Astoria Financial Corporation announced that in connection with the Merger and pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, on September 26, 2017, the company determined to increase the size of its Board of Directors at the effective Time from eleven (11) members to fifteen (15) members and appoint four (4) former Astoria directors to the company’s board. Upon the recommendation of Astoria, and after reviewing their relevant experiences and background and discussing the same, the Company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee nominated, and the Board, after its own review and discussion approved, the appointment of Ralph Palleschi, Monte N. Redman, Robert Giambrone and Patricia M. Nazemetz to serve on the Board of the company, effective as of the Effective Time. Each of the four directors will serve until the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, subject to his or her prior death, resignation or removal from office as provided by law. Each of the four appointed directors has also been assigned to serve on certain committees of the Board. In particular, Mr. Palleschi has been named as a member of the Board’s Compensation Committee as well as the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, Mr. Redman has been assigned to the Enterprise Risk Committee, Mr. Giambrone has been assigned to the Audit Committee and the Enterprise Risk Committee and Ms. Nazemetz has been assigned to the Compensation Committee. Each of Messrs. Palleschi, Redman and Giambrone and Ms. Nazemetz were also elected to the Board of Directors of Sterling National Bank.