WSBF Company Profile

WaterStone Bank conducts its community banking business from 11 banking offices located in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha Counties, Wisconsin, as well as a loan production office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. WaterStone Banks principal lending activity is originating one- to four-family and multi-family residential real estate loans for retention in its portfolio.

WaterStone Bank is subject to comprehensive regulation and examination by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (WDFI) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

WaterStone Banks executive offices are located at 11200 West Plank Court, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 53226, and its telephone number is (414) 761-1000. Its website address is www.wsbonline.com.

WaterStone Banks mortgage banking operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Waterstone Mortgage Corporation. Waterstone Mortgage Corporation originates single-family residential real estate loans for sale into the secondary market. Waterstone Mortgage Corporation utilizes lines of credit provided by WaterStone Bank as a primary source of funds, and also utilizes a line of credit with another financial institution as needed.

The scope of the discussion included under "Lending Activities" is limited to lending operations related to loans originated for investment. A discussion of the lending activities related to loans originated for sale is included under "Mortgage Banking Activities."

Wauwatosa Investments, Inc. is WaterStone Banks investment subsidiary headquartered in the State of Nevada. Wauwatosa Investments, Inc. manages the back office function for WaterStone Banks investment portfolio. Our Chief Financial Officer and Treasury Officer are responsible for executing purchase and sales in accordance with our investment policy and monitoring the investment activities of Wauwatosa Investments, Inc. The investment policy is reviewed annually by management and changes to the policy are recommended to and subject to the approval of our board of directors. Authority to make investments under the approved investment policy guidelines is delegated by the board to designated employees. While general investment strategies are developed and authorized by management, the execution of specific actions rests with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasury Officer who may act jointly in performing security trades. The Chief Financial Officer and Treasury Officer are responsible for ensuring that the guidelines and requirements included in the investment policy are followed and that all securities are considered prudent for investment. The Chief Financial Officer and the Treasury Officer are authorized to execute investment transactions (purchases and sales) without the prior approval of the board provided they are within the scope of the established Investment Policy.

Our investment policy requires that all securities transactions be conducted in a safe and sound manner. Investment decisions are based upon a thorough analysis of each security instrument to determine its quality, inherent risks, fit within our overall asset/liability management objectives, effect on our risk-based capital measurement and prospects for yield and/or appreciation.

Deposits have traditionally been our primary source of funds for use in lending and investment activities. We also rely on advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and borrowings from other commercial banks in the form of repurchase agreements collateralized by investment securities. In addition to deposits and borrowings, we derive funds from scheduled loan payments, investment maturities, loan prepayments, retained earnings and income on earning assets. While scheduled loan payments and income on earning assets are relatively stable sources of funds, deposit inflows and outflows can vary widely and are influenced by prevailing market interest rates, economic conditions and competition from other financial institutions.

A majority of our depositors are persons who work or reside in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties and, to a lesser extent, other southeastern Wisconsin communities. We offer a selection of deposit instruments, including checking, savings, money market deposit accounts, and fixed-term certificates of deposit. Deposit account terms vary, with the principal differences being the minimum balance required, the amount of time the funds must remain on deposit and the interest rate. Our reliance on certificates of deposit has resulted in a higher cost of funds than would otherwise be the case if demand deposits, savings and money market accounts made up a larger part of our deposit base. Development of our branch network and expansion of our commercial products and services and aggressively seeking lower cost savings, checking and money market accounts are expected to result in decreased reliance on higher-cost certificates of deposit.