Joseph R. Ficalora, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of New York Community Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for New York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, rang The Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on April 14 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the NYCB Family of Banks, which began with the establishment of Queens County Savings Bank in 1859.
Since then, the NYCB Family of Banks has evolved from a single branch in Flushing, Queens with $600 on deposit into a $32.5 billion multi-bank holding company with two bank subsidiaries, six local divisions, and 215 branches serving customers throughout Metro New York and New Jersey.
Joining Ficalora at the New York Stock Exchange were members of the company’s Board of Directors and executive management team. During a ceremony that followed the Closing Bell ringing, Ficalora was presented with proclamations from the City of New York and from Nassau County proclaiming April 14, 2009 as “New York Community Bank Day.” The proclamations were presented to Ficalora by former Queens Borough President, Claire Shulman, who serves as a director of the Queens County Savings Bank Divisional Board.
Speaking at the 150th Anniversary celebration, Ficalora noted, “With 150 years of strength, stability, and service to draw on, we have one very distinct advantage: a history of performing well in the best and worst of times. Especially today, there is much to be said for a Bank that has survived 150 years, through times of fiscal and global upheaval, and that remains well positioned to stand strong in the years to come. At the same time as we honor our past, and remember where we came from, we have the very good fortune to also be looking ahead.”
