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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 11-K


X

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED]


For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2003


TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED]

For the transaction period from

 to




Commission file Number 0-27782


The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh 401(k) Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)


Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.

209 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, NY  11211

(Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan

and the address of its principal executive office.)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (718) 782-6200


 







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TABLE OF CONTENTS



 

Page

  

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

1

  

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

 

     Statements of Net Assets Available for Plan Benefits as of December 31, 2003 and 2002

2

  

     Statements of Changes in Net Assets Available for Plan Benefits for the Year Ended

         December 31, 2003


3

  

     Notes to Financial Statements

4-7

  

SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULES:

 
  

Form 5500, Schedule H , Part IV, Line 4i - Schedule of Assets (Held At End Of Year) as of December 31, 2003

8

  

SIGNATURES

9

  

EXHIBIT INDEX:

 
  

  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

10


All other schedules required by Section 2520.103-10 of the Department of Labor's rules and regulations for reporting and disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 have been omitted because they are not applicable.









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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors of
The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh:

We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for plan benefits of The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh 401(k) Plan (the “Plan”) as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related statements of changes in net assets available for plan benefits for the year ended December 31, 2003.  These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan’s management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ..  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements . An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the net assets available for plan benefits of the Plan as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the changes in net assets available for plan benefits for the year ended December 31, 2003, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Our audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole.  The accompanying supplemental schedule of assets held for investment purposes is presented for the purpose of additional analysis and is not a required part of the basic financial statements, but is supplementary information required by the Department of Labor’s Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.  The supplemental schedule of assets held at end of year for investment purposes is the responsibility of the Plan’s management.  Such supplemental schedule has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of the basic 2003 financial statements and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.


/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP



New York, New York

June 25, 2004






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THE DIME SAVINGS BANK OF WILLIAMSBURGH 401(k) PLAN

STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS

DECEMBER 31, 2003 AND 2002

 

2003

 

2002

INVESTMENTS, AT FAIR VALUE (Notes 1(e), and 2(d)):

   

  Fixed Income Funds:

   

    RSI Retirement Trust Short Term Investment Fund  (b)

 - 

 

$2,362,831

    PIMCO Total Return Administrative Fund (b)

$951,050

 

910,287

           Total fixed income funds

951,050  

 

3,273,118

   Equity Funds:

   

     Alger Mid Cap Growth Retirement Portfolio Fund

346,527

 

102,572

     Alliance Premier Growth ‘A’ Fund

 -   

 

78,217

     American Century International Growth Fund

204,538

 

131,422

     American Century Ultra Fund

139,198

 

     SSGA S&P 500 Index Fund (a)

1,061,772

 

     Neuberger Berman Genesis Fund Trust

803,397

  

     RSI Retirement Trust Core Equity Fund (b)

 - 

 

828,338

     RSI Retirement Trust Value Equity Fund

722,201

 

488,905

     RSI Retirement Trust Emerging Growth Equity Fund

 

439,672

           Total equity funds

3,277,633

 

2,069,126

   Asset Allocation funds:

   

     RS Group Trust Co. Aggressive Asset Allocation

102,754

 

86,269

     RS Group Trust Co. Conservative Asset Allocation

5,000

 

1,727

     RS Group Trust Co. Moderate Asset Allocation

138,633

 

105,090

     RS Group Trust Co. Stable Value Fund (a)

3,300,900

 

606,527

           Total asset allocation funds

3,547,287

 

799,613

   Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Common Stock Fund

   

     Stock Investment (a) (b)

12,917,262

 

8,141,986

     RS Group Federal Prime Obligation

107,382

 

110,909

 

13,024,644

 

8,252,895

   Participant Loans Receivable

397,452

 

290,486

    

TOTAL INVESTMENTS

21,198,066

 

14,685,238

    

DUE FROM THE EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP

   

  PLAN OF DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES, INC.

   

  AND CERTAIN AFFILIATES

399,150

 

349,121  

    


 

 

 

    

CASH

17,261

 

11,713

    

NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS

$21,614,477

 

$15,046,072


(a) Represents 5% or more of the net assets available for plan benefits at December 31, 2003.

(b) Represents 5% or more of the net assets available for plan benefits at December 31, 2002.

See notes to financial statements.





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THE DIME SAVINGS BANK OF WILLIAMSBURGH 401(k) PLAN

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2003

  

ADDITIONS:

2003

  Investment income:

 

    Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments:

 

      Fixed income funds

$57,660 

      Equity funds

708,243 

      Asset allocation funds

37,457 

      Employer stock fund

5,251,306 

  

           Total net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments

6,054,666 

  

  Interest income

19,397 

  

           Investment income (loss), net

6,074,063  

  

 

  Participant contributions

1,194,668 

  Employer contributions receivable

50,030 

  Forfeitures

-  

  

           Total additions, net

7,318,761  

  

DEDUCTIONS -

 

  Benefits paid to participants

736,681 

  Administrative expenses

13,675 

  

Total Deductions

750,356 

  

NET INCREASE

6,568,405 

  

NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAN BENEFITS:

 

  Beginning of year

15,046,072 

  

  End of year

$21,614,477


See notes to financial statements.







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THE DIME SAVINGS BANK OF WILLIAMSBURGH 401(k) PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


1.

DESCRIPTION OF PLAN

The following is a brief description of The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh 401(k) Plan (the “Plan”).  This description of the Plan is provided for general information purposes only.  Participants should refer to the Plan document for more complete information.

a.

General - The Plan is a defined contribution plan covering all eligible employees.  It is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).

b.

Eligibility and Participation - Participation in the Plan is voluntary.  An employee shall become an eligible employee if he or she has completed a period of service of at least one year, and is a salaried employee.  An employee is not an eligible employee if he or she is compensated principally on an hourly, daily, commission, or retainer basis, or has waived any claim to membership in the Plan.

c.

Contributions - Employee contributions of up to 25% of “covered compensation,” as defined in the Plan document, are permitted.

Effective July 1, 2000, Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) or The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh (the “Bank”) makes a required 100% vested cash contribution to participants in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. and Affiliates (the “ESOP”) in the amount of 3% of “covered compensation” [defined as total W-2 compensation (including amounts deducted from W-2 compensation for pre-tax benefits such as health insurance premiums and contributions to the Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh 401(k) Plan); and, effective March 1, 2004, minus any amount included in W-2 compensation as a result of the grant or vesting of restricted stock, the exercise of stock options or the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options] up to applicable IRS limits.  This contribution is guaranteed through December 31, 2006 (unless the ESOP is terminated before then) and will be discretionary after that date.  The contribution is automatically transferred to the Plan, regardless of whether or not the individual otherwise participates in the Plan.  Upon transfer of funds to the Plan, the participant has the ability to invest this contribution in any of the investment options currently offered under the Plan.  This annual employer contribution is made in the first quarter of each year based upon the total covered compensation through December 31st of the previous year.  In March 2003, a contribution of $349,121 was made to eligible participants based upon covered compensation for the period January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002.  In March 2004, a contribution of $399,150 was made to eligible participants based upon covered compensation for the period January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2003.

d.

Vesting - All participants are 100% vested in the value of the annual 3% employer contribution to the Plan and any investment income that these funds may earn.  Otherwise, participant contributions and earnings thereon are nonforfeitable.  

e.

Investment Options - Participants direct the investment of their account balances into various options offered by the Plan.  As of December 31, 2003, there were twelve investment options available in the Plan.  Investment options include one fixed income fund, six equity funds, three asset allocation funds, one capital preservation fund and one employer stock fund.  The asset allocation funds include the RS Group Trust Co. Stable Value Fund, which invests in fully benefit responsive guaranteed investment contracts issued by insurance companies, bank investment contracts, and cash and cash equivalents.

All investment options are participant directed.  Retirements Systems Group Inc. (“RSI”) acts as trustee for all investments in the Plan.

Transfers between investment alternatives and rollover contributions to the Plan are placed in any of the above funds in multiples of 1%, at the election of the participant.

f.

Death, Retirement and Disability Benefits - A participant is eligible for early retirement benefits upon attaining age 60 or a combined aggregate of 30 or more years of vested service with a participating bank.  In addition to any one of the two criteria, a participant must complete five years of creditable service.  

g.

Withdrawal of Funds - On termination of service, a participant may elect to receive either a lump-sum amount equal to the vested balance of his or her account, or annual installments limited to a ten-year period.

a.

Loans to Participants - Loans are permitted, subject to current IRS statutes and regulations.  Participants may borrow up to 50% of their vested account balance up to a maximum of $50,000.  Prior to June 11, 1998, participants were permitted no more than one outstanding loan at any time.  The Plan was amended, effective June 11, 1998, whereby participants are now permitted a maximum of two outstanding loans at any time.  Interest charged is fixed for the entire term of the loan and is based upon the prime rate as published in the Wall Street Journal on the date the loan is requested, increased by 1% and rounded to the nearest 1/4 of 1%.  The maximum loan term for the purchase of a principal residence may not exceed ten years and loans for any other reason may not exceed five years.  The loans are secured by the balances in the participant’s account.  Loan repayments are made by automatic payroll deduction.

b.

Forfeitures - If a participant is not fully vested in previous contributions made by the Bank and terminates his or her employment, the units representing the nonvested portion of his or her account shall constitute forfeitures.  Forfeitures are allocated to participants, on a pro rata basis, based upon their before-tax contribution accounts.

c.

Plan Termination - Although the Bank has not expressed any intent to terminate the Plan, it has the right to terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA.  In the event of termination, all participants would become 100% vested in their individual account balances (including the Bank’s contributions) at the termination date.

2.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The significant accounting policies followed by the Plan are as follows:

a.

Basis of Accounting - The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  

a.

Use of Estimates - The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires Plan management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of net assets available for plan benefits as well as the reported amounts of changes in net assets available for plan benefits.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

b.

Risks and Uncertainties - The Plan provides for various investment options.  Investment securities, in general, are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate, credit and overall market volatility.  Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is reasonably possible that changes in the value of investment securities will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the statement of net assets available for plan benefits.

d.

Investments - The Plan’s pooled investment funds are carried at fair value based on the Plan’s proportionate share of units of beneficial interest in the respective funds, except for the RS Group Trust Co. Stable Value Fund, which primarily consists of investment contracts that are carried at the contract value.  The securities in the pooled investment funds, other than the RS Group Trust Co. Stable Value Fund, are traded on national securities exchanges and are valued at their quoted market prices at the end of the year.  The common stock of the Company is carried at fair value based upon the quoted market price at the end of the year.  Short-term investments are carried at cost, which approximate fair value.  Loans to participants are carried at the principal amount of the loans outstanding, which approximates fair value.

Net investment income consists of gains and losses realized from the sales of investments, the net change in the unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments, and interest and dividends earned.  

Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis.  Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis and dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.  Realized gains and losses from securities transactions are recorded on the average cost basis.

e.

Allocated Expenses - The Bank will pay the ordinary expenses of the Plan and compensation of the Trustees to the extent required, except that any expenses directly related to the Plan, such as transfer taxes, brokers’ commissions, registration charges, or administrative expenses of the Trustee, shall be paid from the Plan or from such investment account to which such expenses directly relate.  The Bank may charge employees all or part of the reasonable expenses associated with withdrawals and other distributions, loans or account transfers.

f.

Reclassifications - Certain reclassifications have been made in the prior year financial statements to conform to reporting practices followed in the current year.

3.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Certain Plan investments are shares in pooled investment funds managed by RSI.  RSI is the trustee as defined by the Plan, and therefore , these transactions qualif y as party-in-interest transactions ..

Certain administrative functions are performed by officers and employees of the Company or Bank.  No such officer or employee receives compensation from the Plan for the administrative functions he or she performs.

At December 31, 2003 and 200 2 , the Plan held 4 19,937 and 4 25,169 shares, respectively, of common stock of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc., the Plan sponsor, with a cost basis of $ 2,647,143 and $ 2,426,217 , respectively.   During the year ended December 31, 2003, the Plan recorded dividend income of $ 266,835 .

1.

FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

The Plan is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and is intended to be exempt from taxation under Section 501(a) of the Code.  The Plan received a favorable IRS determination letter dated August 27, 2002.  The Plan has been amended since receiving the determination letter.  However, the plan administrator believes that the Plan and its underlying trust are currently designed and being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Code.  Therefore, no provision for income taxes has been included in the Plan’s financial statements.

******






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THE DIME SAVINGS BANK OF WILLIAMSBURGH 401(K) PLAN

FORM 5500, PART IV, SCHEDULE H, ITEM 4(i) - SCHEDULE OF ASSETS (HELD AT END OF YEAR) AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2003


       

Party In

     

Current

Interest

 

    Identity of Issuer

 

    Description of Investments

 

Value

       

*

 

RSI Retirement Trust

 

Value Equity Fund

 

722,201

      

      

*

 

RS Group Trust Co.

 

Conservative Asset Allocation

 

5,000

      

      

*

 

RS Group Trust Co.

 

Moderate Asset Allocation

 

138,633

      

      

*

 

RS Group Trust Co.

 

Aggressive Asset Allocation

 

102,754

      

      

*

 

RS Group Trust Co.

 

Stable Value Fund

 

3,300,900

      

      
  

  Alger

 

Mid Cap Growth Retirement

 

346,527

      

   

  Portfolio Fund

  
       
  

  PIMCO

 

Total Return Administrative Fund

 

951,050

      

      
  

  American Century

 

International Growth Fund

 

204,538

      

      
  

  American Century

 

Ultra Fund

 

139,198

       
  

SSGA

 

S&P 500 Index Fund

 

1,061,772

       
  

Neuberger Berman

 

Genesis Fund Trust

 

803,397

      

      

*

 

Dime Community

 

Common Stock Fund - Common

  
  

  Bancshares, Inc.

 

stock investment

 

12,917,262

      

      

*

 

RSI Group Trust

 

Fed Prime Obligation

 

107,382

      

      

*

   

Employee Loans Receivable

  
    

(53 loans with interest rates ranging from 5.00% to 10.50%, and maturities ranging from January 2004 to January 2009.

 

397,452

       
    

Total

 

$21,198,066


*Party-in-interest.






11K401KPLAN 2003.DOC - 6/28/2004 - 3:45 PM




SIGNATURES


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh (the Plan Administrator) duly caused this report to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned thereunder duly authorized.




Dated:  June 28, 2004

     /s/ VINCENT F. PALAGIANO                                 

     Vincent F. Palagiano

     Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer






Dated:  June 28, 2004

    /s/ KENNETH J. MAHON                                           

    Kenneth J. Mahon

    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer






11K401KPLAN 2003.DOC - 6/28/2004 - 3:45 PM




EXHIBIT INDEX



Exhibit No.

        99      

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm







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