Signature Bank’s Performance Recognized by Forbes and ABA Banking Journal

Only Large Cap Bank Included in Forbes List of America’s 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies;
Also Ranked Among Top-Performing U.S. Banks by ABA Banking Journal

NEW YORK--()--Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), a New York-based full-service commercial bank, announced today that it was the only large cap bank to be named on the Forbes list of America’s 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies.

Forbes recently released its 2014 list of America’s 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies, based on data from proprietary ratings provider and investment advisor, GMI Ratings. GMI Ratings reviews the accounting and governance behaviors of more than 8,000 publicly traded companies in North America to measure a company’s credibility. The list of America’s 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies was created as a sub-set of Forbes’ America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies list.

In related news, Signature Bank ranked fifth nationally in the ABA Banking Journal’s listing of Top Performing Big Banks, moving up from its seventh place position last year. The ABA Banking Journal, a banking industry trade publication, featured the rankings in its April 2014 issue. The 22nd annual performance rankings reviewed the financial results and strategies of federally insured public banks and thrifts with total assets of more than $10 billion. These were divided into two sub-groups: publicly held depository institutions (banks and bank or financial holding companies) and private or foreign-owned depositories that were then ranked by return on average total equity (ROAE).

“The third-party recognition the Bank is receiving -- in this case from the national media via Forbes as well as in the trade press through the ABA Banking Journal -- further validates the success of our proven business model and single-point-of-contact approach to private client banking. The veteran bankers we’ve attracted throughout our 13-year history, the solid relationships they forge and the unparalleled service we deliver, are all contributing factors to the Bank’s extraordinary growth and performance, which is continually recognized by media outlets and other third parties,” explained Joseph J. DePaolo, President and Chief Executive Officer at Signature Bank.

“This is a team effort, and we are proud of the commitment of all our colleagues and appreciate the loyalty of our clients as well as the acknowledgement of the press. This has enabled Signature Bank to establish a strong and fast-growing leadership position in the relationship banking arena since our founding,” DePaolo said.

About Signature Bank

Signature Bank, member FDIC, is a New York-based full-service commercial bank with 27 private client offices throughout the New York metropolitan area. The Bank’s growing network of private client banking teams serves the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers. Signature Bank offers a wide variety of business and personal banking products and services. The Bank operates Signature Financial, LLC, a specialty finance subsidiary focused on equipment finance and leasing, transportation financing and taxi medallion financing. Investment, brokerage, asset management and insurance products and services are offered through the Bank’s subsidiary, Signature Securities Group Corporation, a licensed broker-dealer, investment adviser and member FINRA/SIPC.

Since commencing operations in May 2001, the Bank has grown to $23.1 billion in assets, $18.3 billion in deposits, $1.91 billion in equity capital and $1.99 billion in other assets under management as of March 31, 2014. Signature Bank's Tier 1 and risk-based capital ratios are significantly above the levels required to be considered well capitalized.

Signature Bank's 27 offices are located: In Manhattan (9) - 261 Madison Avenue; 300 Park Avenue; 71 Broadway; 565 Fifth Avenue; 950 Third Avenue; 200 Park Avenue South; 1020 Madison Avenue; 50 West 57th Street and 2 Penn Plaza. Brooklyn (3) - 26 Court Street; 97 Broadway and 6321 New Utrecht Avenue. Westchester (2) - 1C Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle and 360 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains. Long Island (7) - 1225 Franklin Avenue, Garden City; 53 North Park Avenue, Rockville Centre; 68 South Service Road, Melville; 923 Broadway, Woodmere; 40 Cuttermill Road, Great Neck; 100 Jericho Quadrangle, Jericho and 360 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge. Queens (3) –36-36 33rd Street, Long Island City; 78-27 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights and 8936 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica. Bronx (1) - 421 Hunts Point Avenue, Bronx. Staten Island (2) - 2066 Hylan Blvd. and 1688 Victory Blvd.

For more information, please visit www.signatureny.com.

This press release and oral statements made from time to time by our representatives contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on those statements because they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties relating to our operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and may be beyond our control. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our future results, interest rates and the interest rate environment, loan and deposit growth, loan performance, operations, new private client teams and other hires, new office openings and business strategy. These statements often include words such as "may," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," “potential,” “opportunity,” “could,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” would,” "plan," "estimate" or other similar expressions. As you consider forward-looking statements, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us or in our control. These factors include but are not limited to: (i) prevailing economic conditions; (ii) changes in interest rates, loan demand, real estate values and competition, any of which can materially affect origination levels and gain on sale results in our business, as well as other aspects of our financial performance, including earnings on interest-bearing assets; (iii) the level of defaults, losses and prepayments on loans made by us, whether held in portfolio or sold in the whole loan secondary markets, which can materially affect charge-off levels and required credit loss reserve levels; (iv) changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; (v) changes in the banking and other financial services regulatory environment and (vi) competition for qualified personnel and desirable office locations. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, if a change occurs or our beliefs, assumptions and expectations were incorrect, our business, financial condition, liquidity or results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Additional risks are described in our quarterly and annual reports filed with the FDIC. You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statements made by Signature Bank speak only as of the date on which they were made. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and we cannot predict these events or how they may affect the Bank. Signature Bank has no duty to, and does not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements after the date on which they are made. In light of these risks and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made in this release or elsewhere might not reflect actual results.

Contacts

Signature Bank
Investor Contact:
Eric R. Howell, 646-822-1402
Executive Vice President –
Corporate and Business Development
ehowell@signatureny.com
or
Media Contact:
Susan J. Lewis, 646-822-1825
slewis@signatureny.com

Release Summary

SIGNATURE BANK’S PERFORMANCE RECOGNIZED BY FORBES AND ABA BANKING JOURNAL

Contacts

Signature Bank
Investor Contact:
Eric R. Howell, 646-822-1402
Executive Vice President –
Corporate and Business Development
ehowell@signatureny.com
or
Media Contact:
Susan J. Lewis, 646-822-1825
slewis@signatureny.com