Columbia Financial Insider Adds to Stake; Options Detail in New Form 4

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Columbia Financial, Inc. (CLBK) – Form 4 filed 29 Jul 2025

Senior EVP & Head of Consumer Banking Allyson Katz Schlesinger disclosed a modest insider purchase on 25 Jul 2025. She acquired 23.7825 phantom common-stock units at $14.07 each through the Columbia Bank Stock-Based Deferral Plan; no shares were sold.

Updated ownership:

• 13,301.1567 shares held indirectly via the Deferral Plan (new total)
• 64,281 shares held directly
• 39,575 shares held indirectly via ESOP, SERP, SIM and performance-based Stock Awards II–IV
• 198,507 stock options exercisable between $15.60–$16.49, expiring 2029-2035

The buy is immaterial in size (≈$335) but maintains a net-buying posture by a key officer.

Positive

• Officer continues to accumulate shares, signaling ongoing commitment even if in small amounts.
• Performance-based vesting on large stock awards ties compensation to long-term metrics.

Negative

• Purchase size is immaterial (≈$335), offering limited insight into management’s conviction.

Insights

Securities Analyst

TL;DR: Tiny insider buy; sentiment marginally positive, financial impact negligible.

The acquisition increases Schlesinger’s indirect exposure by less than 0.1%, so earnings, liquidity and valuation remain unaffected. However, any insider purchase—especially amid a flat price range—can be viewed as a token vote of confidence. Options inventory (198k) already provides significant upside leverage; therefore this micro-purchase is likely routine deferral-plan funding rather than a conviction trade. I classify the filing as informational, not price-moving.

Corporate Governance Expert

TL;DR: Filing shows continued alignment; quantum too small to alter governance risk.

Schlesinger’s cumulative exposure (≈117k shares + options) aligns her incentives with shareholder value creation. The use of a rabbi trust and performance-based awards reflects best-practice design, tying 75% of awards to objective metrics. Still, the 23-share buy is de minimis, leaving pay-for-performance dynamics unchanged. No red flags on compliance or reporting accuracy.

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Schlesinger Allyson Katz

(Last) (First) (Middle)

19-01 ROUTE 208 NORTH

(Street)

FAIR LAWN NJ 07410

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Columbia Financial, Inc. [ CLBK ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	SEVP&Head of Consumer Banking

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
07/25/2025

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	07/25/2025		A		23.7825(1)	A	$14.07	13,301.1567	I	By Stock-Based Deferral Plan
Common Stock								64,281	D
Common Stock								6,683	I	By ESOP
Common Stock								6,459	I	By SERP
Common Stock								4,683	I	By SIM
Common Stock								14,470	I	By Stock Award II(2)
Common Stock								12,672	I	By Stock Award III(3)
Common Stock								12,288	I	By Stock Award IV(4)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Stock Options (right to buy)	$15.6							07/23/2020(5)	07/23/2029	Common Stock	155,294		155,294	D
Stock Options (right to buy)	$15.94							05/01/2024(6)	05/01/2033	Common Stock	12,632		12,632	D
Stock Options (right to buy)	$16.49							03/06/2025(7)	03/06/2034	Common Stock	9,292		9,292	D
Stock Options (right to buy)	$16.23							03/03/2026(8)	03/03/2035	Common Stock	21,289		21,289	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. Represents phantom stock purchased, on a non-discretionary basis, by the trustee of the Bank's rabbi trust maintained in connection with the Columbia Bank Stock Based Deferral Plan, a non-qualified stock-based deferral plan. Stock unit interests under the Columbia Bank Stock Based Deferral Plan will be settled in shares of stock upon distribution to the reporting person.

2. Stock Awards granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive plan, 25% of which vest in three approximately equal annual installments commencing on May 1, 2024; and the remaining 75% of which vest upon achievement of certain specified performance-based vesting criteria, which if achieved, such Awards would vest three years after the date of the Award.

3. Stock Awards granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive plan, 25% of which vest in three approximately equal annual installments commencing on March 6, 2025; and the remaining 75% of which vest upon achievement of certain specified performance-based vesting criteria, which if achieved, such Awards would vest three years after the date of the Award.

4. Stock Awards granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive plan, which vest upon achievement of certain specified performance-based vesting criteria, which if achieved, such Awards would vest three years after the date of the Award on March 3, 2028.

5. Stock Options granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan are fully vested and exercisable.

6. Stock Options granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan vest in three approximately equal annual installments commencing on May 1, 2024.

7. Stock Options granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan vest in three approximately equal annual installments commencing on March 6, 2025.

8. Stock Options granted pursuant to the Columbia Financial, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan vest in three approximately equal annual installments commencing on March 3, 2026.

Remarks:

	/s/ Dennis E. Gibney, Power of Attorney	07/29/2025
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

How many Columbia Financial (CLBK) shares did Allyson Katz Schlesinger buy on 25 Jul 2025?

She acquired 23.7825 phantom stock units at $14.07 each.

What is Schlesinger’s total beneficial ownership after the transaction?

She now reports 13,301.1567 shares via the Deferral Plan, 64,281 directly, 39,575 in other plans, plus 198,507 options.

Were any shares of CLBK sold in this Form 4 filing?

No. The filing reports only an acquisition; there were no dispositions.

Do the reported stock options in the Form 4 vest immediately?

155,294 options are fully vested; the remaining 43,213 vest in three annual installments starting 2024-2026.

Is the insider transaction likely to move Columbia Financial’s stock price?

Unlikely; the purchase value (~$335) is too small to be market-moving.