Flushing Financial seeks to raise $70 million to shore up capital as it unloads underwater bonds

Flushing Financial seeks to raise  million to shore up capital as it unloads underwater bonds


Flushing Bank in New York City.

Google Earth

Flushing Financial, a New York-based commercial real estate lender, is seeking to raise $70 million to shore up its capital, CNBC has learned.

The bank’s CEO, John Buran, has told potential investors that he intends to sell low-yielding bonds and loans backed by commercial real estate, including multifamily buildings, moves that would generate a loss and necessitate the sale of fresh stock, people with knowledge of the deal told CNBC.

Bankers working on the deal have yet to finalize pricing, but it will likely be between $15 to $15.50 per share, according to a person familiar, below the $17.25 level the stock closed at on Thursday.

The bank declined to comment to CNBC earlier Thursday, but later issued a release confirming the equity sale.

Banks with commercial real estate exposure have struggled after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates through 2023, leaving them with unrealized losses on their balance sheet. New York Community Bank was forced to raise capital earlier this year after its stock sank amid concerns over its portfolio of commercial loans.

Most of the U.S. banks under pressure are community banks with under $10 billion in assets, like Flushing, which had about $9.3 billion in assets as of September.

Now, with a rebound in bank stock prices this year and the start of a Fed easing cycle in September, investors expect more banks to raise capital in the coming months. Behind the scenes, regulators have been prodding banks with confidential orders to improve capital levels.

“The rate environment is still a challenge, but we’re controlling what we can control and setting the foundation for a better future,” Buran told analysts in October.

Shares of Flushing Financial have risen about 5% this year through Thursday, trailing the 18% rise in the KBW Regional Banking Index.



Source

International inbound travel to U.S. shows mixed recovery
Business

International inbound travel to U.S. shows mixed recovery

A passenger passes a giant American flag as they make their way to and from their gates during the Memorial Day weekend getaway at John Wayne Airport Orange County in John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, CA on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images Canadian travel dropped sharply […]

Read More
Insurers just marked the costliest first half of the year since 2011
Business

Insurers just marked the costliest first half of the year since 2011

A worker helps board up windows at Joey and Brenda Bermudez’s home that was damage by a recent tornado at the Elkhorn Ranch neighborhood in Elbert County on May 19, 2025. RJ Sangosti | MediaNews Group | Denver Post | Getty Images Global insured losses for the first half of this year have reached $84 […]

Read More
Rich American Express customers continue to spend freely, with one exception
Business

Rich American Express customers continue to spend freely, with one exception

American Express has long benefited from a focus on wealthier customers who appreciate the credit card company’s travel and dining perks. That has helped insulate the company from concerns over a spending slowdown. In the second quarter, total spending on Amex cards jumped 7%, matching the first quarter and higher than the 6% increase a […]

Read More