NorthEast Community Bancorp, Inc. Announces Adoption of Plan of Conversion and Reorganization

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NorthEast Community Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: NECB) (the “Company”), a majority owned subsidiary of NorthEast Community Bancorp, MHC (the “MHC”), and the parent holding company of NorthEast Community Bank (the “Bank”) announced today that its Board of Directors, together with the Boards of Directors of MHC and the Bank, have unanimously adopted a Plan of Conversion and Reorganization (the “Plan of Conversion”).Pursuant to the Plan of Conversion, the MHC will sell its majority ownership in the Company to the public and the Company, which is currently in the mutual holding company structure, will reorganize to a fully public stock holding company in a transaction commonly referred to as a “second step” conversion.As part of the second step conversion, the Bank will become a wholly owned subsidiary of a new holding company to be formed in connection with the transaction. Shares of common stock of the Company held by persons other than the MHC (whose shares will be canceled) will be converted into shares of common stock of the new holding company pursuant to an exchange ratio intended to preserve the percentage ownership interests of such persons. In the stock offering, depositors of the Bank with qualifying deposits as of September 30, 2019 will have first priority to purchase the shares of common stock of the new holding company.The transactions contemplated by the second step conversion are subject to approval by the voting depositors of the Bank, by the Company’s stockholders (including the approval of a majority of the shares held by persons other than the MHC) and by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the New York State Department of Financial Services.A prospectus or proxy statement/prospectus, as applicable, and other proxy materials containing detailed information relating to the Plan of Conversion, details of the offering, and business and financial information about the Company will be sent to stockholders of the Company and depositors of the Bank following regulatory approval, which we anticipate will be in the second quarter of 2021.NorthEast Community Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for NorthEast Community Bank. NorthEast Community Bank is a New York state-chartered savings bank that operates six full-service branches in New York State and three full-service branches in Danvers, Framingham and Quincy, Massachusetts and loan production offices in White Plains and New City, New York.This release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy common stock. The offer is made only by the prospectus when accompanied by a stock order form. The shares of common stock of the Company are not savings accounts or savings deposits, may lose value and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.This release contains “forward-looking statements” that are based on assumptions and may describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project” or similar expressions. The Company’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors that could have a material adverse effect on the operations of the Company and its subsidiaries include, but are not limited to, changes in market interest rates, regional and national economic conditions, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic (including its impact on our business operations and credit quality, on our customers and their ability to repay their loan obligations and on general economic and financial market conditions), legislative and regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government, including policies of the United States Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board, the quality and composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area, changes in the real estate market values in the Company’s market area and changes in relevant accounting principles and guidelines These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating any forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to release publicly the result 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:
Kenneth A. Martinek
Chief Executive Officer
(914) 684-2500