Sterling National Bank Expands Relationship Teams With Seven New Hires

MONTEBELLO, NY--(Marketwired - June 30, 2014) - Sterling National Bank, the principal subsidiary of Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), today announced seven new additions to its relationship banking teams servicing commercial middle market clients, as part of its ongoing effort to invest in high-growth areas and deliver a broad range of financial products and services to its clients. The new hires -- four in specialty finance and three in commercial banking -- bring to Sterling a diverse range of expertise and a proven track record of success in the Metro New York market.

"We look forward to leveraging the insights of these outstanding individuals as we continue to expand our specialty finance capabilities," said Howard Applebaum, President of Specialty Finance & National Markets. "These additions are part of our strategy to continuously improve our team-based delivery model by onboarding the industry's top talent to better serve our clients' needs."

The additions to Sterling's specialty finance teams are:

• Bill Bahls, Managing Director. Bill will deliver factoring and asset-based lending service to high-growth and leveraged companies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including importers, distributors and manufacturers. He was previously the Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager at Keltic Financial Services, and also served as Vice President, Business Development at Summit Financial Resources, a nationwide provider of alternative working capital financing to small and mid-sized companies.
• Neil Wolfe, Managing Director. Neil will oversee clients' day-to-day factoring and trade finance borrowing needs. He was previously a Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bibby Financial Services, where he was responsible for developing and managing relationships in the middle market throughout the Northeast.
• Neal Landerer, Managing Director. Neal will be managing and developing asset-based lending opportunities for clients in various industries. He was previously at Israel Discount Bank of New York for 15 years, where he spent the bulk of his tenure as a Relationship Manager and recently held the title of First Vice President. In that capacity, he managed an asset-based lending portfolio in excess of $200 million.
• Robert Schepis, Managing Director. Robert will be responsible for monitoring existing loan facilities and introducing new relationships to the bank. He was previously Senior Vice President of Business Banking and Market Credit Officer for Capital One Bank. There he helped drive new business relationships and retain asset quality within business banking.

In addition to the new members of the specialty finance teams, Sterling has added depth to its New York Metro commercial banking team with the following additions:

• Tej Brahmbhatt, Senior Managing Director. Tej was previously with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he helped lead a commercial banking team as a relationship manager in New York City. He has worked across a broad range of industries, with a particular focus on wholesalers, suppliers, and service industries.
• Michael Oliveros, Senior Managing Director. Michael has more than 17 years of commercial banking experience. He has particular expertise in the areas of commercial lending and treasury management solutions, with a focus on professional service companies and service provider firms. He joins Sterling from Bank of America, where he served as a Senior Client Manager.
• Carol Browne, Client Service Representative. Carol most recently served as Client Service Representative at Citibank. She also brings more than ten years of experience from BNY Mellon and PNC Bank in similar capacities.

"We are very excited to have this outstanding group join our New York Metro commercial banking team," added David Bagatelle, President of NY Metro Markets. "The range of skills and expertise they bring to the table will help us continue to deliver high-value solutions and outstanding service to our broadening client base across the market."

About Sterling National Bank

Sterling National Bank, the principal subsidiary of Sterling Bancorp, specializes in the delivery of service and solutions to business owners, their families, and consumers in communities within the greater New York City area through teams of dedicated and experienced relationship managers. Sterling National Bank offers a complete line of commercial, business, and consumer banking products and services. For more information, visit www.snb.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may concern Sterling's current expectations about its future results, plans, operations and prospects and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including inflation; the effects of, and changes in, trade; changes in asset quality and credit risk; introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of business initiatives; capital management activities; customer disintermediation; and the success of Sterling at managing these risks. Other factors that could cause Sterling's actual results to differ from those indicated in forward-looking statements are included in the "Risk Factors" section of Sterling's securities filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included herein are only made as of the date hereof, and Sterling specifically disclaims any obligation to update these statements in the future.