Columbia Financial, Inc./MD/ 8-K

What Happened
Columbia Financial, Inc. filed an 8-K (June 29, 2026) announcing that, under its January 31, 2026 merger agreement with Northfield Bancorp, Inc., it increased the size of its board from nine to thirteen and appointed four Northfield directors—John P. Connors, Jr.; Timothy C. Harrison; Steven M. Klein; and Paul V. Stahlin—to serve as directors of the surviving company and, upon closing of the related bank merger, as directors of Columbia Bank. The board size for Columbia Bank was also amended (on June 23, 2026) to increase from eleven to fifteen directors, with these four seats to become effective at the banks’ merger closing.

Key Details

• Company action date: board changes approved June 23, 2026; 8-K filed June 29, 2026.
• Board changes: Columbia Financial board increased from 9 to 13 directors; Columbia Bank board increased from 11 to 15 directors.
• Appointees: John P. Connors, Jr. (attorney, age 69); Timothy C. Harrison (real estate/developer, age 68); Steven M. Klein (CPA, Northfield CEO, age 60); Paul V. Stahlin (former bank CEO, CPA, audit committee financial expert, age 73).
• Compensation and disclosures: The Northfield Continuing Directors will receive the same director compensation as current Company/Bank directors; no related-party transactions requiring Item 404 disclosure were reported. Appointments are subject to and effective upon completion of the MHC second‑step conversion and the Merger/Bank Merger described in the Company’s Form S-4 (file no. 333-294104).

Why It Matters
These board appointments implement the merger agreement and add four Northfield directors to the combined company’s governance team upon closing. The new directors bring legal, real estate, accounting, banking and audit expertise (including an SEC-designated audit committee financial expert), which the filing notes as relevant to oversight of the combined businesses. For investors, this is a governance update tied directly to the pending Merger and Bank Merger and signals how board composition will change once the transactions close.