OceanFirst Bank Welcomes Andrew Bregenzer and Eric Howell to Lead Next Phase of Commercial Banking Growth

• Bregenzer, former Co-Head of U.S. Commercial Banking at TD Bank, to lead OceanFirst’s Commercial Banking
• Howell, former Signature Bank executive, named President of Premier Banking

RED BANK, N.J., Nov. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OceanFirst Bank N.A. (“OceanFirst” or the “Bank”), the wholly owned subsidiary of OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: OCFC), today welcomed two experienced commercial banking leaders to advance its strategy and accelerate commercial banking growth across its footprint. Andrew “Andy” Bregenzer has been named President of Commercial Banking and Eric R. Howell joins as President of Premier Banking. Both executives will report to Joseph J. Lebel III, President and Chief Operating Officer, and will join the Bank’s senior leadership team. 

“We welcome two of the region’s most respected commercial bankers as we strengthen our commercial banking platform and build on OceanFirst’s momentum,” said Christopher D. Maher, Chief Executive Officer of OceanFirst. “Andy brings deep experience expanding commercial banking at scale, while Eric has helped to quickly build the Premier Bank into a strong source of new clients and deposits. Both are proven leaders who build high-performing teams and lasting client relationships that deliver strong business results. Their leadership positions us to build on our success as a $23 billion bank serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and to capture the commercial banking opportunities ahead.” 

“Andy and Eric share our belief that great banking starts with the customer,” said Joseph J. Lebel III, President and Chief Operating Officer. “They build teams that understand their clients’ businesses, act quickly, and provide practical solutions. That is the kind of bank we are building at OceanFirst, and I look forward to working with them, delivering for the businesses and communities we serve.” 

Susanne Svizeny, Chief Commercial and Industrial Banking Officer, will retire after seven years with the Bank and a distinguished 45-year career in commercial banking. She will work closely with Mr. Bregenzer over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for clients and colleagues.

Andrew Bregenzer, President of Commercial Banking 

Mr. Bregenzer brings more than 30 years of experience in commercial, business and retail banking with a track record of both building de novo businesses and scaling mature ones. He joins OceanFirst from TD Bank, where he most recently served as Co-Head of U.S. Commercial Banking, overseeing the Regional Commercial Bank's approximately 1,500 employees across 15 states. Previously, as Regional President for Metro New York, he helped expand TD's New York, Northern New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut markets, overseeing more than 3,000 commercial banking employees and a retail network of more than 300 branches. He previously served on the boards of the New York Bankers Association, the American Cancer Society of New York and the United Way of New York City, and is a recent Ascend A-List Award recipient and a City & State Power 50 in Finance honoree. 

At OceanFirst, Mr. Bregenzer will lead commercial lending, treasury management, escrow services, and wealth management. He will be responsible for driving relationship-based growth in loans, core deposits and treasury management services, and for continuing to develop the Bank’s commercial banking teams throughout the organization. 

“I'm thrilled to join OceanFirst at such a critical moment in the organization's evolution,” said Mr. Bregenzer. “OceanFirst has a 124-year history of serving its communities, a client-centered culture and a clear strategy to deepen relationships and further its market penetration across the most attractive commercial banking markets in the country. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with Joe, Chris and the entire OceanFirst team to build on this momentum and take the organization to even greater heights as we fulfill our ambition to be a top regional bank across the markets we serve.” 

Eric R. Howell, President, Premier Banking 

Mr. Howell, whose appointment was announced during the Company’s third quarter earnings call, has more than 30 years of executive experience in commercial banking, finance, and capital markets. Most recently, he served as Senior Executive Advisor to OceanFirst, where he helped establish the Premier Bank, which has grown to over $650 million in deposits. Earlier, he spent more than two decades at Signature Bank, joining at its founding in 2000 and advancing from Controller to Chief Financial Officer, Senior Executive Vice President of Corporate and Business Development, Chief Operating Officer and, ultimately, President. In those roles, he played an integral part in the bank’s growth from a start-up into a bank with more than $100 billion in assets, recruiting senior banking teams, launching multiple business lines and expanding into new markets. He then served as President of the Commercial Bank at Flagstar Bank, N.A., and later as Senior Advisor. 

In his new role, Mr. Howell will lead the Premier Bank, which serves deposit-rich businesses, their owners and managers with a full suite of products and services and a personalized, relationship-based approach. 

 “We’re very proud of the strong foundation we have built for the Premier Bank at OceanFirst. Our clear strategy, a committed leadership team and, following the Flushing Bank merger, a meaningful presence in the New York Metro area have allowed us to capitalize on a unique opportunity in the marketplace,” said Mr. Howell. “I have enjoyed working alongside the OceanFirst team over the past two years and am excited to take on this elevated role. There is a tremendous opportunity to bring a relationship-first banking model to businesses throughout our footprint and I am looking forward to building on the momentum the Premier Bank teams have already created.” 

About OceanFirst

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank N.A., founded in 1902, is a $23.4 billion regional bank serving business and retail customers throughout New Jersey, New York, Long Island, and the major metropolitan areas from Massachusetts through Virginia. OceanFirst Bank delivers commercial and residential financing, treasury management, trust and asset management, and deposit services and is one of the largest and oldest community-based financial institutions headquartered in New Jersey. To learn more about OceanFirst, go to www.oceanfirst.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the words such as “ estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “may,” “could,” “target,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this document, and on the current expectations of the Company’s management and are not predictions of actual performance, and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict, may differ from assumptions and many are beyond the control of the Company. The forward-looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 

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 interest rates, inflation, the shape of the yield curve, general economic conditions, including potential recessionary conditions, levels of unemployment in the Company’s lending area, real estate market values in the Company’s lending area, potential goodwill impairment, natural disasters, potential increases to flood insurance premiums, the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, terrorism or other geopolitical events, the imposition of tariffs or other domestic or international governmental policies, trade restrictions and retaliatory measures impacting the Company’s borrowers and the broader economy, the effects of a potential future federal government shutdown, debt ceiling impasses or fiscal uncertainty, the level of prepayments on loans and mortgage-backed securities, legislative/regulatory changes, 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, the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, the availability of low-cost funding, changes in liquidity, including the size and composition of the Company’s deposit portfolio and the percentage of uninsured deposits in the portfolio, changes in capital management and balance sheet strategies and the ability to successfully implement such strategies, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area, our ability to enter into new markets and capitalize on growth opportunities, the adequacy of and changes in the economic assumptions and methodology for computing the allowance for credit losses, availability of capital, competition, our ability to maintain and increase market share and control expenses, changes in investor sentiment and consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits, changes in accounting principles, risks associated with cybersecurity threats, data breaches, ransomware attacks, or other failures in the Company’s operational or security systems and infrastructure, including the risks arising from the Company’s dependence on third-party service providers and vendors, the Company’s ability to achieve the estimated cost savings and efficiencies from the Flushing acquisition, the failure to maintain current technologies and the operational risks associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, failure to retain or attract employees, the impact of pandemics on our operations and financial results and those of our customers and the Bank’s ability to successfully integrate acquired operations. 

Readers should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of OceanFirst’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and other documents filed by OceanFirst from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. 

Investor Relations Inquiries: 

OceanFirst Financial Corp.

Alfred Goon
SVP Corporate Development and Investor Relations
investorrelations@oceanfirst.com

Company Contact:
  
Patrick S. Barrett
Chief Financial Officer
OceanFirst Financial Corp.
1.888.623.2633 ext. 27507
Email: pbarrett@oceanfirst.com