Bob Bernard Joins Sterling National Bank’s Long Island Team

MONTEBELLO, N.Y., July 31, 2017 -- Sterling National Bank (NYSE:STL) today announced that Bob Bernard has joined the bank as Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director. Bernard will be based at Sterling’s Melville office and report to Ed Blaskey, Executive Vice President and Long Island Market President.

Bob Bernard, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director, Sterling National Bank

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/abd74a34-8c27-4233-be49-69d863450069

With extensive experience in commercial real estate finance, Bernard will focus on growing Sterling’s commercial lending activities on Long Island. His focus will include generating increased business by building new client relationships, through client relationship management, and client advisory.  Sterling will continue to expand its reach in the region, delivering quality services to middle market commercial clients in variety of industry sectors.

Bernard was most recently Senior Vice President and Long Island Regional Manager for People’s United Bank, where he oversaw a team of relationship managers and credit analysts who delivered loans, deposits, and treasury products. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Lending for Capital One Bank, where he developed relationships with key Long Island commercial real estate clients. Throughout his career Bernard worked with a number of other leading banking organizations, focusing on commercial lending and real estate finance.

“Bob has deep and longstanding relationships throughout the Long Island market that we will seek to leverage as we continue to build our services across the region,” said Blaskey. “His track record of managing commercial real estate portfolios and his results-oriented approach will be important assets for our team.”

Bernard holds both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University.

About Sterling National Bank
Sterling Bancorp, of which the principal subsidiary is Sterling National Bank, specializes in the delivery of financial services and solutions for small to mid-size businesses and consumers within the communities we serve through a distinctive team-based delivery approach utilizing highly experienced, fully dedicated 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.

STERLING NATIONAL BANK:
Linda Dunbar
First VP, Director of Corporate Communications

845.369.8085