Who are ConnectOne Bancorp's competitors, and what are the alternatives?
ConnectOne's 2025 10-K, filed February 24, 2026, says the banking business is highly competitive. It names commercial banks, savings banks and savings and loan associations, many with larger assets and lending limits, plus money market funds, mortgage bankers, insurers, brokerages, small loan companies, credit unions and fintech companies. It serves small and mid-sized businesses and professionals from 59 banking offices across six New Jersey counties, Manhattan and Queens, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Westchester, and Palm Beach County, Florida, on what it calls a branch-lite model. In New Jersey its largest rival is Valley, the biggest bank headquartered in the state, which ranks 6th there by deposits and 10th in the New York, northern New Jersey and Long Island markets. On Long Island, which ConnectOne entered by buying The First of Long Island in June 2025, the rivals are Dime, Flagstar and now OceanFirst, which closed its purchase of Flushing Financial in June 2026. Dime is moving the other way, opening its first New Jersey branch in 2026 with plans for Bergen, Hudson and Essex counties, where ConnectOne has offices. In franchise lending, ConnectOne's BoeFly marketplace meets Dime's new equipment and franchise finance specialty. The fintech rivals are clearest in small business: Valley agreed in September 2026 to buy Bluevine, which had $2.1 billion of deposits from 175,000 small businesses.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Data as of Oct 19, 2026 · ConnectOne profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · computed tables recalculate from the 140 bank profiles on this site · Markdown
What does ConnectOne say about its competition?
"The banking business is highly competitive. We face substantial immediate competition and potential future competition both in attracting deposits and in originating loans. We compete with numerous commercial banks, savings banks and savings and loan associations, many of which have assets, capital and lending limits larger than those that we have. Other competitors include money market mutual funds, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, stock brokerage firms, regulated small loan companies, credit unions and issuers of commercial paper and other securities."[1]
"In addition, the banking industry in general faces competition for deposit, credit and money management products from non-bank technology firms, or fintech companies which may offer products independently or through relationships with insured depository institutions. Our larger competitors have greater financial resources to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns. Additionally, we endeavor to compete for business by providing high quality personal service to clients, client access to our decision-makers and competitive interest rates and fees. We seek to hire and retain quality employees who desire greater responsibility than may be available working for a larger employer."[1]
The First of Long Island, whose franchise ConnectOne bought in June 2025, described its Long Island competition in its last 10-K: "Principal competitors are large money center, regional and community banks located within the Bank's market area, mortgage brokers, brokerage firms, credit unions and fintech or e-commerce companies. The Bank competes for loans and deposits by offering a high level of customer service, flexible product structures, competitive pricing, convenient locations and maintaining a well-designed website." (Form 10-K for 2024, filed March 12, 2025.)[10][3]
From the risk factors of the same 10-K: "We face substantial competition in originating loans. This competition currently comes principally from other banks, savings institutions, mortgage banking companies, credit unions and other lenders, including online 'fintech' companies. Many of our competitors enjoy advantages, including greater financial resources and higher lending limits, a wider geographic presence, more accessible branch office locations, the ability to offer a wider array of services or more favorable pricing alternatives, as well as lower origination and operating costs." (2025 Form 10-K, filed February 24, 2026.)[1]
Who competes with ConnectOne in each of its businesses?
| Business line | Competitor | Type | Why it competes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home region: northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island | Valley National Bank | Bank | Valley's 10-K calls it the largest commercial bank headquartered in New Jersey, ranked 6th by deposits in the state and 10th of 150 institutions in the New York, northern New Jersey and Long Island markets, with 55% of its 230 branches in New Jersey.[2] |
| Home region: northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island | Dime Commercial Bank | Bank | Dime's 63 branches cover Greater Long Island, New York City, Westchester and New Jersey; in 2026 it opened its first New Jersey branch in Lakewood and planned Bergen, Hudson and Essex counties, all counties where ConnectOne has offices.[4][7][1] |
| Home region: northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island | Flagstar Bank | Bank | The successor to New York Community Bank and Signature Bank, with about 340 locations in nine states and $67.5 billion of deposits at June 30, 2026, competing for New York-area business clients.[5][11] |
| Home region: northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island | OceanFirst Financial | Bank | A New Jersey bank that closed its acquisition of Flushing Financial on June 1, 2026 and moved Flushing customers onto its platforms in September 2026, extending into the New York City market where ConnectOne has Manhattan and Queens offices.[6][12][1] |
| Home region: northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island | Credit unions and savings institutions | Credit union | ConnectOne's 10-K names credit unions, savings banks and savings and loan associations among its competitors for deposits and loans.[1] |
| Commercial and CRE lending to small and mid-sized businesses | Customers Bank | Bank | A business bank that, like ConnectOne, competes on speed and banker productivity: it piloted closing selected C&I and CRE loans in seven days in 2026, while ConnectOne's 10-K names client access to decision-makers as its edge.[13][1] |
| Commercial and CRE lending to small and mid-sized businesses | Mortgage banking companies and other lenders | Non-bank lender | ConnectOne's 10-K says loan competition comes principally from banks, savings institutions, mortgage banking companies, credit unions and other lenders, including online fintech companies.[1] |
| Small business and franchise lending | Dime Commercial Bank (equipment and franchise finance) | Bank | Dime added an equipment and franchise finance specialty in 2026; ConnectOne's BoeFly subsidiary runs a marketplace connecting franchisors, franchisees and lenders, referring loans to the bank and outside partners.[7][1] |
| Small business and franchise lending | Bluevine | Fintech | A fintech of the kind ConnectOne's 10-K describes, offering products through relationships with insured banks: about 175,000 active small-business customers and $2.1 billion of deposits at June 30, 2026, being bought by Valley.[1][9][8] |
| Deposits and money management | JPMorgan Chase | Bank | A larger competitor of the kind ConnectOne's 10-K says enjoys more branch locations, better brand recognition and more aggressive marketing; Chase reported 5,083 branches and 74.6 million active digital customers in 2025.[1][14] |
| Deposits and money management | Chime | Fintech | ConnectOne's 10-K names fintech companies competing for deposit, credit and money management products; Chime had 10.4 million active members at June 30, 2026.[1][15] |
| Deposits and money management | Money market mutual funds | Broker or asset manager | ConnectOne's 10-K names money market mutual funds and institutions offering uninsured investment alternatives among its competitors for deposits.[1] |
How do the AI and digital offerings of ConnectOne's competitors compare?
ConnectOne first, then each competitor. Use-case counts, index scores and latest moves are computed from our profiles of each company; "No profile" means this site has no page on it yet.
| Company | AI or digital offering | On the record (our profiles) | Latest dated AI move |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConnectOne Bancorp (this page) | nCino Banking Advisor and custom agents on nCino's Agentic Operating System[16][17] | Index 44.6 (#65); 10 use cases, 7 in production | Q1 and Q2 2026 10-Qs carry no AI language (Aug 4, 2026)[18][19] |
| Valley National Bank | Valley's AI Assistant with tiered access; about $15 million of AI run-rate savings[20][21] | Index 76.6 (#26); 17 use cases, 13 in production | Robbins on CNBC: AI agents not a threat to regional banks (Sep 29, 2026)[22] |
| Dime Commercial Bank | Quantifind AI for payments sanctions screening (June 2025)[23] | Index 10.5 (#102); 8 use cases, 2 in production | New Jersey push (Aug 12, 2026)[7] |
| Flagstar Bank | StarIQ, an internal AI component orchestrating four foundation models[5] | Index 65.3 (#41); 14 use cases, 8 in production | Third-quarter 2026 results set for 23 October (Oct 9, 2026)[24] |
| OceanFirst Financial | Microsoft Copilot for AML due diligence; an Automation Transformation Office[25] | Index 40.5 (#70); 16 use cases, 9 in production | Flushing digital banking customers scheduled to move to OceanFirst platforms (Sep 21, 2026)[12][26] |
| Credit unions and savings institutions | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Customers Bank | Multi-agentic credit underwriting built with OpenAI engineers on site[27][28] | Index 75.5 (#29); 16 use cases, 11 in production | Q2 2026 10-Q: no AI language (Aug 7, 2026)[29][30] |
| Mortgage banking companies and other lenders | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Dime Commercial Bank (equipment and franchise finance) | Not disclosed | Index 10.5 (#102); 8 use cases, 2 in production | New Jersey push (Aug 12, 2026)[7] |
| Bluevine | AI chatbot containing about 80% of inbound inquiries; automated credit decisions[9] | 7 use cases, 5 in production | Lean Team Economy Report (Oct 7, 2026)[31] |
| JPMorgan Chase | Smart Cash AI cash tool in a targeted pilot (October 2026)[32] | Index 89 (#6); 15 use cases, 8 in production | Q3 2026 call: outside AI agents stay blocked; AI spend put near $700 million (Oct 13, 2026)[33][32][34] |
| Chime | AI handles roughly 70% of member-support interactions (January 2026)[35] | 8 use cases, 6 in production | Agreement to acquire Stride Bank (Sep 8, 2026)[36] |
| Money market mutual funds | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
Who should look beyond ConnectOne, and where?
| If you are | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Customers who want a large branch network | Valley or JPMorgan Chase | ConnectOne runs a branch-lite model with 59 banking offices. Valley has 230 branches across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California and Illinois, and Chase reported 5,083 branches in 2025.[1][2][14] |
| Small businesses that want an app-first account with AI support | Bluevine | ConnectOne serves small and mid-sized businesses through bankers and offices. Bluevine's AI chatbot contains about 80% of inbound inquiries, and its line of credit uses automated underwriting; its customers will move to Valley if the acquisition closes in early 2027.[1][9][8] |
| Consumers who want a branchless, app-only checking account | Chime | ConnectOne's focus is businesses, professionals and individuals in its markets. Chime had 10.4 million active members at June 30, 2026 and runs AI on roughly 70% of member-support interactions.[1][15][35] |
| Borrowers who want AI-driven speed on large commercial loans | Customers Bank | Customers piloted closing selected C&I and CRE loans in seven days, from 30 to 60, using multi-agent underwriting. ConnectOne's nCino agents speed banker tasks, cutting some manual lending processes by over 50%, but it has not published a loan-closing time.[13][37] |
| Borrowers who need a larger lending limit | Flagstar or Valley | ConnectOne's 10-K says many competitors have larger assets, capital and lending limits. Flagstar held $87.7 billion of assets at June 30, 2026, and Valley is the largest bank headquartered in New Jersey.[1][11][2] |
What have ConnectOne's direct competitors done with AI?
One line per rival on the AI it has put on the record, against ConnectOne's own nCino agents. Dates are when the move was disclosed.
| Rival | AI on the record | Date | ConnectOne's counterpart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley | Valley's AI Assistant with tiered access; about $15 million of AI run-rate savings; buying Bluevine for its AI talent | July and September 2026 | nCino Banking Advisor and two custom agents; no savings figure[20][21][8][16] |
| Flagstar | StarIQ orchestrating Claude, Llama, Mistral and Titan models inside its S2 platform | 2026 | Vendor AI from nCino, Google Gemini and Verafin[5][38] |
| OceanFirst | Microsoft Copilot cutting complex AML cases from 6+ hours to about 5 minutes | December 2025 | Document search cut from about 20 minutes to 30 seconds[25][16] |
| Customers | OpenAI collaboration, 600+ agents, seven-day commercial loan closings in pilot | April to July 2026 | Some manual lending processes cut by over 50%[27][39][13][37] |
| Dime | Quantifind AI for payments sanctions screening | June 2025 | Verafin among vendors adding AI to fraud tools[23][38] |
| Chime | AI handles roughly 70% of member-support interactions | January 2026 | No client-facing AI disclosed[35][16] |
Where do ConnectOne's rivals overlap its markets?
Each bank's footprint as its own filing describes it, set against ConnectOne's 59 banking offices.
| Bank | Footprint on the record | Overlap with ConnectOne | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConnectOne | 59 offices in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Monmouth, Morris and Union counties (NJ); Manhattan and Queens; Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester (NY); Palm Beach County (FL) | - | December 31, 2025[1] |
| Valley | 230 branches: 55% New Jersey, 18% New York, 18% Florida; top markets include northern and central New Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Westchester | New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Florida | December 31, 2025[2] |
| Dime | 63 branches across Greater Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx, Westchester and New Jersey; planned Bergen, Hudson and Essex counties | Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, Westchester, northern New Jersey | December 31, 2025; August 2026[4][7] |
| OceanFirst | Flushing Financial added June 1, 2026 | New York City | June 2026[6] |
| Flagstar | About 340 locations in nine states | New York area | June 30, 2026[11] |
Who are ConnectOne Bank's biggest competitors?
In its New York-area markets, Valley (the largest New Jersey-headquartered bank), Dime, Flagstar and OceanFirst, which bought Flushing Financial in 2026. ConnectOne's 10-K also names savings banks, credit unions, money market funds, mortgage bankers, brokerages, small loan companies and fintech companies.[2][4][5][6][1]
Is Valley a competitor of ConnectOne?
Yes, across most of its markets. Valley's 10-K lists northern and central New Jersey, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island and Westchester among its top markets, all places ConnectOne has offices, and it also operates in Florida. Valley scores 76.6 on this site's AI index; ConnectOne 44.6.[2][1]
Does ConnectOne compete with Dime?
Increasingly. Since buying The First of Long Island in June 2025, ConnectOne has Long Island offices in Dime's home market, and Dime opened its first New Jersey branch in 2026 with plans for Bergen, Hudson and Essex counties, where ConnectOne has offices. Dime has also added franchise finance, a line ConnectOne serves through BoeFly.[3][1][7]
Who does ConnectOne compete with on Long Island?
The First of Long Island, which ConnectOne bought in June 2025, named its principal competitors as large money center, regional and community banks in its market, plus mortgage brokers, brokerage firms, credit unions and fintech or e-commerce companies. Today that means Dime and Flagstar, both rooted in the area, along with the national banks.[10][3][4][5]
Does ConnectOne compete with fintechs?
Its 10-K says the industry faces competition for deposit, credit and money management products from fintech companies, which may work independently or through insured banks, and names online fintech lenders. ConnectOne also owns a fintech: BoeFly, a franchise-lending marketplace connecting franchisors, franchisees and lenders.[1]
What changed after ConnectOne bought The First of Long Island?
The June 1, 2025 merger, the largest in ConnectOne's history, added Long Island branches in Nassau, Suffolk and New York City, and the full systems conversion was done within two weeks. It put ConnectOne into direct competition with Dime and Flagstar on Long Island.[3][1][40][4]
What are alternatives to ConnectOne for business banking?
Valley for a larger branch network, Customers Bank for AI-driven loan speed (seven-day closings in pilot) and Bluevine for an app-first small-business account. ConnectOne's own case, in its 10-K, is personal service, client access to decision-makers and a branch-lite model.[2][13][9][1]
- ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Valley National Bancorp Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. Completes Merger With the First of Long Island Corporation
- Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Flagstar Bank Announces Proprietary Technology Transformation
- OceanFirst Financial Corp. (OCFC) Q2 FY2026 earnings call transcript
- New Jersey is latest frontier in NY bank's reinvention
- Valley National Bancorp to Acquire Bluevine Inc., Accelerating its Digital Small Business Growth Strategy and Meaningfully Enhancing its Core Funding Capabilities
- Accelerating Valley's National Digital Banking Franchise: Acquisition of Bluevine Inc. (investor presentation)
- The First of Long Island Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
- Fiserv and Flagstar Bank Announce Strategic Core Banking Relationship
- Flushing conversion: digital banking key dates
- Customers Bancorp Reports Results for Second Quarter 2026
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025
- Chime Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- ConnectOne Bank is Building the Future of Commercial Lending on nCino’s Agentic Operating System
- How ConnectOne Bank uses AI to save time on admin work
- ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026
- ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Valley Bank exec: AI is changing build-versus-buy question
- Valley National Bancorp (VLY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Valley National CEO Ira Robbins: AI agents not a threat to regional banks
- Dime Community Bank Selects Quantifind to Strengthen Sanctions Screening in Payments
- Flagstar Bank, N.A. to Report Third Quarter 2026 Earnings and Host Conference Call on October 23rd
- How OceanFirst uses AI to investigate crime, analyze bonds
- OceanFirst Financial (OCFC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Customers Bank Announces Strategic Collaboration with OpenAI to Redefine the Commercial Banking Operating Model
- Earnings call transcript: Customers Bancorp posts strong Q2 2026 growth
- Customers Bancorp, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Customers Bancorp, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026
- Bluevine Study Finds More Than Half of SMBs Use AI to Handle Workload of at Least One Employee
- JPMorgan CEO Dimon warns customers of 'liability transfer' with AI
- JPMorgan Chase blocks outside AI agents like Muse, Instinct from directly accessing accounts
- JPMorgan warns of risks to consumers who rely on AI agents
- How Chime Is Using AI to Rewire Financial Services
- Chime Announces Agreement to Acquire Stride Bank
- Earnings call transcript: ConnectOne Bancorp tops Q2 2026 EPS forecast
- Earnings call transcript: ConnectOne Bancorp Q1 2026 EPS Misses, Revenue Beats
- Customers Bancorp Q2 2026 Investor Presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.2)
- ConnectOne Bancorp Inc (CNOB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Asset Growth and ...
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