New York community bank plunges 40% after reporting $260m loss

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB), which purchased the collapsed crypto-friendly Signature Bank in 2023, saw its share price plunge after reporting a $260 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2023 and reducing its dividend. 

In March 2023, Signature Bank officially closed down and was taken over by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). A week after the collapse, the NYCB swooped in to buy the non-crypto deposits and loans of the failed bank. 

On March 20, 2023, the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced that Signature Bank’s 40 branches will operate as Flagstar Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NYCB.

Following its acquisition of Signature Bank, NYCB stock rose to $9.19 on March 21, even reaching a high of $13.87 on July 31. NYCB president and CEO Thomas Cangemi said the assets and liabilities of Signature Bank were “strategically and financially attractive.” The executive described buying Signature Bank as a “unique opportunity.” Cangemi added that it strengthened the bank’s balance sheet by “adding a significant amount of low-cost deposits and a middle-market business supported by over 130 private banking teams.” 

However, a recent sell-off erased the stock’s gains from its Signature Bank acquisition. On Jan. 31, NYCB released its report for the last three months of 2023, revealing a $260 million loss in the quarter, down from a $164 million profit in the same period in 2022. Cangemi announced that it “took decisive actions to build capital,” including reducing its quarterly common dividend to $0.05 per share.  

NYCB shares dropped 40% after releasing its quarterly report. Source: TradingView 

Following the announcement, NYCB stock dropped from $10.37 to a low of $6.34 on Jan. 31 before slightly recovering to $7.12. At the time of writing, the stock price is at $6.49, according to stock analysis platform TradingView.

In May 2023, FDIC chairman Martin Gruenberg said in a hearing that the Signature Bank collapse stemmed from its failure to understand risks associated with crypto. However, other parties disagreed that the collapses had anything to do with crypto at all. On April 5, 2023, NYDFS superintendent Adrienne Harris said that the collapse of Signature Bank had nothing to do with its exposure to digital assets.

In May 2023, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis lashed out at former Signature Bank executive Scott Shay for blaming the bank’s collapse on crypto. According to Lummis, the executive has been deflecting blame onto digital assets and hasn’t accepted any blame himself.