase in pre-tax income, and to a lesser extent, an increase in the effective tax rate. The Company's effective tax rate was 24.1% and 22.0% for the quarters ended December31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Results of Operations for the Years Ended December31, 2020 and December31, 2019

Net income of $57.6 million was recorded for the year ended December31, 2020, an increase of $2.9 million, or 5.3%, compared to net income of $54.7 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The increase in net income was primarily attributable to a $49.2 million increase in net interest income, partially offset by a $14.2 million increase in provision for loan losses, a $29.4 million increase in non-interest expense and a $2.3 million increase in income tax expense.

Net interest income was $221.6 million for the year ended December31, 2020, an increase of $49.2 million, or 28.5%, from $172.4 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The increase in net interest income was primarily attributable to a $34.6 million increase in interest income and a $14.6 million decrease in interest expense. The increase in interest income for the year ended December31, 2020 was largely due to increases in the average balances on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, which was the result of internal growth and the acquisitions of Stewardship and Roselle, partially offset by decreases in the average yields on these assets. Net deferred fee acceleration of $2.9 million was recognized upon the forgiveness and settlement of $144.0 million of SBA PPP loans for the year ended December31, 2020. Prepayment penalties, which are included in interest income on loans, totaled $3.8 million for the year ended December31, 2020, compared to $2.7 million for the year ended December31, 2019.

The average yield on loans for the year ended December31, 2020 decreased 19 basis point to 3.98%, as compared to 4.17%, for the year ended December31, 2019, while the average yield on securities for the year ended December31, 2020 decreased 35 basis points to 2.48%, as compared to 2.83%, for the year ended December31, 2019. The average yield on other interest-earning assets for the year ended December31, 2020 decreased 426 basis points to 1.60%, as compared to 5.86% for the year ended December31, 2019. Decreases in average yields on these portfolios for the year ended December31, 2020 were influenced by the lower interest rate environment.

Total interest expense was $74.1 million for the year ended December31, 2020, a decrease of $14.6 million, or 16.4%, from $88.7 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The decrease in interest expense on deposits was primarily attributable to a 45 basis point decrease in the average cost of interest-bearing deposits which was partially offset by the impact from the increase in the average balance of deposits. The decrease in the cost of deposits was driven by both an inflow of lower costing deposits and the repricing of existing deposits at a significantly reduced rate. Interest on borrowings decreased $8.3 million due to a 74 basis point decrease in the total cost of these borrowings due to the reduction of higher costing borrowings, as discussed above, and a lower interest rate environment.

The Company's net interest margin for the year ended December31, 2020 increased 14 basis points to 2.72%, when compared to 2.58% for the year ended December31, 2019. The weighted average yield on interest-earning assets decreased 27 basis points to 3.64% for the year ended December31, 2020 as compared to 3.91% for the year ended December31, 2019. The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased 54 basis points to 1.17% for the year ended December31, 2020 as compared to 1.71% for the year ended December31, 2019. The decrease in yields and costs for the year ended December31, 2020 were largely driven by a lower interest rate environment. The net interest margin increased for the year ended December31, 2020 as the cost of interest-bearing liabilities repriced lower more rapidly than yields on interest-earning assets.

The provision for loan losses was $18.4 million for the year ended December31, 2020, an increase of $14.2 million, from $4.2 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to consideration of the deterioration of economic conditions and loan performance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in increases to qualitative factors. Net charge-offs totaled $5.5 million for the year ended December31, 2020, as compared to $4.9 million for the year ended December31, 2019.

Non-interest expense was $158.1 million for the year ended December31, 2020, an increase of $29.4 million, or 22.9%, from $128.7 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in compensation and employee benefits expense of $16.4 million, occupancy expense of $3.0 million, loss on extinguishment of debt of $1.2 million, and other non-interest expense of $9.7 million. The increase in compensation and employee benefits expense was primarily attributable to an increase of $5.1 million in expense recorded in connection with grants made under the Company's 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. In addition, $3.0 million in expense was recorded in connection with the Company's previously announced voluntary early retirement program that was completed during the third quarter of 2020 and offered early retirement incentives for qualified employees. The increase in occupancy expense was primarily the result of an increase in the number of branch offices acquired from Stewardship and Roselle, and the increase in other non-interest expense was due to losses of $1.4 million recorded in connection with the branch consolidation resulting from the Stewardship merger and also includes $5.5 million related to interest rate swap transactions

Income tax expense was $18.7 million for the year ended December31, 2020, an increase of $2.3 million, or 14.0%, as compared to $16.4 million for the year ended December31, 2019, mainly due to an increase in pre-tax income, and to a lesser extent, an increase in the effective tax rate. The Company's effective tax rate was 24.5% and 23.0% for the years ended December31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Balance Sheet Summary

Total assets increased $609.8 million, or 7.4%, to $8.8 billion at December31, 2020 from $8.2 billion at December31, 2019. The increase in total assets was primarily attributable to increases in cash and cash equivalents of $347.4 million, debt securities available for sale of $218.6 million, bank-owned life insurance of $21.4 million, goodwill and intangible assets of $18.8 million, and other assets of $64.1 million, partially offset by decreases of $25.8 million in Federal Home Loan Bank stock and $23.0 million in debt securities held to maturity.

Cash and cash equivalents increased $347.4 million, or 459.9%, to $423.0 million at December31, 2020 from $75.5 million at December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to $155.2 million in cash acquired in the Roselle acquisition, an increase in repayments on loans, and strong growth in deposits, partially offset by $108.2 million in repurchases of common stock under our stock repurchase program.

Debt securities available for sale increased $218.6 million, or 19.9%, to $1.3 billion at December31, 2020 from $1.1 billion at December31, 2019. The increase was attributable to $51.5 million of investments acquired in the Roselle acquisition, purchases of $292.8 million of securities primarily consisting of mortgage-backed securities, and $117.3 million purchases of guarantor swaps with Freddie Mac, partially offset by maturities and calls of $22.5 million in U.S. agency obligations and municipal securities, repayments of $225.4 million, and sales of $20.8 million. The gross unrealized gain on debt securities available for sale increased by $27.2 million during the year ended December31, 2020.

Loans receivable, net, decreased $28.8 million, or 0.5%, to $6.11 billion at December31, 2020 from $6.14 billion at December31, 2019. One-to-four family real estate loans, multifamily and commercial real estate loans and home equity loans and advances decreased $136.8 million, $102.0 million, and $67.0 million, respectively, partially offset by increases in construction loans and commercial business loans of $29.8 million and $269.7 million, respectively. The 2020 period included $171.6 million of loans which were acquired due to the Roselle acquisition, which mainly consisted of one-to-four family real estate loans. A significant portion of the increase in commercial business loans included loans granted as part of the SBA PPP, which totaled $344.4 million at December31, 2020. The allowance for loan loss balance increased $13.0 million to $74.7 million at December31, 2020 from $61.7 million at December31, 2019, which was primarily attributable to consideration of the deterioration of economic conditions and loan performance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulting from increases in qualitative factors. The current allowance for loan losses was calculated using the existing incurred loss methodology.

Bank-owned life insurance increased $21.4 million, or 10.1%, to $232.8 million at December31, 2020 from $211.4 million at December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to $17.2 million acquired in connection with the Roselle acquisition.

Goodwill and intangible assets increased $18.8 million, or 27.4%, to $87.4 million at December31, 2020 from $68.6 million at December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to $18.7 million in goodwill recorded in connection with the Roselle acquisition.

Other assets increased $64.1 million, or 44.0%, to $209.9 million at December31, 2020 from $145.7 million at December31, 2019. The increase is other assets consisted of a $19.0 million balance of a right-of-use asset recognized in connection with the adoption of Accounting Standards Update 2016-02-Leases ("ASU 2016-02"), a $22.9 million increase in the collateral balance related to our swap agreement obligations, and a $13.2 million increase in interest rate swap fair value adjustments.

Total liabilities increased $581.1 million, or 8.1%, to $7.8 billion at December31, 2020 from $7.2 billion at December31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in total deposits of $1.1 billion, or 20.1%, and an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $58.9 million, or 50.0%, partially offset by a decrease in borrowings of $607.7 million, or 43.2%. The increase in total deposits was partially driven by $333.2 million in deposits assumed in connection with the Roselle acquisition. Non-interest bearing and interest-bearing demand deposits increased $396.2 million and $468.8 million, respectively. The increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities consisted of a $20.1 million lease liability recognized in connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-02, and a $24.2 million increase in interest rate swap liabilities. The decrease in borrowings was primarily driven by maturing long-term borrowings of $194.3 million, a net decrease in short-term borrowings of $372.8 million, the prepayment of $149.6 million of FHLB borrowings and a payoff of $16.6 million of subordinated notes, partially offset by new long-term borrowings of $90.0 million and $37.7 million in borrowings assumed from Roselle.

Total stockholders equity increased $28.8 million, or 2.9%, to $1.0 billion at December31, 2020 from $982.5 million at December31, 2019. The net increase was primarily attributable to net income of $57.6 million, an increase in additional paid in capital of $68.5 million due to the issuance of 4,759,048 shares of Company common stock to Columbia Bank MHC in connection with the Roselle acquisition, and improved fair values on debt securities within our available for sale portfolio of $27.2 million, partially offset by the repurchase of 7,587,142 shares of common stock totaling $108.2 million under our stock repurchase program and the increase in the funded status of the retirement plan obligations of $14.2 million.

Asset Quality

The Company's non-performing loans at December31, 2020 totaled $8.2 million, or 0.13% of total gross loans, as compared to $6.7 million, or 0.11% of total gross loans, at December31, 2019. The $1.5 million increase in non-performing loans was primarily attributable to increases of $904,000 in non-performing one-to-four family real estate loans and $1.2 million in non-performing multifamily and commercial real estate loans, partially offset by a $718,000 decrease in non-performing commercial business loans. The increase in non-performing one-to-four family real estate loans was due to an increase in the number of loans from 10 non-performing loans at December31, 2019 to 13 non-performing loans at December31, 2020. The increase in non-performing multifamily and commercial real estate loans was due to two higher balance loans included at December31, 2020, despite a decrease in the number of loans from 8 non-performing loans at December31, 2019 to 4 non-performing loans at December31, 2020. Non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets totaled 0.09% at December31, 2020 as compared to 0.08% at December31, 2019.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2020, net charge-offs totaled $2.1 million as compared to $3.4 million for the quarter ended December31, 2019. For the year ended December31, 2020, net charge-offs totaled $5.5 million as compared to $4.9 million for the year ended December31, 2019. The increase in net charge-offs for the year ended December31, 2020 included a $2.8 million charge-off of one commercial business loan.

The Company's allowance for loan losses was $74.7 million, or 1.21% of total loans, at December31, 2020, compared to $61.7 million, or 1.00% of total loans, at December31, 2019. The increase in the allowance for loan losses was primarily attributable to consideration of economic conditions and loan performance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in increase to qualitative factors.

Stock Repurchase Program

During the year ended December31, 2020, the Company repurchased 7,587,142 shares of common stock at a cost of $108.2 million, or $14.26 per share. This includes 4,130,942 shares repurchased at a cost of $54.8 million, or $13.27 per share, under the second stock repurchase program announced on September 10, 2020. As of January 22, 2021, there are 353,128 shares remaining to be purchased under this existing program.

COVID-19

Through December31, 2020, the Company granted commercial loan modification requests with respect to multifamily, commercial, and construction real estate loans with current balances of $735.1 million and consumer-related loan modification requests with respect to one-to-four family real estate loans and home equity loans and advances with current balances of $180.2 million to our customers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These short-term loan modifications are being treated in accordance with Section 4013 of the CARES Act and will not be treated as troubled debt restructurings during the short-term modification period if the loan was not in arrears at December 31, 2019. Furthermore, based on current evaluations, generally, we have continued the accrual of interest on these loans during the short-term modification period. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ("CAA"), which was enacted in late December 2020, extended certain provisions of the CARES Act, including provisions permitting loan deferral extension requests to not be treated as troubled debt restructurings. Commercial loan modification requests include various industries and property types. The following table is a summary of loan modifications that have not begun to remit full payment:

Percent of Percent of Balance at Total Balance at Total December 31, Loans at January 22, Loans at 2020 December 2021 January 31, 2020 22, 2021 Real estate loans: One-to-four family $ 6,770 0.35 % $ 6,488 0.34 %Multifamily and 71,348 2.53 54,418 1.93 commercialConstruction 3,312 1.01 3,337 1.04 Commercial 3,397 0.45 3,395 0.47 business loansConsumer loans: Home equity loans 314 0.10 145 0.05 and advancesTotal loans $ 85,141 1.38 % $ 67,783 1.11 %

At December 31, 2020, $65.8 million of the commercial loans in the above table are remitting partial payments and $29.6 million were granted an additional deferral period, of which all are remitting payments.

Through December31, 2020, the Company originated 2,438 loans for $488.8 million under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program. Borrowers began filing applications for forgiveness during the third and fourth quarters of 2020. Through December 31, 2020, $144.0 million of these applications have been approved, and $2.9 million of deferred fees were accelerated and recognized in income for the quarter ended December 31, 2020.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

On January 27, 2021, the Company also announced that its annual meeting of stockholders will be held on May 20, 2021.

About Columbia Financial, Inc.

The consolidated financial results include the accounts of Columbia Financial, Inc. its wholly-owned subsidiary Columbia Bank (the "Bank") and the Bank's wholly-owned subsidiaries. Columbia Financial, Inc. is a Delaware corporation organized as Columbia Bank's mid-tier stock holding company. Columbia Financial, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of Columbia Bank, MHC. Columbia Bank is a federally chartered savings bank headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The Bank offers traditional financial services to consumers and businesses in our market areas. We currently operate 61 full-service banking offices.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements herein constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be identified by words such as believes, will, would, expects, projects, may, could, developments, strategic, launching, opportunities, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans, targets and similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Companys management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors. Factors that could cause such differences to exist include, but are not limited to, adverse conditions in the capital and debt markets and the impact of such conditions on the Companys business activities; changes in interest rates; competitive pressures from other financial institutions; the effects of general economic conditions on a national basis or in the local markets in which the Company operates, including changes that adversely affect a borrowers ability to service and repay the Companys loans; the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions; changes in the value of securities in the Companys portfolio; changes in loan default and charge-off rates; fluctuations in real estate values; the adequacy of loan loss reserves; decreases in deposit levels necessitating increased borrowing to fund loans and securities; legislative changes and changes in government regulation; changes in accounting standards and practices; the risk that goodwill and intangibles recorded in the Companys consolidated financial statements will become impaired; demand for loans in the Companys market area; the Companys ability to attract and maintain deposits; risks related to the implementation of acquisitions, dispositions, and restructurings; the risk that the Company may not be successful in the implementation of its business strategy or its integration of acquired financial institutions and businesses; and changes in assumptions used in making such forward-looking statements which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, those set forth in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as supplemented by its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which are available at the SECs website, www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks materialize or should underlying beliefs or assumptions prove incorrect, the Companys actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, future events or other changes, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reported amounts are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). This press release also contains certain supplemental non-GAAP information that the Companys management uses in its analysis of the Companys financial results. Specifically, the Company provides measures based on what it believes are its operating earnings on a consistent basis, and excludes material non-routine operating items which affect the GAAP reporting of results of operations. The Companys management believes that providing this information to analysts and investors allows them to better understand and evaluate the Companys core financial results for the periods presented. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

The Company also provides measurements and ratios based on tangible stockholders' equity. These measures are commonly utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a companys financial condition and, therefore, the Companys management believes that such information is useful to investors.

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures are included at the end of this press release. See "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures".

Contact:Tony Rose1stSenior Vice President/Marketing Director201-794-5828

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESConsolidated Statements of Financial Condition(In thousands)

December 31, 2020 2019Assets (Unaudited) Cash and due from banks $ 422,787 $ 75,420 Short-term investments 170 127 Total cash and cash equivalents 422,957 75,547 Debt securities available for sale, at fair 1,316,952 1,098,336 valueDebt securities held to maturity, at amortizedcost (fair value of $277,091, and $289,505 at 262,720 285,756 December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively)Equity securities, at fair value 5,418 2,855 Federal Home Loan Bank stock 43,759 69,579 Loans held-for-sale, at fair value 4,146 ? Loans receivable 6,181,770 6,197,566 Less: allowance for loan losses 74,676 61,709 Loans receivable, net 6,107,094 6,135,857 Accrued interest receivable 29,456 22,092 Real estate owned ? ? Office properties and equipment, net 75,974 72,967 Bank-owned life insurance 232,824 211,415 Goodwill and intangible assets 87,384 68,582 Other assets 209,852 145,708 Total assets $ 8,798,536 $ 8,188,694 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Liabilities: Deposits $ 6,778,624 $ 5,645,842 Borrowings 799,364 1,407,022 Advance payments by borrowers for taxes and 32,570 35,507 insuranceAccrued expenses and other liabilities 176,691 117,806 Total liabilities 7,787,249 7,206,177 Stockholders' equity: Total stockholders' equity 1,011,287 982,517 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 8,798,536 $ 8,188,694

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESConsolidated Statements of Income(In thousands, except share and per share data)

Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019Interest income: (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Loans receivable $ 62,725 $ 60,211 $ 255,236 $ 217,774 Debt securitiesavailable for 6,722 7,643 28,376 30,938 sale and equitysecuritiesDebt securities 2,218 2,090 8,025 8,180 held to maturityFederal funds andinterest-earning 126 189 413 594 depositsFederal Home LoanBank stock 710 893 3,661 3,597 dividendsTotal interest 72,501 71,026 295,711 261,083 incomeInterest expense: Deposits 10,677 16,567 55,246 61,551 Borrowings 3,148 7,031 18,892 27,161 Total interest 13,825 23,598 74,138 88,712 expense Net interest 58,676 47,428 221,573 172,371 income Provision for 627 2,519 18,447 4,224 loan losses Net interestincome after 58,049 44,909 203,126 168,147 provision forloan losses Non-interest income:Demand deposit 927 1,362 3,633 4,478 account feesBank-owned life 2,153 1,397 6,620 5,846 insuranceTitle insurance 1,589 1,491 5,034 4,981 feesLoan fees and 593 1,349 2,419 6,707 service chargesGain onsecurities ? 891 370 2,612 transactionsChange in fairvalue of equity 712 117 767 305 securitiesGain on sale of 2,022 75 5,444 785 loansOthernon-interest 1,966 2,027 6,983 5,922 incomeTotalnon-interest 9,962 8,709 31,270 31,636 income Non-interest expense:Compensation and 24,338 22,971 100,687 84,256 employee benefitsOccupancy 4,851 4,552 19,170 16,180 Federal depositinsurance 551 (32 ) 1,901 895 premiumsAdvertising 566 621 2,641 3,932 Professional fees 1,681 1,694 5,810 5,913 Data processing 922 1,036 3,342 3,001 Merger-related ? 1,553 1,931 2,755 expensesLoss onextinguishment of 1,158 ? 1,158 ? debtOthernon-interest 6,743 3,842 21,499 11,769 expenseTotalnon-interest 40,810 36,237 158,139 128,701 expense Income beforeincome tax 27,201 17,381 76,257 71,082 expense Income tax 6,547 3,832 18,654 16,365 expense Net income $ 20,654 $ 13,549 $ 57,603 $ 54,717 Earnings pershare-basic and $ 0.19 $ 0.12 $ 0.52 $ 0.49 dilutedWeighted averageshares 108,499,658 109,958,999 109,755,924 111,101,246 outstanding-basicand diluted

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESAverage Balances/Yields

For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Average Interest Yield / Average Interest Yield / Balance and Cost Balance and Cost Dividends Dividends (Dollars in thousands)Interest-earnings assets:Loans $ 6,282,151 $ 62,725 3.97 % $ 5,774,359 $ 60,211 4.14 %Securities 1,546,657 8,940 2.30 % 1,415,495 9,733 2.73 %Otherinterest-earning 489,880 836 0.68 % 88,081 1,082 4.87 %assetsTotalinterest-earning 8,318,688 72,501 3.47 % 7,277,935 71,026 3.87 %assetsNon-interest-earning 600,226 499,408 assetsTotal assets $ 8,918,914 $ 7,777,343 Interest-bearing liabilities:Interest-bearing $ 2,142,190 $ 2,373 0.44 % $ 1,613,885 $ 4,484 1.10 %demandMoney market 613,871 603 0.39 % 362,205 792 0.87 %accountsSavings and club 670,737 269 0.16 % 513,667 198 0.15 %depositsCertificates of 2,004,074 7,432 1.48 % 1,962,822 11,093 2.24 %depositTotalinterest-bearing 5,430,872 10,677 0.78 % 4,452,579 16,567 1.48 %depositsFHLB advances 942,644 3,082 1.30 % 1,246,444 6,853 2.18 %Subordinated notes ? ? ? % 11,434 113 3.92 %Junior subordinated 8,369 66 3.14 % 4,970 65 5.19 %debenturesTotal borrowings 951,013 3,148 1.32 % 1,262,848 7,031 2.21 %Totalinterest-bearing 6,381,885 $ 13,825 0.86 % 5,715,427 $ 23,598 1.64 %liabilities Non-interest-bearing liabilities:Non-interest-bearing 1,326,030 911,990 depositsOthernon-interest-bearing 207,409 156,637 liabilitiesTotal liabilities 7,915,324 6,784,054 Total stockholders' 1,003,590 993,289 equityTotal liabilitiesand stockholders' $ 8,918,914 $ 7,777,343 equity Net interest income $ 58,676 $ 47,428 Interest rate spread 2.61 % 2.23 %Net interest-earning $ 1,936,803 $ 1,562,508 assetsNet interest margin 2.81 % 2.59 %Ratio ofinterest-earningassets to 130.35 % 127.34 % interest-bearingliabilities

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESAverage Balances/Yields

For the Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Average Interest and Yield / Average Interest and Yield / Balance Dividends Cost Balance Dividends Cost (Dollars in thousands)Interest-earnings assets:Loans $ 6,413,559 $ 255,236 3.98 % $ 5,222,953 $ 217,774 4.17 %Securities 1,465,093 36,401 2.48 % 1,380,801 39,118 2.83 %Otherinterest-earning 255,369 4,074 1.60 % 71,551 4,191 5.86 %assetsTotalinterest-earning 8,134,021 $ 295,711 3.64 % 6,675,305 $ 261,083 3.91 %assetsNon-interest-earning 610,952 411,549 assetsTotal assets $ 8,744,973 $ 7,086,854 Interest-bearing liabilities:Interest-bearing $ 1,945,075 $ 12,666 0.65 % $ 1,420,667 $ 17,621 1.24 %demandMoney market 510,189 2,890 0.57 % 286,281 2,301 0.80 %accountsSavings and club 623,964 1,023 0.16 % 495,261 770 0.16 %depositsCertificates of 2,088,488 38,667 1.85 % 1,842,243 40,859 2.22 %depositTotalinterest-bearing 5,167,716 55,246 1.07 % 4,044,452 61,551 1.52 %depositsFHLB advances 1,122,633 18,145 1.62 % 1,133,280 26,983 2.38 %Subordinated notes 11,067 448 4.05 % 2,881 113 3.92 %Junior subordinated 8,481 295 3.48 % 1,253 65 5.19 %debenturesOther borrowings 1,913 4 0.21 % ? ? ? %Total borrowings 1,144,094 18,892 1.65 % 1,137,414 27,161 2.39 %Totalinterest-bearing 6,311,810 $ 74,138 1.17 % 5,181,866 $ 88,712 1.71 %liabilities Non-interest-bearing liabilities:Non-interest-bearing 1,215,352 776,850 depositsOthernon-interest-bearing 201,714 133,213 liabilitiesTotal liabilities 7,728,876 6,091,929 Total stockholders' 1,016,097 994,925 equityTotal liabilitiesand stockholders' $ 8,744,973 $ 7,086,854 equity Net interest income $ 221,573 $ 172,371 Interest rate spread 2.47 % 2.20 %Net interest-earning $ 1,822,211 $ 1,493,439 assetsNet interest margin 2.72 % 2.58 %Ratio ofinterest-earningassets to 128.87 % 128.82 % interest-bearingliabilities

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESComponents of Net Interest Rate Spread and Margin

Average Yields/Costs by Quarter December September June 30, March 31, December 31, 30, 2020 2020 31, 2020 2020 2019Yield oninterest-earning assets:Loans 3.97 % 3.85 % 3.96 % 4.15 % 4.14 %Securities 2.30 2.38 2.56 2.72 2.73 Otherinterest-earning 0.68 1.26 2.95 5.06 4.87 assetsTotalinterest-earning 3.47 % 3.50 % 3.69 % 3.91 % 3.87 %assets Cost ofinterest-bearing liabilities:Totalinterest-bearing 0.78 % 0.96 % 1.15 % 1.43 % 1.48 %depositsTotal borrowings 1.32 1.41 1.66 2.07 2.21 Totalinterest-earning 0.86 % 1.04 % 1.25 % 1.58 % 1.64 %liabilities Interest rate 2.61 % 2.46 % 2.44 % 2.33 % 2.23 %spreadNet interest 2.81 % 2.70 % 2.73 % 2.65 % 2.59 %margin Ratio ofinterest-earningassets to 130.35 % 130.13 % 129.35 % 125.49 % 127.34 %interest-bearingliabilities

COLUMBIA FINANCIAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESSelected Financial Highlights

Three Months Year Ended December 31, Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019SELECTED FINANCIAL RATIOS (1):Return on average assets 0.92 % 0.69 % 0.66 % 0.77 %Core return on average 0.97 % 0.72 % 0.72 % 0.77 %assetsReturn on average equity 8.19 % 5.41 % 5.67 % 5.50 %Core return on average 8.60 % 5.62 % 6.17 % 5.51 %equityInterest rate spread 2.61 % 2.23 % 2.47 % 2.20 %Net interest margin 2.81 % 2.59 % 2.72 % 2.58 %Non-interest expense to 1.82 % 1.85 % 1.81 % 1.82 %average assetsEfficiency ratio 59.46 % 64.55 % 62.54 % 63.09 %Core efficiency ratio 57.42 % 62.78 % 59.65 % 62.54 %Average interest-earningassets to average 130.35 % 127.34 % 128.87 % 128.82 %interest-bearingliabilitiesNet charge-offs to average 0.13 % 0.24 % 0.09 % 0.09 %outstanding loans (1) Ratios for the threemonths are annualized when appropriate.

CAPITAL RATIOS: December 31, 2020 2019Company: Total capital (to risk-weighted assets) 18.54 % 17.25 %Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets) 17.29 % 16.05 %Common equity tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets) 17.17 % 15.94 %Tier 1 capital (to adjusted total assets) 11.38 % 12.92 % Bank: Total capital (to risk-weighted assets) 16.05 % 14.25 %Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets) 14.80 % 13.21 %Common equity tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets) 14.80 % 13.21 %Tier 1 capital (to adjusted total assets) 9.72 % 10.25 %

ASSET QUALITY: December 31, 2020 2019 (Dollars in thousands)Non-accrual loans $ 8,156 $ 6,687 90+ and still accruing ? ? Non-performing loans 8,156 6,687 Real estate owned ? ? Total non-performing assets $ 8,156 $ 6,687 Non-performing loans to total gross loans 0.13 % 0.11 %Non-performing assets to total assets 0.09 % 0.08 %Allowance for loan losses $ 74,676 $ 61,709 Allowance for loan losses to total non-performing 915.60 % 922.82 %loansAllowance for loan losses to gross loans 1.21 % 1.00 %Allowance for loan losses to gross loans, excluding 1.28 % ? %SBA PPP loansUnamortized purchase accounting fair value credit $ 6,486 $ 6,955 marks on acquired loans

LOAN DATA: December 31, 2020 2019Real estate loans: (In thousands)One-to-four family $ 1,940,327 $ 2,077,079 Multifamily and commercial 2,817,965 2,919,985 Construction 328,711 298,942 Commercial business loans* 752,870 483,215 Consumer loans: Home equity loans and advances 321,177 388,127 Other consumer loans 1,497 1,960 Total gross loans 6,162,547 6,169,308 Purchased credit-impaired ("PCI") 6,345 7,021 loansNet deferred loan costs, fees and 12,878 21,237 purchased premiums and discounts**Allowance for loan losses (74,676 ) (61,709 ) Loans receivable, net $ 6,107,094 $ 6,135,857 *At December 31, 2020 includes SBA PPP loans totaling $344.4 million.**At December 31, 2020 includes SBA PPP net deferred loan fees totaling $6.6million.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures Book and Tangible Book Value per Share December 31, 2020 2019 Total stockholders' equity $ 1,011,287 $ 982,517 Less: goodwill (80,285 ) (60,763 ) Less: core deposit (6,197 ) (7,245 ) intangibleTotal tangible stockholders' $ 924,805 $ 914,509 equity Shares outstanding 110,939,753 113,765,387 Book value per share $ 9.12 $ 8.64 Tangible book value per $ 8.34 $ 8.04 share

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (continued)

Reconciliation of Core Net Income Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 (In thousands)Net income $ 20,654 $ 13,549 $ 57,603 $ 54,717 Less: gain onsecurities ? (695 ) (279 ) (2,006 ) transactions, netof taxAdd: voluntaryearly retirement (18 ) ? 2,255 ? plan expenses,net of taxAdd:merger-related ? 1,229 1,500 2,162 expenses, net oftaxAdd: loss onextinguishment of 879 ? 879 ? debtAdd: branchclosure expense, 197 ? 1,075 ? net of taxCore net income $ 21,712 $ 14,083 $ 63,033 $ 54,873

Return on Average Assets Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 (Dollars in thousands)Net $ 20,654 $ 13,549 $ 57,603 $ 54,717 income Average $ 8,918,914 $ 7,777,343 $ 8,744,973 $ 7,086,854 assets Returnon 0.92 % 0.69 % 0.66 % 0.77 %averageassets Core net $ 21,712 $ 14,083 $ 63,033 $ 54,873 income Corereturnon 0.97 % 0.72 % 0.72 % 0.77 %averageassets

Return on Average Equity Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 (Dollars in thousands)Total averagestockholders' $ 1,003,590 $ 993,289 $ 1,016,097 $ 994,925 equityLess: gain onsecurities ? (695 ) (279 ) (2,006 ) transactions,net of taxAdd: voluntaryearlyretirement (18 ) ? 2,255 ? plan expenses,net of tax(benefit)Add:merger-related ? 1,229 1,500 2,162 expenses, netof taxAdd: loss onextinguishment 879 ? 879 ? of debt, netof taxAdd: branchclosure 197 ? 1,075 ? expenses, netof taxCore averagestockholders' $ 1,004,648 $ 993,823 $ 1,021,527 $ 995,081 equity Return on 8.19 % 5.41 % 5.67 % 5.50 %average equity Core return oncore average 8.60 % 5.62 % 6.17 % 5.51 %equity

Efficiency Ratios Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 (Dollars in thousands)Net interest $ 58,676 $ 47,428 $ 221,573 $ 172,371 incomeNon-interest 9,962 8,709 31,270 31,636 incomeTotal income $ 68,638 $ 56,137 $ 252,843 $ 204,007 Non-interest $ 40,810 $ 36,237 $ 158,139 $ 128,701 expense Efficiency ratio 59.46 % 64.55 % 62.54 % 63.09 % Non-interest $ 9,962 $ 8,709 $ 31,270 $ 31,636 incomeLess: gain onsecurities ? (891 ) (370 ) (2,612 ) transactionsCorenon-interest $ 9,962 $ 7,818 $ 30,900 $ 29,024 income Non-interest $ 40,810 $ 36,237 $ 158,139 $ 128,701 expenseLess: voluntaryearly retirement 24 ? (3,018 ) ? plan expensesLess:merger-related ? (1,553 ) $ (1,931 ) (2,755 ) expensesLess: loss onextinguishment (1,158 ) ? (1,158 ) ? of debtLess: branch (264 ) ? (1,434 ) ? closure expensesCorenon-interest $ 39,412 $ 34,684 $ 150,598 $ 125,946 expense Core efficiency 57.42 % 62.78 % 59.65 % 62.54 %ratio