Company: NECB
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-034190
Chunk: 4

Company: NorthEast Community Bancorp, Inc./MD/
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 4
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 Broker Non-Votes Abstentions and “broker non-votes” are not considered “votes cast” and will therefore have no effect on the outcome of any vote taken at the annual meeting. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker, bank or other nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker, bank or other nominee does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner. Broker non-votes will be counted for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum. Effect of Not Casting Your Vote If you hold your shares in street name, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count in the election of directors ( Proposal 1). Current regulations restrict the ability of your bank or broker to vote your uninstructed shares in the election of directors and other matters on a discretionary basis. Thus, if you hold your shares in street name and you do not instruct your bank or broker how to vote in the election of directors, no votes will be cast on your behalf. These are referred to as broker non-votes. Your bank or broker will, however, continue to have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares on the ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm ( Proposal 2). If you are a stockholder of record and you do not cast your vote, no votes will be cast on your behalf on any of the items of business at the annual meeting. 2 Voting by Proxy This proxy statement is being sent to you by the Board of Directors of the Company to request that you allow your shares of the Company common stock to be represented at the annual meeting by the persons named in the enclosed proxy card. All shares of Company common stock represented at the meeting by properly executed and dated proxies will be voted according to the instructions indicated on the proxy card. If you vote online or by telephone, or if you sign, date, and return a proxy card without giving voting instructions, your shares will be voted as recommended by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors recommends that you vote:

| ● | “FOR” each of the nominees for director; and |

| ● | “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of S.R. Snodgrass, P.C. as the Company’s 
 independent registered public accounting firm.                                     |

If any matter not described in this proxy statement is properly presented at the annual meeting, the persons named in the proxy card will use their