RETIREMENT AND POSTRETIREMENT PLANS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

RETIREMENT AND POSTRETIREMENT PLANS [Abstract]

RETIREMENT AND POSTRETIREMENT PLANS

12.   RETIREMENT AND POSTRETIREMENT PLANS

The Holding Company or the Bank maintains the Retirement Plan of The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh (the "Employee Retirement Plan"), the Retirement Plan for Board Members of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (the "Outside Director Retirement Plan"), the BMP, and the Postretirement Welfare Plan of The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh ("Postretirement Plan").  Net expenses associated with these plans were comprised of the following components:

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2013					Three Months Ended March 31, 2012
	BMP, Employee and Outside Director Retirement Plans			Postretirement Plan		BMP, Employee and Outside Director Retirement Plans			Postretirement Plan
Service cost	$	-		$	15	$‑			$	39
Interest cost		290			57		306			90
Actuarial adjustment to prior period   interest cost and amortization		-			-	‑			‑
Expected return on assets		(380	)		-		(363	)	‑
Unrecognized past service liability		-			-	‑			‑
Amortization of unrealized loss		587			12		541			75
Net periodic cost	$	497		$	84	$	484		$	204

The Company disclosed in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 that it expected to make contributions to, or benefit payments on behalf of, benefit plans during 2013 as follows: Employee Retirement Plan - $53, BMP - $483, Outside Director Retirement Plan - $186, and Postretirement Plan - $187.  The Company made contributions of $13 to the

 Employee Retirement Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2013, and expects to make the remainder of the estimated $53 of net contributions during 2013.  The Company made benefit payments of $45 on behalf of the Outside Director Retirement Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2013, and expects to make the remainder of the estimated $186 of net contributions or benefit payments during 2013.  The Company made net benefit payments totaling $29 on behalf of the Postretirement Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2013, and expects to make the remainder of the estimated $187 of net contributions or benefit payments during 2013.  The Company did not make any defined benefit contributions to, or benefit payments on behalf of, the BMP during the three months ended March 31, 2013, and does not currently expect to make the $483 of benefit payments on behalf of the BMP during 2013, since anticipated retirements that formed the basis for these expected benefit payments in 2013 are presently not expected to occur.