WAYNE, N.J., Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Valley National Bancorp (NYSE: VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, today reported net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 of $4.7 million, or $0.01 per diluted common share as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014 earnings of $25.1 million, or $0.11 per diluted common share. The 2015 fourth quarter earnings included several infrequent items highlighted in the section below, including a previously disclosed $51.1 million loss on the extinguishment of higher cost debt.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $103.0 million, or $0.42 per diluted common share, compared to 2014 earnings of $116.2 million, or $0.56 per diluted common share.

Key financial highlights for the fourth quarter:


    --  Acquisition of CNLBancshares, Inc.: On December 1, 2015, Valley
        completed its acquisition of CNLBancshares, Inc. ("CNL") and its
        wholly-owned subsidiary, CNLBank, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. CNL
        had approximately $1.6 billion in assets, $825 million in loans and $1.2
        billion in deposits, after purchase accounting adjustments, and a branch
        network of 16 offices. The CNL acquisition increases Valley's Florida
        branch network to a total of 36 branches covering most major markets in
        central and southern Florida. The common shareholders of CNL received
        0.705 of a share of Valley common stock for each CNL share they owned
        prior to the merger. The total consideration for the acquisition was
        approximately $230 million, consisting of 20.6 million shares of Valley
        common stock. The transaction generated approximately $110 million in
        goodwill and $19 million in core deposit intangible assets subject to
        amortization.
    --  Loss on Extinguishment of Debt: In late October 2015 and December 2015,
        Valley prepaid high cost borrowings mostly from the Federal Home Loan
        Bank of New York. The prepaid borrowings of $795 million and $50 million
        had contractual maturities in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and a total
        average cost of 3.72 percent. The settlement of such borrowings resulted
        in the recognition of pre-tax prepayment penalties totaling $51.1
        million in the fourth quarter of 2015.
    --  Net Interest Income and Margin: Net interest income totaling $148.0
        million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 increased $14.1
        million and $19.4 million as compared to the third quarter of 2015 and
        fourth quarter of 2014, respectively. On a tax equivalent basis, our net
        interest margin increased 21 basis points to 3.30 percent in the fourth
        quarter of 2015 as compared to 3.09 percent for the third quarter of
        2015, and increased 10 basis points from 3.20 percent in the fourth
        quarter of 2014. The increase in both net interest income and margin
        from the third quarter of 2015 was largely due to the reduction in
        interest expense related to the aforementioned extinguishment of debt
        during the fourth quarter. See the "Net Interest Income and Margin"
        section below for more details.
    --  Loan Portfolio: Loans increased $1.0 billion to approximately $16.0
        billion at December 31, 2015 from September 30, 2015 mainly due to
        $812.9 million in acquired loans from CNL that were outstanding at
        December 31, 2015. The remaining $213.4 million increase (5.7 percent on
        an annualized basis) was largely due to solid quarter over quarter
        organic growth in the total commercial real estate loans, automobile
        loans, and other consumer loans (primarily collateralized personal lines
        of credit), as well as purchased 1-4 family loans that are CRA eligible.
        During the fourth quarter of 2015, Valley sold approximately $50 million
        of fixed-rate residential mortgage loans originated for sale. See the
        "Loans and Deposits" section below for additional information.
    --  Asset Quality: Total accruing past due and non-accrual loans as a
        percentage of our entire loan portfolio of $16.0 billion decreased to
        0.55 percent at December 31, 2015 from 0.59 percent at September 30,
        2015. Non-performing assets increased to $78.2 million at December 31,
        2015 as compared to $76.5 million at September 30, 2015 due to a
        moderate increase in non-accrual loans and $2.2 million of OREO
        properties acquired from CNL. See further details under the "Credit
        Quality" section below.
    --  Provision for Credit Losses: During the fourth quarter of 2015, we
        recorded a provision for credit losses totaling $3.5 million as compared
        to $94 thousand for the third quarter of 2015 and $4.0 million for the
        fourth quarter of 2014. For the fourth quarter of 2015, we recognized
        net loan charge-offs of $1.8 million as compared to net recoveries of
        charge-offs totaling $1.7 million for the third quarter of 2015 and net
        charge-offs of $4.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2014. See the
        "Credit Quality" section below for more details on our provision and
        allowance for credit losses.
    --  Non-Interest Income: Non-interest income increased $3.1 million to $24.0
        million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 from $20.9 million
        for the third quarter of 2015 mainly due to an increase of $3.4 million
        in net gains on sales of assets largely caused by net gains totaling
        $4.8 million on the sale of two branch offices in the fourth quarter of
        2015. However, net gains on sales of assets declined $15.0 million to
        $2.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to $17.9 million
        for the fourth quarter of 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2014, we sold a
        Manhattan branch for a pre-tax gain of $17.8 million and entered into a
        long-term lease with an unrelated third party for a new nearby location.
        The 2015 fourth quarter net gains were also net of non-cash fixed asset
        impairment charges totaling $1.9 million related to branch closures. See
        the "Non-Interest Income" section below for additional information.
    --  Non-Interest Expense: Non-interest expense increased $66.2 million to
        $174.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 from $108.7 million for
        the third quarter of 2015 largely due to: (1) the debt prepayment
        penalties of $51.1 million, (2) a $7.9 million increase in the
        amortization of tax credit investments (primarily caused by additional
        purchases of such investments during the fourth quarter of 2015), (3)
        $2.6 million of additional lease obligation expense related to planned
        2016 branch closures, (4) $850 thousand of employee severance expense
        due to cost reductions and branch efficiencies, as well as (5)
        additional operating expenses (including merger charges) related to the
        CNL acquisition during the fourth quarter of 2015. Merger expenses
        related to our acquisition of CNL totaled approximately $1.5 million for
        the fourth quarter of 2015 and $1.8 million for the year ended December
        31, 2015 (mostly within professional and legal fees). See the
        "Non-Interest Expense" section below for additional information.
    --  Income Tax Expense: During the fourth quarter of 2015, we recognized an
        income tax benefit of $11.0 million largely due to the reduction in
        pre-tax income related to the aforementioned prepayment penalties on
        long-term borrowings. The income tax benefit was net of a $6.4 million
        charge mostly related to the effect of the CNL acquisition and the debt
        prepayment penalties on the valuation of our state deferred tax assets
        at December 31, 2015. See the "Income Tax Expense" section below for
        more information regarding our income tax benefit during the fourth
        quarter.
    --  Branch Efficiency and Cost Reduction Plans: In the second quarter of
        2015, we announced a plan to close and consolidate 13 branch locations
        during the second half of 2015 based upon our continuous evaluation of
        customer delivery channel preferences, branch usage patterns, and other
        factors. During the fourth quarter, we closed the last 6 of the 13
        branches for 2015 and finalized our selection of 15 more branches for
        closure by the end of 2016. Valley estimates that the 28 branch closure
        plan will result in an annualized reduction of approximately $10 million
        in ongoing operating expenses, of which 45 percent should be realized by
        the end of 2016. In addition to the branch closures, Valley commenced a
        cost reduction plan in the fourth quarter of 2015 aimed at achieving
        operational efficiencies through streamlining various aspects of
        Valley's business model, staff reductions and further utilization of
        technological enhancements. These measures are expected to save $5
        million in pre-tax operating expenses starting in 2016 and are expected
        to increase to approximately $8 million in 2017. Valley will continue to
        monitor and enhance these plans as we work to "right size" the branch
        network and optimize our operations.
    --  Capital Strength: Our regulatory capital ratios continue to reflect
        Valley's strong capital position. Valley's total risk-based capital,
        Tier 1 capital, leverage capital, and Tier 1 common capital ratios were
        12.02 percent, 9.72 percent, 7.90 percent and 9.01 percent,
        respectively, at December 31, 2015.

Gerald H. Lipkin, Chairman, President and CEO commented that, "While earnings were tempered by several infrequent charges, including costs related to the prepayment of high cost borrowings and the acquisition of CNL, our results for the fourth quarter of 2015 also reflected the positive impacts of such prepayments, solid loan growth and strong credit quality on our net interest income and margin, as well as income generated from the CNL acquisition since December 1st. As a result, net interest income increased $14.1 million during the fourth quarter as compared to the third quarter of 2015. As we look forward to 2016, we are optimistic about our ability to manage our margin in this challenging interest rate environment, while continuing to execute our Florida growth strategy, and Branch Efficiency and Cost Reduction Plans."

Mr. Lipkin added, "In December 2015, we completed our acquisition of CNL, and further expanded our operations in some of the most attractive markets in Florida. The acquired branch network will allow us to service Florida's west coast markets of Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers and Sarasota. We also added three offices in the Jacksonville area and expanded our presence in the Orlando market. Our outlook for Florida remains very positive and we are focused on supporting growth in the region through other acquisitions or opportunities. Full systems integration of the CNL operations is expected to be completed in the latter part of the first quarter of 2016."

Net Interest Income and Margin

Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis totaling $150.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased $14.2 million and $19.5 million as compared to the third quarter of 2015 and fourth quarter of 2014, respectively. Interest income on a tax equivalent basis increased $11.0 million to $187.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the third quarter of 2015 largely due to a $633.9 million increase in average loans caused by solid organic growth over the last six months and $825 million of acquired loans from CNL on December 1, 2015, as well as a 9 basis point increase in the yield on average loans. The increase in yield on average loans for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the linked third quarter of 2015 was due, in part, to a $2.7 million increase in interest income from closed ("zero balance") purchased credit-impaired ("PCI") loan pools and a $2.5 million increase in fee income from derivative interest rate swaps executed with commercial lending customers to facilitate the risk management strategies of both Valley and the customers. Interest expense decreased $3.2 million to $37.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015. The decline in interest expense from the third quarter of 2015 was primarily driven by the aforementioned prepayment of certain high cost long-term borrowings, partially offset by a 6 basis point increase in the cost of average savings, NOW and money market deposits caused by higher brokered money market account balances which were used to partially fund the October prepayment, as well as the impact of $300 million in forward interest rate swaps that started in November 2015 with an average fixed rate of 2.71 percent. Although to a much lesser extent, interest expense related to interest-bearing deposits totaling $666 million assumed from CNL, after purchase accounting adjustments, also partially offset the reduction in interest expense from the prepaid borrowings.

The net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis was 3.30 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 21 basis points from 3.09 percent in the linked third quarter of 2015 and a 10 basis point increase from 3.20 percent for the three months ended December 31, 2014. The yield on average interest earning assets also increased by 11 basis points on a linked quarter basis. The higher yield was mainly a result of the aforementioned increase in the yield on average loans to 4.36 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015. This was largely caused by the combined increase of $5.2 million in periodic fee income from derivative interest rate swap transactions and income from zero-balance PCI loan pools. The $5.2 million increase represented approximately 13 basis points of the 4.36 percent yield on average loans for the fourth quarter of 2015, and 12 basis points of the 21 basis point increase in our net interest margin from the third quarter of 2015. The yield on average taxable investment securities also increased 8 basis point largely due to a lower premium amortization on residential mortgage-backed securities caused by a continued decline in principal repayment. The overall cost of average interest bearing liabilities decreased by 14 basis points from 1.26 percent in the linked third quarter of 2015 primarily due to a 10 basis point decline in the cost of average long-term borrowings as we prepaid the aforementioned borrowings totaling $845 million with an average cost of 3.72 percent primarily in late October 2015. Funding for the prepayment transactions was obtained from new sources consisting of brokered money market deposits and securities sold under agreements to repurchase (repos) totaling $500 million and $300 million, respectively. The new fixed rate instruments have a weighted average duration of approximately one year and an average interest cost of 0.56 percent. However, the aforementioned forward interest rate swaps that hedge the cash flow changes in certain money market accounts starting in November 2015 offset a portion of the cost reductions realized from the funding sources for the prepaid borrowings. Our cost of total deposits totaled 0.44 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to 0.41 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2015.

Our margin will likely continue to face downward pressure from relatively low levels of interest rates on most interest earning assets alternatives and further repayment of higher yielding interest earning assets. However, the increase in the U.S. prime rate driven by the Federal Reserve's 25 basis point increase in the targeted federal funds rate in December 2015, our aforementioned prepayment of high cost borrowings during late October and December 2015, additional borrowings of $182 million with an average cost of 4.69 percent maturing between March and April 2016, and other high cost borrowings maturing in 2018 through 2022 are anticipated to positively impact our future net income and margin.

Loans and Deposits

Loans. Loans increased $1.0 billion to approximately $16.0 billion at December 31, 2015 from September 30, 2015 mainly due to $812.9 million in acquired loans from CNL that were outstanding at December 31, 2015. The remaining $213.4 million increase (5.7 percent on an annualized basis) was largely due to solid quarter over quarter organic growth in the total commercial real estate, automobile, and other consumer loan portfolios, as well as residential mortgage loan growth mainly driven by purchased CRA loans (see further details below).

Total commercial and industrial loans increased $139.9 million from September 30, 2015 to approximately $2.5 billion at December 31, 2015 largely due to $134.8 million in loans acquired from CNL. The lack of organic commercial and industrial loan growth during the fourth quarter was largely due to significant market competition for quality, as well as some normal seasonal declines in loan demand from our customer base. Additionally, we continued to experience strong market competition for quality new and existing loan relationships during early stages of the first quarter of 2016.

Total commercial real estate loans (excluding construction loans) increased $464.0 million from September 30, 2015 to $7.4 billion at December 31, 2015 mostly due to $443.8 million in loans acquired from CNL. The remaining $20.2 million increase was the result of new loan origination volumes and demand from several types of borrowers, and was supplemented by our purchase of $9.0 million of participations in multi-family loans in both New Jersey and New York City. Our Florida commercial real estate loan portfolio, excluding the impact of CNL, remained relatively unchanged as compared to September 30, 2015 mostly due to new loan volumes being offset by loan repayments in the PCI loan portfolio. Construction loans totaling $754.9 million at December 31, 2015 increased $185.3 million from September 30, 2015 due, in part, to $102.7 million in loans acquired from CNL. The remaining increase of $82.6 million, or 58.0 percent on an annualized basis, during the fourth quarter was caused by solid loan demand mainly for multi-family and condominium property developments within both New Jersey and New York City, as well as increased loan advances potentially due to the favorable weather conditions in the Northeast region.

Total residential mortgage loans increased $131.3 million to approximately $3.1 billion at December 31, 2015 from September 30, 2015 due, in part, to $88.9 million in loans acquired from CNL. The remaining $42.4 million increase was mostly driven by the purchase of 1-4 family loans (which are mostly CRA eligible) totaling $110.1 million, partly offset by normal portfolio repayment activity and a lower amount of Valley loan originations retained for investment purposes. During the fourth quarter of 2015, Valley sold approximately $50 million of (non-CRA qualifying) residential mortgage loans originated for sale.

Automobile loans increased by $19.6 million to $1.2 billion at December 31, 2015 as compared to September 30, 2015 as our new organic loan volumes continued to be solid due to the overall strength of the U.S. auto markets and continued positive production from our new Florida auto dealer network which contributed approximately $4.2 million in new loans for the fourth quarter of 2015. Valley has achieved its growth in the auto lending portfolio without participation in the subprime auto lending markets. Automobile loans acquired from CNL totaled only $465 thousand at December 31, 2015.

Home equity loans totaling $511.2 million at December 31, 2015 increased by $33.1 million as compared to September 30, 2015 due to $36.4 million in loans acquired from CNL. New organic home equity volumes continued to be weak during the fourth quarter, despite the low level of market interest rates. Other consumer loans increased $53.3 million to $442.0 million at December 31, 2015 as compared to September 30, 2015 mainly due to continued growth and customer usage of collateralized personal lines of credit, as well as $5.7 million of loans acquired from CNL.

Deposits. Total deposits increased $1.8 billion to approximately $16.3 billion at December 31, 2015 from September 30, 2015 largely due to $1.2 billion in deposits assumed from the CNL acquisition and $500 million of brokered money market accounts used to partially fund the aforementioned prepayment of long-term borrowings in late October 2015. Non-interest bearing deposits totaling $4.9 billion at December 31, 2015 also increased by $548.9 million from September 30, 2015 primarily due to $501.7 million in deposits assumed from CNL and normal fluctuations in both commercial and retail account activity. Valley's savings, NOW and money market accounts totaling approximately $8.2 billion at December 31, 2015 increased $1.2 billion, or 17.2 percent as compared to September 30, 2015 due to $562.2 million in CNL deposits assumed, the aforementioned $500 million of brokered money market accounts and general increases in account balances. Time deposits increased by only $3.3 million to $3.2 billion at December 31, 2015 from September 30, 2015 despite approximately $103.9 million of time deposits assumed from CNL. The growth in time deposits due to deposits assumed from CNL was largely offset by the maturity of certain certificates of deposits generated from retail promotional campaigns in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Credit Quality

Non-Performing Assets. Our past due loans and non-accrual loans discussed further below exclude PCI loans. Under U.S. GAAP, the PCI loans (acquired at a discount that is due, in part, to credit quality) are accounted for on a pool basis and are not subject to delinquency classification in the same manner as loans originated by Valley. At December 31, 2015, our PCI loan portfolio totaled $2.2 billion, or 14.0 percent of our total loan portfolio, and includes all of the acquired loans from CNL.

Total non-performing assets (NPAs), consisting of non-accrual loans, OREO, other repossessed assets and non-accrual debt securities totaled $78.2 million at December 31, 2015 compared to $76.5 million at September 30, 2015. The $1.7 million increase in NPAs from September 30, 2015 was mostly due to a $2.9 million increase in non-accrual loans caused primarily by one additional commercial real estate relationship, partially offset by a $1.1 million decrease in OREO at December 31, 2015. Our OREO, totaling $13.6 million at December 31, 2015, included $2.2 million in OREO acquired from CNL in the fourth quarter.

Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) decreased $3.0 million to $26.1 million, or 0.16 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2015 as compared to $29.1 million, or 0.19 percent of total loans, at September 30, 2015. The decrease was due, in part, to a $2.0 million decrease in residential mortgage loans 90 days or more past due and moderate overall improvement in the 30 to 59 days and 60 to 89 days past due loan categories. Although we believe our overall credit quality metrics are strong and reflective of our solid underwriter standards at December 31, 2015, we can provide no assurances as to the future level of our loan delinquencies.

The following table summarizes the allocation of the allowance for credit losses to specific loan categories and the allocation as a percentage of each loan category (including PCI loans) at December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014:


                                                        December 31, 2015                            September 30, 2015                   December 31, 2014
                                                        -----------------                            ------------------                   -----------------

                                                                          Allocation                                    Allocation                                 Allocation

                                                                          as a % of                                     as a % of                                  as a % of

                                                  Allowance                   Loan              Allowance                   Loan            Allowance                  Loan

                                                 Allocation                Category             Allocation               Category           Allocation              Category
                                                 ----------                --------             ----------               --------           ----------              --------

    Loan Category:

    Commercial and industrial
     loans*                                                     $50,956                               2.01%                                     $49,682                        2.07%                    $45,610      2.03%

    Commercial real estate loans:

                                                Commercial real estate              32,037                                0.43%                        29,950                        0.43%           27,426      0.45%

                                                Construction                        15,969                                2.12%                        12,328                        2.16%           15,414      2.89%
                                                ------------

    Total commercial real
     estate loans                                     48,006                              0.59%                              42,278                          0.56%                      42,840             0.64%

    Residential mortgage
     loans                                             4,625                              0.15%                               4,579                          0.15%                       5,093             0.20%

    Consumer loans:

                                                Home equity                          1,010                                0.20%                         1,127                        0.24%            1,200      0.24%

                                                Auto and other consumer              3,770                                0.22%                         3,311                        0.21%            3,979      0.27%
                                                ------------

    Total consumer loans                               4,780                              0.22%                               4,438                          0.21%                       5,179             0.27%

    Unallocated                                            -                                           -                            5,720                                     -                5,565              -
                                                         ---                                                                        -----                                                      -----


    Total allowance for
     credit losses                                   108,367                              0.68%                             106,697                          0.71%                     104,287             0.77%
                                                     =======                                                                =======                                                    =======

    Allowance for credit losses as a % of
     non-PCI loans                                                                     0.79%                                                             0.79%                                        0.89%


    * Includes the reserve for unfunded letters of credit.

Our loan portfolio, totaling $16.0 billion at December 31, 2015, had net loan charge-offs of $1.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to net recoveries of loan charge-offs of $1.7 million for the third quarter of 2015 and net charge-offs of $4.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, respectively. The quarter over quarter increase in net loan charge-offs was largely due to an increase in valuation write-downs on impaired commercial and industrial loans, as well as a moderate decline in recoveries of net charge-offs in this same loan category. Overall, net loan charge-offs decreased to $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 as compared to $14.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we recorded a provision for credit losses totaling $3.5 million as compared to $94 thousand for the third quarter of 2015 and $4.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2014.

The allowance for credit losses, comprised of our allowance for loan losses and reserve for unfunded letters of credit, as a percentage of total loans was 0.68 percent at December 31, 2015 as compared to 0.71 percent and 0.77 percent at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. At December 31, 2015, our allowance allocations for losses in most loan categories, except for home equity loans, increased as compared to September 30, 2015. As part of an ongoing evaluation process of developing the allowance for credit losses estimate, management continually evaluates and updates their assumptions based on the current economic environment and their own loss experience. During the fourth quarter of 2015, Valley refined and enhanced its assessment of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses by extending the look-back period on the majority of its loan portfolios from three years to four years in order to capture more of the current economic cycle as it continues. Valley also enhanced its qualitative factor framework to capture the risks of several factors, including, but not limited to, the impact of changes in capitalization rates on collateral values, concentrations of multi-family and exculpated loans, the volume of loans serviced by third parties and the rate of growth in our real estate portfolios. These enhancements are meant to increase the level of precision in the allowance for credit losses. As a result, Valley will no longer have an "unallocated" segment in its allowance for credit losses, as the risks and uncertainties meant to be captured by the unallocated allowance have been included in the qualitative framework for the respective portfolios at December 31, 2015. As such, the unallocated allowance has in essence been reallocated to the certain portfolios based on the risks and uncertainties it was meant to capture.

Our allowance for credit losses as a percentage of total non-PCI loans (excluding PCI loans with carrying values totaling approximately $2.2 billion) was 0.79 percent at both December 31, 2015 and September 30, 2015. PCI loans, including all of the loans acquired from CNL during the fourth quarter of 2015, are accounted for on a pool basis and initially recorded net of fair valuation discounts related to credit which may be used to absorb future losses on such loans before any allowance for loan losses is recognized subsequent to acquisition. Due to the adequacy of such discounts, there were no allowance reserves related to PCI loans at December 31, 2015.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income increased $3.1 million to $24.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 from $20.9 million for the linked quarter ended September 30, 2015 largely due to an increase of $3.4 million in net gains on sales of assets largely caused by net gains totaling $4.8 million on the sale of two branch offices in the fourth quarter of 2015. The 2015 fourth quarter net gains were also net of non-cash fixed asset impairment charges totaling $1.9 million related to branch closures. Net gains on sales of loans decreased $803 thousand to $1.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 as compared to the third quarter of 2015 partly due to the change in the mark to market adjustments related to loans held for sale carried at fair value. There were no other significant fluctuations within the non-interest income categories during the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to the third quarter of 2015.

Non-Interest Expense

Non-interest expense increased $66.2 million to $174.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to $108.7 million for the third quarter of 2015 largely due to: (1) the debt prepayment penalties of $51.1 million, (2) a $7.9 million increase in the amortization of tax credit investments (primarily caused by additional purchases of such investments during the fourth quarter of 2015), (3) $2.6 million of additional lease obligation expense related to planned 2016 branch closures, (4) $850 thousand of employee severance expense due to cost reductions and branch efficiencies, as well as (5) additional operating expenses (including merger charges) related to the CNL acquisition during the fourth quarter of 2015. Merger expenses related to our acquisition of CNL totaled approximately $1.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 as compared to $231 thousand during the third quarter of 2015.

We do not expect a material amount of cost reductions from the consolidation of CNL's operations prior to the systems integration scheduled for late February 2016.

Income Tax Expense

We recognized an income tax benefit of $11.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 as compared to income tax expense totaling $10.2 million and $7.8 million for the third quarter of 2015 and the fourth quarter of 2014, respectively. The decrease in income tax expense in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter of 2015 and fourth quarter of 2014 was primarily the result of: (1) lower pre-tax income largely caused by the borrowings prepayment penalties totaling $51.1 million, (2) an increase of $6.7 million in tax credits, partially offset by (3) a $6.4 million charge mostly caused by the effect of the CNL acquisition and the debt prepayment penalties on the valuation of our deferred tax assets.

For 2016, we anticipate that our effective tax rate will range from 27 percent to 29 percent primarily reflecting the impacts of tax-exempt income, tax-advantaged investments and general business credits.

About Valley

Valley National Bancorp is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey with approximately $21.6 billion in assets. Its principal subsidiary, Valley National Bank, currently operates 227 branch locations serving northern and central New Jersey, the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, and Florida. Valley National Bank is one of the largest commercial banks headquartered in New Jersey and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest in product innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable staff with a high priority on friendly customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information about Valley National Bank and its products and services, please visit www.valleynationalbank.com or call Customer Service, 24/7 at 800-522-4100.

Forward Looking Statements

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management's confidence and strategies and management's expectations about new and existing programs and products, acquisitions, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology, market conditions and economic expectations. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as "should," "expect," "believe," "view," "opportunity," "allow," "continues," "reflects," "typically," "usually," "anticipate," or similar statements or variations of such terms. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:


    --  weakness or a decline in the U.S. economy, in particular in New Jersey,
        New York Metropolitan area (including Long Island) and Florida;
    --  unexpected changes in market interest rates for interest earning assets
        and/or interest bearing liabilities;
    --  less than expected cost savings from the maturity, modification or
        prepayment of long-term borrowings that mature through 2022;
    --  further prepayment penalties related to the early extinguishment of high
        cost borrowings;
    --  less than expected cost savings in 2016 and 2017 from Valley's Branch
        Efficiency and Cost Reduction Plans;
    --  claims and litigation pertaining to fiduciary responsibility,
        contractual issues, environmental laws and other matters;
    --  cyber attacks, computer viruses or other malware that may breach the
        security of our websites or other systems to obtain unauthorized access
        to confidential information, destroy data, disable or degrade service,
        or sabotage our systems;
    --  government intervention in the U.S. financial system and the effects of
        and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws,
        including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve;
    --  our inability to pay dividends at current levels, or at all, because of
        inadequate future earnings, regulatory restrictions or limitations, and
        changes in the composition of qualifying regulatory capital and minimum
        capital requirements (including those resulting from the U.S.
        implementation of Basel III requirements);
    --  higher than expected loan losses within one or more segments of our loan
        portfolio;
    --  declines in value in our investment portfolio, including additional
        other-than-temporary impairment charges on our investment securities;
    --  unexpected significant declines in the loan portfolio due to the lack of
        economic expansion, increased competition, large prepayments or other
        factors;
    --  unanticipated credit deterioration in our loan portfolio;
    --  lower than expected cash flows from purchased credit-impaired loans;
    --  unanticipated loan delinquencies, loss of collateral, decreased service
        revenues, and other potential negative effects on our business caused by
        severe weather or other external events;
    --  higher than expected tax rates, including increases resulting from
        changes in tax laws, regulations and case law;
    --  an unexpected decline in real estate values within our market areas;
    --  higher than expected FDIC insurance assessments;
    --  the failure of other financial institutions with whom we have trading,
        clearing, counterparty and other financial relationships;
    --  lack of liquidity to fund our various cash obligations;
    --  unanticipated reduction in our deposit base;
    --  potential acquisitions that may disrupt our business;
    --  future goodwill impairment due to changes in our business, changes in
        market conditions, or other factors;
    --  legislative and regulatory actions (including the impact of the
        Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related
        regulations) subject us to additional regulatory oversight which may
        result in higher compliance costs and/or require us to change our
        business model;
    --  changes in accounting policies or accounting standards, including the
        potential issuance of new authoritative accounting guidance which may
        increase the required level of our allowance for credit losses;
    --  our inability to promptly adapt to technological changes;
    --  our internal controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent
        losses;
    --  the inability to realize expected revenue synergies from the CNL merger
        in the amounts or in the timeframe anticipated;
    --  costs or difficulties relating to CNL integration matters might be
        greater than expected;
    --  inability to retain customers and employees, including those of CNL;
    --  lower than expected cash flows from purchased credit-impaired loans; and
    --  other unexpected material adverse changes in our operations or earnings.

A detailed discussion of factors that could affect our results is included in our SEC filings, including the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

-Tables to Follow-


                                                                                                                        VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
                                                                                                                   CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA


                                                                                                Three Months Ended                                                   Years Ended
                                                                                                ------------------

                                                                   December 31,                     September 30,                    December 31,                   December 31,


    ($ in thousands, except for share data)                                2015                                   2015                         2014                   2015                      2014
                                                                           ----                                   ----                         ----                   ----                      ----

    FINANCIAL DATA:
    ---------------

    Net interest income                                                              $148,046                                               $133,960                                $128,646                         $550,269      $474,757

    Net interest income - FTE (1)                                       150,080                                  135,900                                  130,618                     558,135           482,690

    Non-interest income                                                  24,038                                   20,919                                   29,563                      83,802            77,616

    Non-interest expense                                                174,893                                  108,652                                  121,267                     499,075           403,255

    Income tax (benefit) expense                                       (10,987)                                  10,179                                    7,827                      23,938            31,062
                                                                        -------                                   ------                                    -----                      ------            ------

    Net income                                                            4,671                                   35,954                                   25,135                     102,957                          116,172

    Dividends on preferred stock                                          1,796                                    2,017                                        -                      3,813                 -
                                                                          -----                                    -----                                      ---                      -----               ---

    Net income available to common stockholders                                        $2,875                                                $33,937                                 $25,135                          $99,144      $116,172
                                                                                       ======                                                =======                                 =======                          =======      ========

    Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:

                        Basic                                         239,916,562                              232,737,953                              221,471,635                 234,405,909       205,716,293

                        Diluted                                       239,972,546                              232,780,219                              221,471,635                 234,437,000       205,716,293

    Per common share data:

                        Basic earnings                                                    $0.01                                                  $0.15                                   $0.11                            $0.42         $0.56

                        Diluted earnings                                     0.01                                     0.15                                     0.11                        0.42              0.56

                        Cash dividends declared                              0.11                                     0.11                                     0.11                        0.44              0.44

    Closing stock price - high                                                         $11.14                                                 $10.48                                  $10.04                           $11.14        $10.80

    Closing stock price - low                                              9.67                                     9.05                                     9.21                        9.05              9.21

    FINANCIAL RATIOS:                                                                                                                                                                   `
    -----------------

    Net interest margin                                                   3.25%                                   3.05%                                   3.15%                      3.16%            3.16%

    Net interest margin - FTE (1)                                          3.30                                     3.09                                     3.20                        3.20              3.21

    Annualized return on average assets                                    0.09                                     0.74                                     0.55                        0.53              0.69

    Annualized return on average shareholders' equity                      0.90                                     7.20                                     5.65                        5.26              7.18

    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders' equity (2)         1.29                                    10.36                                     8.26                        7.66             10.26

    Efficiency ratio (3)                                                 101.63                                    70.15                                    76.65                       78.71             73.00

    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET ITEMS:
    ----------------------------

    Assets                                                                        $20,257,422                                            $19,520,165                             $18,307,999                      $19,438,055   $16,825,312

    Interest earning assets                                          18,216,020                               17,597,291                               16,315,016                  17,425,504        15,040,783

    Loans                                                            15,343,468                               14,709,618                               13,042,303                  14,447,020        12,081,683

    Interest bearing liabilities                                     13,368,128                               12,947,242                               12,319,782                  12,907,347        11,315,340

    Deposits                                                         15,521,476                               14,591,718                               13,388,911                  14,609,858        11,919,161

    Shareholders' equity                                              2,069,084                                1,997,369                                1,780,334                   1,958,757         1,618,965



                                                                                                 VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
                                                                                            CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


                                                                                                  As Of
                                                                                                  -----

    BALANCE SHEET ITEMS:                      December 31,             September 30,                   June 30,                     March 31,                   December 31,
    --------------------

    (In thousands)                                    2015                           2015                      2015                           2015                         2014
                                                      ----                           ----                      ----                           ----                         ----

    Assets                                                 $21,612,616                                   $19,571,532                               $19,290,005                             $18,980,010 $18,792,491

    Total loans                                 16,043,107                       15,016,814                              14,480,294                  13,734,461                 13,473,913

    Non-PCI loans                               13,802,636                       13,539,026                              12,908,822                  12,085,279                 11,752,112

    Deposits                                    16,253,551                       14,499,863                              14,331,031                  14,216,743                 14,034,116

    Shareholders' equity                         2,207,091                        1,996,949                               1,985,527                   1,867,153                  1,863,017


    LOANS:
    ------

    (In thousands)

    Commercial and industrial                               $2,540,491                                    $2,400,618                                $2,372,031                              $2,367,927  $2,251,111

    Commercial real estate:

    Commercial real estate                       7,424,636                        6,960,677                               6,783,149                   6,205,873                  6,160,881

    Construction                                   754,947                          569,653                                 586,068                     542,014                    533,134
                                                   -------                          -------                                 -------                     -------                    -------

     Total commercial real estate                8,179,583                        7,530,330                               7,369,217                   6,747,887                  6,694,015

    Residential mortgage                         3,130,541                        2,999,262                               2,704,081                   2,648,011                  2,576,372

    Consumer:

    Home equity                                    511,203                          478,129                                 482,366                     485,859                    497,247

    Automobile                                   1,239,313                        1,219,758                               1,198,064                   1,162,963                  1,144,831

    Other consumer                                 441,976                          388,717                                 354,535                     321,814                    310,337
                                                   -------                          -------                                 -------                     -------                    -------

    Total consumer loans                         2,192,492                        2,086,604                               2,034,965                   1,970,636                  1,952,415
                                                 ---------                        ---------                               ---------                   ---------                  ---------

    Total loans                                            $16,043,107                                   $15,016,814                               $14,480,294                             $13,734,461 $13,473,913
                                                           ===========                                   ===========                               ===========                             =========== ===========


    CAPITAL RATIOS:
    ---------------

    Book value                                                   $8.26                                         $8.10                                     $8.06                                   $8.03       $8.03

    Tangible book value (2)                           5.36                             5.48                                    5.43                        5.40                       5.38

    Tangible common equity to tangible assets
     (2)                                            6.52%                           6.73%                                  6.76%                      6.83%                     6.87%

    Tier 1 leverage (4)                               7.90                             7.67                                    7.76                        7.17                       7.46

    Tier 1 common capital ratio (4)                   9.01                             9.18                                    9.31                        9.45                        N/A

    Risk-based capital - Tier 1(4)                    9.72                             9.93                                   10.07                        9.45                       9.73

    Risk-based capital - Total Capital (4)           12.02                            12.43                                   12.62                       11.35                      11.42



                                                                                                                VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
                                                                                                           CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


                                                                                                                       Three Months Ended                                                            Years Ended
                                                                                                                       ------------------

    ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES:                                                                                December 31,               September 30,               December 31,                               December 31,
    ----------------------------                                                                                                                                                                                  ------------

    ($ in thousands)                                                                                                    2015                         2015                        2014                     2015                   2014
                                                                                                                        ----                         ----                        ----                     ----                   ----

    Beginning balance - Allowance for credit losses                              $106,697                                  $104,887                                                $104,559                                       $104,287                                 $117,112

    Loans charged-off:

                                                       Commercial and industrial  (2,825)                   (1,124)                                      (916)                              (7,928)                            (12,722)

                                                       Commercial real estate           -                         -                                          -                              (1,864)                             (4,894)

                                                       Construction                  (10)                      (40)                                    (2,767)                                (926)                             (4,576)

                                                       Residential mortgage         (314)                     (111)                                      (489)                                (813)                             (1,004)

                                                       Consumer                     (799)                     (734)                                    (1,391)                              (3,441)                             (3,702)
                                                                                  -----

                                                       Total loans charged-off                     (3,948)                         (2,009)                                    (5,563)                            (14,972)                            (26,898)
                                                                                                    ------                           ------                                      ------                              -------                              -------

    Charged-off loans recovered:

                                                       Commercial and industrial    1,646                      2,550                                         720                                 7,233                                6,874

                                                       Commercial real estate          73                        535                                         279                                   846                                2,198

                                                       Construction                     -                         1                                           -                                  913                                  912

                                                       Residential mortgage            26                        151                                           4                                   421                                  248

                                                       Consumer                       366                        488                                         308                                 1,538                                1,957
                                                                                    ---

                                                       Total loans recovered                         2,111                            3,725                                       1,311                               10,951                               12,189
                                                                                                     -----                            -----                                       -----                               ------                               ------

    Net charge-offs                                                                                                  (1,837)                                   1,716                                 (4,252)                           (4,021)                    (14,709)

    Provision for credit losses                                                                                        3,507                                       94                                   3,980                              8,101                        1,884
                                                                                                                       -----                                      ---                                   -----                              -----                        -----

    Ending balance - Allowance for credit losses                                 $108,367                                  $106,697                                                $104,287                                       $108,367                                 $104,287
                                                                                 ========                                  ========                                                ========                                       ========                                 ========

    Components of allowance for credit losses:

                                                       Allowance for loans                $106,178                                     $104,551                                              $102,353                                         $106,178                              $102,353

                                                        Allowance for unfunded
                                                        letters of credit           2,189                      2,146                                       1,934                                 2,189                                1,934
                                                                                  -----

    Allowance for credit losses                                                  $108,367                                  $106,697                                                $104,287                                       $108,367                                 $104,287
                                                                                 ========                                  ========                                                ========                                       ========                                 ========

    Components of provision for credit losses:

                                                        Provision for losses on
                                                        loans                               $3,464                                $           -                                               $4,167                                           $7,846                                $3,445

                                                        Provision for unfunded
                                                        letters of credit              43                         94                                       (187)                                  255                              (1,561)
                                                                                    ---

    Provision for credit losses                                                    $3,507                                       $94                                                  $3,980                                         $8,101                                   $1,884
                                                                                   ======                                       ===                                                  ======                                         ======                                   ======

    Annualized ratio of total net charge-offs to average loans

                                              0.05%                                       (0.05)%                           0.13%                                   0.03%                                  0.12%

    Allowance for credit losses as a % of non-PCI loans

                                              0.79%                                         0.79%                           0.89%                                   0.79%                                  0.89%

    Allowance for credit losses as a % of total loans

                                              0.68%                                         0.71%                           0.77%                                   0.68%                                  0.77%




                                                          VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
                                                     CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


                                                                       As Of
                                                                       -----

    ASSET QUALITY: (5)                   December 31,              September 30,           December 31,
    -----------------

    ($ in thousands)                          2015                        2015                    2014
                                              ----                        ----                    ----

    Accruing past due loans:

    30 to 59 days past due:

               Commercial and industrial                 $3,920                                            $2,081              $1,630

               Commercial real estate          2,684                                 2,950                            8,938

               Construction                    1,876                                 4,707                              448

               Residential mortgage            6,681                                 5,617                            6,200

               Consumer                        3,348                                 3,491                            2,982
                                             -----

    Total 30 to 59 days past
     due                                    18,509                                18,846                           20,198

    60 to 89 days past due:

               Commercial and industrial         524                                 1,996                            1,102

               Commercial real estate              -                                1,415                              113

               Construction                    2,799                                     -                               -

               Residential mortgage            1,626                                 1,977                            3,575

               Consumer                          626                                   722                              764
                                               ---

    Total 60 to 89 days past
     due                                     5,575                                 6,110                            5,554

    90 or more days past due:

               Commercial and industrial         213                                   224                              226

               Commercial real estate            131                                   245                               49

               Construction                        -                                    -                           3,988

               Residential mortgage            1,504                                 3,468                            1,063

               Consumer                          208                                   166                              152
                                               ---

    Total 90 or more days
     past due                                2,056                                 4,103                            5,478
                                             -----                                 -----                            -----

    Total accruing past due
     loans                                            $26,140                                           $29,059             $31,230
                                                      =======                                           =======             =======

    Non-accrual loans:

               Commercial and industrial                $10,913                                           $12,845              $8,467

               Commercial real estate         24,888                                22,129                           22,098

               Construction                    6,163                                 5,959                            5,223

               Residential mortgage           17,930                                16,657                           17,760

               Consumer                        2,206                                 1,634                            2,209
                                             -----

    Total non-accrual loans                 62,100                                59,224                           55,757

    Non-performing loans
     held for sale                               -                                    -                           7,130

    Other real estate owned
     (6)                                    13,563                                14,691                           14,249

    Other repossessed assets                   437                                   369                            1,232

    Non-accrual debt
     securities (7)                          2,142                                 2,182                            4,729
                                             -----                                 -----                            -----

    Total non-performing
     assets ("NPAs")                                  $78,242                                           $76,466             $83,097
                                                      =======                                           =======             =======

    Performing troubled debt
     restructured loans                               $77,627                                           $91,210             $97,743

    Total non-accrual loans
     as a % of loans                         0.39%                                0.39%                           0.41%

    Total accruing past due
     and non-accrual loans

               as a % of loans                 0.55%                                0.59%                           0.65%

    Non-performing purchased
     credit-impaired loans
     (8)                                              $38,625                                           $22,228             $47,713



                   VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
              CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


    NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA


             (1)    Net interest income and net interest
                     margin are presented on a tax
                     equivalent basis using a 35 percent
                     federal tax rate.  Valley believes
                     that this presentation provides
                     comparability of net interest
                     income and net interest margin
                     arising from both taxable and tax-
                     exempt sources and is consistent
                     with industry practice and SEC
                     rules.


             (2)    This press release contains certain
                     supplemental financial information,
                     described in the Notes below, which
                     has been determined by methods
                     other than U.S. Generally Accepted
                     Accounting Principles ("GAAP") that
                     management uses in its analysis of
                     Valley's performance.  Management
                     believes these non-GAAP financial
                     measures provide information useful
                     to investors in understanding
                     Valley's financial results.
                     Specifically, Valley provides
                     measures based on what it believes
                     are its operating earnings on a
                     consistent basis and excludes
                     material non-core operating items
                     which affect the GAAP reporting of
                     results of operations.  Management
                     utilizes these measures for
                     internal planning and forecasting
                     purposes. Management believes that
                     Valley's presentation and
                     discussion, together with the
                     accompanying reconciliations,
                     provides a complete understanding
                     of factors and trends affecting
                     Valley's business and allows
                     investors to view performance in a
                     manner similar to management. These
                     non-GAAP measures should not be
                     considered a substitute for GAAP
                     basis measures and results and
                     Valley strongly encourages
                     investors to review its
                     consolidated financial statements
                     in their a substitute for GAAP
                     basis measures and results and
                     Valley strongly encourages
                     investors to review its
                     consolidated financial statements
                     in their entirety and not to rely
                     on any single financial measure.
                     Because non-GAAP financial
                     measures are not standardized, it
                     may not be possible to compare
                     these financial measures with other
                     companies' non-GAAP financial
                     measures having the same or similar
                     names.



                                                                                                                    NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA


                                                                                                                             As Of
                                                                                                                             -----

                                                                   December 31,                     September 30,                       June 30,                 March 31,                          December 31,

    ($ in thousands, except for share data)                                2015                                   2015                         2015                         2015                               2014
                                                                           ----                                   ----                         ----                         ----                               ----

    Tangible book value per common share:
    -------------------------------------

    Common shares outstanding                                       253,787,561                              232,789,880                             232,619,748                        232,428,108                   232,110,975
                                                                    -----------                              -----------                             -----------                        -----------                   -----------

    Shareholders' equity                                                         $2,207,091                                               $1,996,949                                    $1,985,527                                 $1,867,153  $1,863,017

    Less: Preferred Stock                                             (111,590)                               (111,590)                              (111,590)                                 -                            -

    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets                        (735,221)                               (608,916)                              (610,640)                         (612,558)                    (614,667)
                                                                                                               --------                                --------                           --------                      --------

    Tangible shareholders' equity                                                $1,360,280                                               $1,276,443                                    $1,263,297                                 $1,254,595  $1,248,350

        Tangible book value                                               $5.36                                    $5.48                                   $5.43                              $5.40                         $5.38

    Tangible common equity to tangible assets:
    ------------------------------------------

    Tangible shareholders' equity                                                $1,360,280                                               $1,276,443                                    $1,263,297                                 $1,254,595  $1,248,350
                                                                                 ----------                                               ----------                                    ----------                                 ----------  ----------

    Total assets                                                                $21,612,616                                              $19,571,532                                   $19,290,005                                $18,980,010 $18,793,855

    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets                        (735,221)                               (608,916)                              (610,640)                         (612,558)                    (614,667)
                                                                       --------                                 --------                                --------                           --------                      --------

    Tangible assets                                                             $20,877,395                                              $18,962,616                                   $18,679,365                                $18,367,452 $18,179,188

        Tangible common equity to tangible assets                         6.52%                                   6.73%                                  6.76%                             6.83%                        6.87%


                                                                                            Three Months Ended                                                     Years Ended
                                                                                            ------------------

                                                                   December 31,                     September 30,                    December 31,                         December 31,
                                                                                                                                                                          ------------

                                                                           2015                                   2015                         2014                         2015                               2014
                                                                           ----                                   ----                         ----                         ----                               ----

    Annualized return on average tangible shareholders' equity:
    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Net income                                                                       $4,671                                                  $35,954                                       $25,135                                   $102,957    $116,172

    Average shareholders' equity                                      2,069,084                                1,997,369                               1,780,334                          1,958,757                     1,618,965

    Less: Average goodwill and other intangible assets                (621,635)                               (609,632)                              (562,497)                         (614,084)                    (486,769)
                                                                       --------                                 --------                                --------                           --------                      --------

        Average tangible shareholders' equity                                    $1,447,449                                               $1,387,737                                    $1,217,837                                 $1,344,673  $1,132,196

        Annualized return on average tangible shareholders' equity        1.29%                                  10.36%                                  8.26%                             7.66%                       10.26%



    (3)              The efficiency ratio measures Valley's total non-interest
                     expense as a percentage of net interest income plus total
                     non-interest income.  See the "Non-Interest Expense"
                     section to this press release for additional information.


    (4)              The 2015 ratios reflect the new capital regulation changes
                     required under the Basel III regulatory capital reform.


    (5)              Past due loans and non-accrual loans exclude Purchased
                     Credit-Impaired (PCI) loans. These loans are accounted for
                     on a pool basis under U.S. GAAP and are not subject to
                     delinquency classification in the same manner as loans
                     originated by Valley.


    (6)              Excludes OREO properties related to FDIC-assisted
                     transactions totaling $5.0 million, $5.4 million and $9.2
                     million, at December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015 and
                     December 31, 2014, respectively.  These assets are covered
                     by the loss-sharing agreements with the FDIC.


    (7)              Includes other-than-temporarily impaired trust preferred
                     securities classified as available for sale, which are
                     presented at carrying value (net of unrealized losses
                     totaling $610 thousand, $570 thousand and $621 thousand at
                     December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015 and December 31,
                     2014, respectively) after recognition of all credit
                     impairments.


    (8)              Represent PCI loans meeting Valley's definition of non-
                     performing loan (i.e., non-accrual loans), but are not
                     subject to such classification under U.S. GAAP because the
                     loans are accounted for on a pooled basis and are excluded
                     from the non-accrual loans in the table above.


    SHAREHOLDERS RELATIONS

    Requests for copies of reports and/or other inquiries should be
     directed to Dianne Grenz, EVP, Director of Sales, Shareholder and
     Public Relations, Valley National Bancorp, 1455 Valley Road,
     Wayne, New Jersey, 07470, by telephone at (973) 305-4005, by fax
     at (973) 305-1364 or by e-mail at
     dgrenz@valleynationalbank.com.





    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
    (in thousands, except for share data)


                                                                           December 31,
                                                                           ------------

                                                                   2015                     2014
                                                                   ----                     ----

                                                            (Unaudited)

    Assets

    Cash and due from banks                                                $243,575                   $462,569

    Interest bearing deposits with banks                        170,225                    367,838

    Investment securities:

    Held to maturity (fair value of $1,621,039 at December
     31, 2015 and $1,815,976 at December 31, 2014)            1,596,385                  1,778,316

    Available for sale                                        1,506,861                    886,970

    Trading securities                                                -                    14,233
                                                                    ---                    ------

    Total investment securities                               3,103,246                  2,679,519
                                                              ---------                  ---------

    Loans held for sale, at fair value                           16,382                     24,295

    Loans                                                    16,043,107                 13,473,913

    Less: Allowance for loan losses                           (106,178)                 (102,353)
                                                               --------                   --------

    Net loans                                                15,936,929                 13,371,560
                                                             ----------                 ----------

    Premises and equipment, net                                 298,943                    282,997

    Bank owned life insurance                                   387,542                    375,640

    Accrued interest receivable                                  63,554                     57,333

    Due from customers on acceptances outstanding                 1,185                      4,197

    Goodwill                                                    686,339                    575,892

    Other intangible assets, net                                 48,882                     38,775

    Other assets                                                655,814                    551,876
                                                                -------                    -------

    Total Assets                                                        $21,612,616                $18,792,491
                                                                        ===========                ===========

    Liabilities

    Deposits:

    Non-interest bearing                                                 $4,914,285                 $4,235,515

    Interest bearing:

    Savings, NOW and money market                             8,181,362                  7,056,133

    Time                                                      3,157,904                  2,742,468
                                                              ---------                  ---------

    Total deposits                                           16,253,551                 14,034,116
                                                             ----------                 ----------

    Short-term borrowings                                     1,076,991                    146,781

    Long-term borrowings                                      1,810,728                  2,525,044

    Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts      41,414                     41,252

    Bank acceptances outstanding                                  1,185                      4,197

    Accrued expenses and other liabilities                      221,656                    178,084

    Total Liabilities                                        19,405,525                 16,929,474
                                                             ----------                 ----------

    Shareholders' Equity

    Preferred stock, (no par value, authorized 30,000,000
     shares; issued 4,600,000 shares at December 31, 2015)      111,590                          -

    Common stock, (no par value, authorized 332,023,233
     shares; issued 253,787,561 shares at December 31, 2015
     and 232,127,098 shares at December 31, 2014)                88,626                     81,072

    Surplus                                                   1,927,399                  1,693,752

    Retained earnings                                           125,171                    130,845

    Accumulated other comprehensive loss                       (45,695)                  (42,495)

    Treasury stock, at cost (16,123 common shares at
     December 31, 2014)                                               -                     (157)
                                                                    ---                      ----

    Total Shareholders' Equity                                2,207,091                  1,863,017
                                                              ---------                  ---------

    Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity                          $21,612,616                $18,792,491
                                                                        ===========                ===========



    VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)
    (in thousands, except for share data)


                                                                        Three Months Ended                                                    Years Ended
                                                                        ------------------

                                                  December 31,          September 30,                December 31,                         December 31,


                                                          2015                    2015                         2014                  2015                 2014
                                                          ----                    ----                         ----                  ----                 ----

    Interest Income

    Interest and fees on loans                                 $167,412                                             $157,141                                     $150,296              $633,199 $552,821

    Interest and dividends on investment
     securities:

    Taxable                                             12,737                                12,148                              15,159                            52,050      62,458

    Tax-exempt                                           3,768                                 3,593                               3,650                            14,568      14,683

    Dividends                                            1,544                                 1,658                               1,570                             6,557       6,272

    Interest on federal funds
     sold and other short-term
     investments                                           133                                   150                                 267                               649         369
                                                           ---                                   ---                                 ---                               ---         ---

    Total interest income                              185,594                               174,690                             170,942                           707,023     636,603
                                                       -------                               -------                             -------                           -------     -------

    Interest Expense

    Interest on deposits:

    Savings, NOW and money market                        7,331                                 5,587                               6,000                            24,824      19,671

    Time                                                 9,795                                 9,535                               7,686                            35,432      27,882

    Interest on short-term
     borrowings                                            492                                   126                                 132                               919         972

    Interest on long-term
     borrowings and junior
     subordinated debentures                            19,930                                25,482                              28,478                            95,579     113,321
                                                        ------                                ------                              ------                            ------     -------

    Total interest expense                              37,548                                40,730                              42,296                           156,754     161,846
                                                        ------                                ------                              ------                           -------     -------

    Net Interest Income                                148,046                               133,960                             128,646                           550,269     474,757

    Provision for credit losses                          3,507                                    94                               3,980                             8,101       1,884

    Net Interest Income After
     Provision for Credit Losses                       144,539                               133,866                             124,666                           542,168     472,873
                                                       -------                               -------                             -------                           -------     -------

    Non-Interest Income

    Trust and investment services                        2,500                                 2,450                               2,415                            10,020       9,512

    Insurance commissions                                4,779                                 4,119                               4,232                            17,233      16,853

    Service charges on deposit
     accounts                                            5,382                                 5,241                               5,662                            21,176      22,771

    Gains on securities
     transactions, net                                       6                                   157                                 643                             2,487         745

    Fees from loan servicing                             1,693                                 1,703                               1,751                             6,641       7,013

    Gains on sales of loans, net                         1,211                                 2,014                                 234                             4,245       1,731

    Gains (losses) on sales of
     assets, net                                         2,853                                 (558)                             17,876                             2,776      18,087

    Bank owned life insurance                            1,627                                 1,806                               1,799                             6,815       6,392

    Change in FDIC loss-share
     receivable                                             54                                  (55)                            (9,182)                          (3,326)   (20,792)

    Other                                                3,933                                 4,042                               4,133                            15,735      15,304
                                                         -----                                 -----                               -----                            ------      ------

    Total non-interest income                           24,038                                20,919                              29,563                            83,802      77,616
                                                        ------                                ------                              ------                            ------      ------

    Non-Interest Expense

    Salary and employee benefits
     expense                                            56,164                                54,315                              52,806                           221,765     193,489

    Net occupancy and equipment
     expense                                            24,663                                21,526                              18,784                            90,521      74,492

    FDIC insurance assessment                            4,895                                 4,168                               3,837                            16,867      14,051

    Amortization of other
     intangible assets                                   2,448                                 2,232                               3,021                             9,169       9,919

    Professional and legal fees                          6,902                                 4,643                               5,188                            18,945      16,859

    Loss on extinguishment of
     debt                                               51,129                                     -                             10,132                            51,129      10,132

    Amortization of tax credit
     investments                                        13,081                                 5,224                              10,048                            27,312      24,196

    Advertising                                            159                                   732                               1,852                             4,251       4,666

    Telecommunication expense                            2,158                                 2,050                               2,022                             8,259       6,993

    Other                                               13,294                                13,762                              13,577                            50,857      48,458
                                                        ------                                ------                              ------                            ------      ------

    Total non-interest expense                         174,893                               108,652                             121,267                           499,075     403,255
                                                       -------                               -------                             -------                           -------     -------

    (Loss) Income Before Income
     Taxes                                             (6,316)                               46,133                              32,962                           126,895     147,234

    Income (benefit) tax expense                      (10,987)                               10,179                               7,827                            23,938      31,062

    Net Income                                           4,671                                35,954                              25,135                           102,957     116,172

    Dividends on preferred stock                         1,796                                 2,017                                   -                            3,813           -
                                                         -----                                 -----                                 ---                            -----         ---

    Net Income Available to
     Common Shareholders                                         $2,875                                              $33,937                                      $25,135               $99,144 $116,172
                                                                 ======                                              =======                                      =======               ======= ========

    Earnings Per Common Share:

    Basic                                                         $0.01                                                $0.15                                        $0.11                 $0.42    $0.56

    Diluted                                               0.01                                  0.15                                0.11                              0.42        0.56

    Cash Dividends Declared per
     Common Share                                         0.11                                  0.11                                0.11                              0.44        0.44

    Weighted Average Number of Common Shares
     Outstanding:

    Basic                                          239,916,562                           232,737,953                         221,471,635                       234,405,909 205,716,293

    Diluted                                        239,972,546                           232,780,219                         221,471,635                       234,437,000 205,716,293



                                                                                                                                                                                            VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP

                                                                                                                                                                 Quarterly Analysis of Average Assets, Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity and

                                                                                                                                                                                 Net Interest Income on a Tax Equivalent Basis

                                                                                                                                                      Three Months Ended
                                                                                                                                                      ------------------

                                                                                                            December 31, 2015                                                 September 30, 2015                                                           December 31, 2014
                                                                                                         -----------------                                           ------------------                                                      -----------------

                                                                                              Average                                            Avg.                 Average                                               Avg.                        Average                                               Avg.

    ($ in thousands)                                          Balance                    Interest                  Rate                   Balance                    Interest                   Rate                           Balance                       Interest                Rate
                                                              -------                   --------                   ----                   -------                    --------                   ----                           -------                      --------                 ----

    Assets

    Interest earning assets

    Loans (1)(2)                                                          $15,343,468                                         $167,417                         4.36%                                           $14,709,618                                          $157,146                        4.27%                               $13,042,303                   $150,302 4.61%

    Taxable investments (3)                                  2,076,720                                  14,281                            2.75%                          2,070,806                                   13,806                                 2.67%                             2,284,183                          16,729                  2.93%

    Tax-exempt investments (1)(3)                              552,471                                   5,797                            4.20%                            553,225                                    5,528                                 4.00%                               543,005                           5,616                  4.14%

    Federal funds sold and other

    interest bearing deposits                                  243,361                                     133                            0.22%                            263,642                                      150                                 0.23%                               445,525                             267                  0.24%

    Total interest earning assets                           18,216,020                                 187,628                            4.12%                         17,597,291                                  176,630                                 4.01%                            16,315,016                         172,914                  4.24%


    Other assets                                             2,041,402                                                                                  1,922,874                                                                                   1,992,983


    Total assets                                                          $20,257,422                                                                                 $19,520,165                                                                                            $18,307,999
                                                                          ===========                                                                                 ===========                                                                                            ===========

    Liabilities and shareholders' equity

    Interest bearing liabilities:

    Savings, NOW and money market deposits                                 $7,724,927                                           $7,331                         0.38%                                            $7,090,155                                            $5,587                        0.32%                                $6,799,900                     $6,000 0.35%

                                                            Time deposits             3,154,781                                9,795                         1.24%                              3,104,238                                   9,535                                  1.23%                  2,515,621                          7,686             1.22%

                                                            Short-term borrowings       417,097                                  492                         0.47%                                170,115                                     126                                  0.30%                    169,396                            132             0.31%

                                                             Long-term borrowings
                                                              (4)                      2,071,323                               19,930                         3.85%                              2,582,734                                  25,482                                  3.95%                  2,834,865                         28,478             4.02%

    Total interest bearing liabilities                      13,368,128                                  37,548                            1.12%                         12,947,242                                   40,730                                 1.26%                            12,319,782                          42,296                  1.37%


    Non-interest bearing deposits                            4,641,768                                                                                  4,397,325                                                                                   4,073,390

    Other liabilities                                          178,442                                                                                    178,229                                                                                     134,493

    Shareholders' equity                                     2,069,084                                                                                  1,997,369                                                                                   1,780,334


    Total liabilities and shareholders' equity                            $20,257,422                                                                                 $19,520,165                                                                                            $18,307,999
                                                                          ===========                                                                                 ===========                                                                                            ===========

    Net interest income/interest rate spread (5)                                                   $150,080                            3.00%                                                                   $135,900                                 2.75%                                                             $130,618                  2.87%

    Tax equivalent adjustment                                                           (2,034)                                                                                  (1,940)                                                                                             (1,972)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ------

    Net interest income, as reported                                                               $148,046                                                                                                  $133,960                                                                                            $128,646
                                                                                                   ========                                                                                                  ========                                                                                            ========

    Net interest margin (6)                                                                                        3.25%                                                                                       3.05%                                                                                            3.15%

    Tax equivalent effect                                                                                          0.05%                                                                                       0.04%                                                                                            0.05%

    Net interest margin on a fully tax equivalent basis (6)                                                        3.30%                                                                                       3.09%                                                                                            3.20%
                                                                                                                    ====                                                                                         ====                                                                                              ====

    _________________________


    (1)              Interest income is presented on
                     a tax equivalent basis using a
                     35 percent federal tax rate.

    (2)              Loans are stated net of unearned
                     income and include non-accrual
                     loans.

    (3)              The yield for securities that
                     are classified as available for
                     sale is based on the average
                     historical amortized cost.

    (4)              Includes junior subordinated
                     debentures issued to capital
                     trusts which are presented
                     separately on the consolidated
                     statements of condition.

    (5)              Interest rate spread represents
                     the difference between the
                     average yield on interest
                     earning assets and the average
                     cost of interest bearing
                     liabilities and is presented on
                     a fully tax equivalent basis.

    (6)              Net interest income as a
                     percentage of total average
                     interest earning assets.

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SOURCE Valley National Bancorp