Joe Giamartino Joins Sterling National Bank's Commercial

MONTEBELLO, NY --(Marketwired - November 02, 2016) - Sterling National Bank, the principal subsidiary of Sterling Bancorp ( NYSE : STL ), announced today that Joe Giamartino has joined the bank's Westchester commercial banking team as Senior Managing Director and Senior Vice President.

Giamartino will help drive the bank's growth across the middle market, focusing on relationship management, client retention and business development initiatives. He will also be responsible for supporting underwriting, portfolio administration and cash management functions.

Giamartino brings to Sterling extensive experience in team leadership, client development, new business acquisition, operations management and credit risk management. He was most recently Market Manager and Senior Vice President at Citizens Bank, where he was responsible for maintaining existing relationships and new client acquisition. He was also instrumental in recruiting and coaching new bankers to better serve clients and increase market share. Prior to joining Citizens Bank, he held positions in commercial banking with Bank of America, Fleet Bank, NatWest Bank and First National Bank of Central Jersey, in the New York and New Jersey metro areas.

"We are thrilled to welcome Joe to our growing team," said Lynn Bagliebter, Westchester Market President at Sterling. "He has years of regional experience, a deep understanding of the commercial banking sector and a proven ability to lead teams to deliver success for clients. We are very excited about being able to draw on Joe's talents as we continue to deepen our existing relationships, drive new business and deliver high quality, personalized service to our clients."

Giamartino graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a master's degree in business administration, with a specialization in Corporate Finance. He received a bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance from Alfred University.

About Sterling National Bank Sterling National Bank, the principal subsidiary of Sterling Bancorp, specializes in the delivery of service and solutions to business owners, their families, and consumers in communities within the greater New York City area through teams of dedicated and experienced relationship managers. Sterling National Bank offers a complete line of commercial, business, and consumer banking products and services. For more information, visit www.snb.com .

Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may concern Sterling's current expectations about its future results, plans, operations and prospects and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including inflation; the effects of, and changes in, trade; changes in asset quality and credit risk; introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of business initiatives; capital management activities; customer disintermediation; and the success of Sterling at managing these risks. Other factors that could cause Sterling's actual results to differ from those indicated in forward-looking statements are included in the "Risk Factors" section of Sterling's securities filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included herein are only made as of the date hereof, and Sterling specifically disclaims any obligation to update these statements in the future.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1...69e976.jpg