Updated:
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.
Mark DeFazio founded Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in 1999 as a New York commercial bank focused on middle-market and real estate lending.
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.
Mark R. DeFazio launched Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in 1999 as a de novo community bank in New York City. The firm operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, and has positioned itself as a relationship-driven commercial lender. Metropolitan went public in 2017 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MCB. The bank grew initially by serving small and midsize businesses that larger institutions often overlooked, banking commercial real estate sponsors, property managers, and service firms across the five boroughs and Long Island. Metropolitan is a full-service commercial bank that originates and retains loans, with a portfolio weighted toward commercial real estate and commercial and industrial lending. The bank also operates a global payments and treasury management business that serves non-bank financial institutions. The bank's lending activity concentrates primarily on multifamily properties, mixed-use commercial real estate, and owner-occupied business properties in the New York metropolitan area. Metropolitan also provides deposit products, cash management services, and digital banking platforms tailored to commercial clients. As of the end of 2023, Metropolitan reported total assets of approximately $7.1 billion and operated fewer than ten full-service branches, all within the New York metro area. The bank's commercial real estate book has drawn scrutiny from bank analysts following the regional banking stress in early 2023, as a significant portion of its loan portfolio is secured by New York City office and multifamily properties. The firm has taken measures to manage risk in that portfolio and increased deposit rates to maintain competitiveness. November 2024: The bank announced net income of $16.3 million for the third quarter of 2024, reflecting loan growth despite elevated provisioning for credit losses (per the company's quarterly filing). Metropolitan's structural posture reflects the tensions inherent in a publicly traded regional bank that competes on relationship lending. The bank holds loans on its balance sheet rather than distributing risk, which concentrates its exposure to New York commercial real estate but also allows it to retain client relationships that a non-bank lender would cede to a syndication desk. That balance-sheet intensity makes Metropolitan more vulnerable to real estate cycles than a fee-based private debt fund, but it also gives the bank permanent capital through its deposit base that investment funds must periodically raise.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1999
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Mark R. DeFazio
President and Chief Executive Officer
Frequently asked questions
Who runs credit decisions at Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.?
Mark DeFazio has served as President and CEO since founding the bank, and credit decisions flow through the executive management team and the board-level risk committee. The bank's public filings identify DeFazio and the Chief Lending Officer as key decision-makers on credit policy. Day-to-day underwriting authority is delegated to senior credit officers under board-approved limits.
What is Metropolitan's exposure to the New York City commercial real estate market?
The bank's loan portfolio is heavily concentrated in New York City commercial real estate, particularly multifamily and mixed-use properties. As of its year-end 2023 financial reports, commercial real estate loans represented the majority of the bank's total loan book. This concentration has drawn attention from analysts and regulators because regional banks with concentrated CRE exposure face higher scrutiny following the deposit runs of early 2023.
Does Metropolitan Bank operate as a family office or an investment manager in any capacity?
No. Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. is a publicly traded bank holding company whose primary operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, Metropolitan Commercial Bank. The firm is a regulated depository institution, not a family office, asset manager, or private investment vehicle. Its revenue comes from net interest income on loans and fee-based commercial banking services.
What differentiates Metropolitan's lending model from a non-bank private credit fund?
Metropolitan funds its loan book with customer deposits rather than committed investor capital, which gives it permanent funding that private credit funds must periodically raise from limited partners. However, that deposit base is subject to withdrawal risk and regulatory cost, while private credit funds lock up investor money for years. The bank also retains loans on its balance sheet rather than syndicating them, concentrating credit exposure rather than distributing it.
Is Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. actively seeking a sale or merger?
The bank has not publicly announced any intention to sell. Metropolitan operates independently under its existing management team and board, and CEO Mark DeFazio has given no public indication of pursuing a merger. Regional banks of Metropolitan's size are occasionally the subject of consolidation speculation, but no concrete transaction has been reported.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: