“We are inspired by the good works within our communities and are pleased to support these endeavors by providing the resources needed for local organizations to grow and prosper,” said Craig L. Montanaro, President and CEO of Kearny Bank.
KearnyBank Charitable Foundation
Our employees have a long-standing history of community service, enhanced by the support of the KearnyBank Foundation. Through the Foundation, we fund charitable causes within Kearny Bank’s market areas in New Jersey and New York, demonstrating our commitment to local communities.
The Foundation focuses on organizations active in four areas: Education, Housing, Community Betterment (Arts, Culture, Stewardship) and Quality of Life. During the fiscal year 2026, the KearnyBank Foundation provided grants totaling approximately $592,295. Broken down by category, contributions were approximately $126,781 to Community; $186,250 to Education; $139,264 to Quality of Life; and $140,000 to Housing.
Since 2020, the Foundation has distributed more than $4,500,000 to community causes.
Kearny Bank ChangeMakers
The Kearny Bank ChangeMakers program empowers employees with the skills, resources, and confidence to serve as leaders at Kearny Bank and within our local communities. The program is specifically focused on supporting small businesses, including those owned and operated by women.
This year, ChangeMakers ambassadors hosted several micro-events across our footprint, creating meaningful opportunities for small business owners to connect directly with government agencies and trusted resources partners. These events were designed to provide participants with practical tools, guidance, and access to information that could help strengthen their financial literacy, support business growth, and build greater confidence as they navigate the challenges of owning and operating a business.
Beyond the educational resources shared, these events offered valuable opportunities for local business owners to connect, exchange ideas, build
meaningful relationships, and strengthen their engagement with others in their communities. In addition, the ChangeMakers volunteered at several community
events including Table to Table, Dress for Success, Read Across America, and other non-profit organizations. Through these efforts, we continue to recognize that giving
back is more than service, it is an investment in the strength, vitality, and long-term success of the communities served by Kearny Bank.
Increasing Digital Access
As a community bank, we offer a comprehensive suite of personal and business banking services with options for personalization to meet the individual needs of our clients and help them succeed in their day-to-day lives.
We continue to focus heavily on leveraging technology to enhance client experience and to increase access to banking services. While we recognize technology’s ever-expanding reach and importance, we are also mindful that access is not always equally available. Our goal is to meet clients where they are at, whether that’s in-person or virtually while protecting their personal and financial data along the way. See more on our approach to data security and client privacy below.
Our People
“I am extremely proud of the high level of commitment displayed by our employees while serving our clients which ensures the delivery of premier banking services within the communities we serve,” said John J. Mazur, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Employee Engagement
Kearny Bank strives to cultivate a workplace where employees feel valued, connected, and empowered to grow. Employee feedback plays an important role in
shaping our culture and enhancing our overall experience. Through our annual employee engagement survey, we gather insights that help us identify opportunities
to strengthen workplace satisfaction, support professional development, and promote meaningful engagement across the organization.
To further encourage connection and inclusion, we maintain three active employeeled Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including Caregivers, Professional, and
Cultural. Open to all employees, these highly engaged groups provide educational resources, networking opportunities, professional development support, and
forums for collaboration and support. The ERGs help foster strong relationships across departments, locations, and roles, creating opportunities for employees to
share experiences, broaden perspectives, and build connections throughout the organization. Our mentorship program further supports employee growth
development by pairing mentees with senior leaders for individualized guidance and career coaching. Through these relationships, employees have the opportunity to
expand their skills, gain valuable insights, and explore pathways for professional advancement. While the formal mentorship program spans six months, many of
these relationships continue beyond the program, evolving into lasting professional connections that provide ongoing support, guidance, and encouragement
throughout an employee’s career journey.
Training and Development
We recognize the importance of equipping employees with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive workplace. Our
training and development strategy provides access to the Kearny Bank Learning Center, which offers more than 1,000 courses, as well as career mentoring, tuition
reimbursement, and continuing education opportunities. Together, these resources help employees build the skills, confidence, and capabilities needed to grow
professionally, advance their careers, and support a strong culture of career progression. By investing in employee development, we strengthen our ability to
promote from within and create meaningful opportunities for employees to take the next step in their careers at Kearny Bank.
Recruiting and Retaining Employees
In partnership with our leadership team, our recruitment team continues to advocate for development programs and form partnerships with community groups to broaden the pool of qualified candidates for employment consideration. We participate in various career workshops for students to learn about careers in banking, providing information and opportunities available in our industry.
Supporting Employee Health and Wellness
Kearny Bank is committed to supporting our employees and their families by providing access to a variety of health and wellness programs, contributing to a healthier and more productive workforce. Our program includes benefits that promote physical, mental and financial well-being. Through our Human Resources Department, we offer employee assistance programs to provide confidential support services to employees in need. We encourage a work-life balance through flexible working hours, remote work where appropriate and paid time off. On an annual basis, we host an employee wellness week which provides an opportunity to highlight these programs within our workplace.
The Environment
We are committed to advancing practices that reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and continue to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We are also committed to managing the risks posed to our business due to the effects of climate change.
We acknowledge our organization’s impact on the environment and will continue to take steps towards operating in a manner consistent with responsible environmental practices.
We are also committed to managing the risks posed to our business due to the effects of climate change. For more information, please refer to our Environmental Mission Statement, which can be found in our Resource Library below.
Environmental Risk Policies
Our Board-approved lending policy requires both environmental assessments and risk reports to be prepared as applicable before commercial real estate loan transactions. Our Flood Disaster Protection Act Policy addresses flood hazard insurance requirements to ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Climate Risk Management
Since 2021, Kearny Bank has conducted a climate risk analysis each year. Developed by the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Department, our Climate Risk Dashboard reports and monitors various risks posed to Kearny Bank’s loans, branches and corporate locations as measured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)1 National Risk Index (NRI).
Kearny Bank’s current loan portfolio continues to be exposed to only low to moderate risk of natural disasters. We are committed to conducting these risk assessments annually and analyzing data over time to identify any emerging risk patterns and quantify the potential risks posed to Kearny Bank by climate change. The findings of the analysis are reported to the ERM Committee of the Board, with escalation of recommendations and emerging risks more frequently if necessary.
Environmental Management
Kearny Bank maintains an Energy Management System to monitor and reduce energy usage within our Corporate headquarters. We continue to explore additional initiatives to reduce our energy consumption. Significant efforts we have taken in pursuit of reducing our impact on the environment include:
- Using 100% LED lighting for all outdoor locations that we control.
- Utilizing occupancy sensor lighting in over 75% of our locations.
- Sorting and recycling waste through the use of single-stream dumpsters at a majority of our locations.
- Transitioning to paperless processes, relying heavily on electronic document systems.
- Increasing the use of cloud technologies to reduce on-premises data center power consumption.
Responsible Business Practices
We are committed to the transparency, integrity and effectiveness of policy- and decision-making at the Board level as well as all managerial levels throughout the Bank. Our commitment to ethical conduct, sustainability and compliance with legal standards guides our decision making and approach to how we conduct our business. As stipulated in our Code of Conduct, which can be found in our Resource Library below, we strive for the highest moral and ethical standards. All employees are encouraged to report good-faith concerns through our anonymous employee ethics hotline, their manager, Human Resources or Senior Management without fear of retaliation.
Fair Lending Compliance
Kearny Bank is committed to providing fair and equal access to credit to all individuals, in compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act,
and related laws. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of our lending practices. Through training, data analysis, and strong internal controls, we work to ensure our
products and services are offered equitably across all communities, including underserved areas. Our Fair Lending Policy includes written guidelines designed to
ensure all loan applicants receive equitable and impartial treatment. We continuously monitor adherence and periodically review this policy to ensure
compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and industry best practices. We maintain a Compliance Fair Lending Analytics Program, which incorporates
comprehensive data collection and analysis, used to identify, measure, and mitigate the risk of discriminatory lending practices. These analyses are provided to management for evaluation and assessment.
Community Reinvestment Act
Our mission is to promote equitable access to financial resources and opportunities for individuals and businesses within our community, especially those in underserved or low-to-moderate-income areas. Through responsible lending, investment and community engagement, we aim to foster economic growth, enhance financial inclusion and improve the quality of life for all residents. We are committed to ensuring that our actions align with the principles of the Community Reinvestment Act and reflect our dedication to creating a thriving and sustainable community for future generations.
Risk Management
Our Board of Directors ultimately oversees the Company’s risk management and delegates oversight of the review of risk management policies and practices to the ERM Committee of the Board. Our Audit and Compliance Committee also works closely with individual business lines and the Senior Management team to advise on and oversee specific risk management activities.
We conduct various stress tests including capital, liquidity, interest rate and credit risk, in order to assess our risk exposure and determine our risk appetite. This information also allows us to make more informed capital allocation decisions.
Data Security and Client Privacy
Under the oversight of our Chief Technology and Innovation Officer and Information Security team, our Board-approved Information Security Program integrates people, processes and layered technologies to safeguard our clients’ sensitive information.
Highlights of our cybersecurity and privacy programs include:
-
Alignment with security control frameworks, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, and with Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) regulatory guidance on IT and Cybersecurity programs.
-
Periodic Incident Response tabletop exercises designed to assess preparedness and enhance our response capabilities for high-risk events.
-
Annual mandatory cybersecurity, privacy and fraud awareness training for employees.
-
A Security Fraud Center to provide clients with educational resources and best practices to help protect against fraud and financial scams.
-
Oversight processes to support the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in a manner consistent with our risk management, security, and privacy standards.
-
Annual internal and external audits of data privacy controls.
- A Privacy Policy designed to align with the requirements of the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act and other applicable consumer privacy regulations.
Vendor Management
We are committed to conducting our business ethically and expect all vendors we partner with to align with our principles, as stipulated in our Vendor Code of Conduct (the “Code”). We expect any vendor providing products or services to Kearny Bank to act in accordance with this Code and demonstrate commitment to responsible and ethical business and employment practices. Before delivering products and services to Kearny Bank or our clients, vendors are subject to review and assessment in accordance with our vendor management program.