S-4

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2015

Registration No. 333-______

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

FORM S-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization) 6022
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Number) 52-1273725
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

301 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
(201) 816-8900
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

William S. Burns
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.
301 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
(201) 816-8900
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Robert A. Schwartz, Esq.
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP
120 Albany Street Plaza, FL 6
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 846-8900

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the securities being registered on this Form are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box. o

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.

Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer x Non-accelerated filer o Smaller reporting company o

If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:

Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)	o
Exchange Act Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)	o

(Cover continued on next page)

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

(Cover continued from previous page)

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered			Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit			Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price			Amount of Registration Fee
5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due July 1, 2025		$	50,000,000(1)		100	%		$	50,000,000		$	5,810.00

⁽¹⁾ The registration fee has been calculated pursuant to Rule 457(f) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The proposed maximum offering price is estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not complete the exchange offer and issue these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell nor is it soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED ________ , 2015

PROSPECTUS

Offer to Exchange

$50,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025
that have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933
for any and all outstanding unregistered 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025

We are offering to exchange registered 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025, which we refer to as the “New Notes,” for any and all of our outstanding unregistered 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025 that were issued in a private offering on June 30, 2015, which we refer to as the “Old Notes.” We are offering to exchange the New Notes for the Old Notes to satisfy our obligations contained in the registration rights agreement that we entered into in connection with the issuance of the Old Notes. We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange offer, and issuance of the New Notes will not result in any increase in our outstanding debt.

The terms of the New Notes are identical in all material respects to the terms of the Old Notes, except that the New Notes are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and are generally not subject to transfer restrictions, are not entitled to registration rights and do not have the right to earn additional interest under circumstances related to our registration obligations. The New Notes evidence the same debt as the Old Notes and are governed by the same indenture under which the Old Notes were issued.

We do not intend to list the New Notes on any securities exchange or seek approval for quotation through any automated trading system. There is currently no public market for the New Notes.

You may withdraw your tender of Old Notes at any time prior to the expiration of the exchange offer. We will exchange all of the outstanding Old Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the expiration of the exchange offer for an equal principal amount of New Notes.

The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York, New York time, on [•], 2015, unless we extend the exchange offer.

Each broker-dealer that receives New Notes for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes. A broker-dealer that acquired Old Notes because of market-making or other trading activities may use this prospectus, as supplemented or amended from time to time, in connection with resales of the New Notes for a period of 180 days after the completion of the exchange offer. See “Plan of Distribution.”

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 for a discussion of certain risks that you should consider in connection with the exchange offer.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is ________, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page
Where You Can Find More Information		iii
Incorporation by Reference		iii
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements		iv
Summary		1
Risk Factors		7
Use of Proceeds		10
The Exchange Offer		10
Description of the Notes		18
Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences		27
Plan of Distribution		29
Legal Matters		30
Experts		30

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or “the SEC.” We are submitting this prospectus to holders of Old Notes so that they can consider exchanging their Old Notes for New Notes. You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in the accompanying transmittal documents. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with any other information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of the applicable document that contains that information. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. We are not making this exchange offer in jurisdictions where the exchange offer is not permitted.

Each broker-dealer that receives New Notes for its own account in exchange for Old Notes acquired by the broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading activities must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a participating broker-dealer in connection with resales of New Notes received in exchange for Old Notes. We have agreed to make this prospectus, as amended or supplemented, available to any such broker-dealer that requests copies of this prospectus in the letter of transmittal for use in connection with any such resale. See “Plan of Distribution” on page 29.

This prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about us that is not included in or delivered with this prospectus. Such information is available without charge to holders of Old Notes upon written or oral request made to: Investor Relations, ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., 301 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632, telephone: (201) 816-8900. To obtain timely delivery of any requested information, holders of Old Notes must make any request no later than [•], 2015, five business days before the expiration date of the exchange offer, or, if we decide to extend the expiration date of the exchange offer, five business days before such extended expiration date.

References in this prospectus to “ConnectOne,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary ConnectOne Bank, unless otherwise specified.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public through the Internet at the SEC web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference facilities and their copy charges. You may also obtain copies of our SEC filings at the office of The NASDAQ Stock Market located at One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, New York, NY 10006. For further information on obtaining copies of our public filings at The NASDAQ Stock Market, you should call 1-212-401-8700.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

We have previously filed the following documents with the SEC and are incorporating them by reference into this prospectus:

• our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014

• our definitive proxy statement for our annual meeting of stockholders held May 21, 2014, filed on May 6, 2014, as supplemented by the supplement to definitive proxy statement filed April 15, 2015

• our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015; and

• our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 28, 2015, February 12, 2015, April 1, 2015, April 3, 2015, April 24, 2015, May 12, 2015, May 28, 2015, June 24, 2015, July 2, 2015, July 24, 2015, July 28, 2015, September 9, 2015 and September 23, 2015.

We are also incorporating by reference any future filings made by us with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date this prospectus. The most recent information that we file with the SEC automatically updates and supersedes more dated information.

You can obtain a copy of any documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus at no cost by writing or telephoning us at:

Investor Relations
ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.
301 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
(201) 816-8900

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus relating to the offered securities. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not offering to sell the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus that are not historical facts may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) projections of revenues, expenses, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, the payment or nonpayment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; (ii) statements of our plans, objectives and expectations or those of our management or Board of Directors, including those relating to products or services, the performance or disposition of portions of our asset portfolio, future changes to ConnectOne Bank’s branch network, and the payment of dividends; (iii) statements of future financial performance and economic conditions; (iv) statements regarding the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses; (v) statements regarding the effect of future sales of foreclosed properties; (vi) statements regarding our liquidity; (vii) statements of our management’s expectations regarding future trends in interest rates, real estate values, and economic conditions generally and in our markets; (viii) statements regarding future asset quality, including expected levels of charge-offs; (ix) statements regarding potential changes to laws, regulations or administrative guidance; (x) statements regarding our strategic initiatives or those of ConnectOne Bank and the results of these initiatives; and (xi) statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “targeted,” “continue,” “remain,” “will,” “should,” “may” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward- looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

• factors that adversely affect our business initiatives, including, without limitation, changes in the economic or business conditions in our markets;

• our ability and efforts to assess, manage and improve our asset quality;

• the strength of the economy in our target market area, as well as general economic, market, political, or business factors;

• changes in the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios, including adverse developments in borrower industries, decline in real estate values in our markets, or in the repayment ability of individual borrowers or issuers;

• the effects of our adjustments to the composition of our investment portfolio;

• the impact of government intervention in the banking business;

• an insufficient allowance for loan losses;

• our ability to meet the capital requirements of our regulatory agencies;

• changes in laws, regulations and the policies of federal or state regulators and agencies, including rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and standards for calculating risk-weighted assets and risk-based capital measurements;

• changes in the interest rates affecting our deposits, borrowings, our loans and investment securities;

• the loss of any of our key employees;

• changes in our competitive position, competitive actions by other financial institutions and the competitive nature of the financial services industry and our ability to compete effectively against other financial institutions in our banking markets;

• our potential growth, including our entrance or expansion into new markets, the opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by us and the need for sufficient capital to support that growth;

• future mergers or acquisitions, if any;

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• changes in government monetary policy, interest rates, deposit flow, the cost of funds, and demand for loan products and financial services;

• our ability to maintain internal control over financial reporting;

• our ability to raise capital as needed by our business;

• our reliance on secondary sources, such as Federal Home Loan Bank advances, sales of securities and loans, federal funds lines of credit from correspondent banks, brokered and reciprocal deposits and out-of-market time deposits, to meet our liquidity needs;

• other circumstances, many of which are beyond our control; and

• the risk factors described herein under “Risk Factors” and the risk factors discussed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Given these risks and uncertainties, we caution you to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

v

SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus. The following summary information is qualified in its entirety by the information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider prior to making a decision to exchange Old Notes for New Notes. You should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 7 of this prospectus, and the additional documents to which we refer you. You can find information with respect to these additional documents under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page iii.

About ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., (the “Company” and with ConnectOne Bank, “we” or “us”) a one-bank holding company, was incorporated in the state of New Jersey on November 12, 1982 as Center Bancorp, Inc. and commenced operations on May 1, 1983 upon the acquisition of all outstanding shares of capital stock of Union Center National Bank, its then principal subsidiary.

On January 20, 2014, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey corporation (“Legacy ConnectOne”). Effective July 1, 2014, the Company completed the merger contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the “Merger”) with Legacy ConnectOne merging with and into the Company, with the Company as the surviving corporation. Also at closing, the Company changed its name to “ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.” and changed its NASDAQ trading symbol to “CNOB”. Immediately following the consummation of the Merger, Union Center Bank merged with and into ConnectOne Bank, a New Jersey-chartered commercial bank (“ConnectOne Bank” or the “Bank”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy ConnectOne, with ConnectOne Bank continuing as the surviving bank. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, each share of common stock, no par value per share, of Legacy ConnectOne was converted into 2.6 shares of the Company’s common stock.

The Company’s primary activity, at this time, is to act as a holding company for the Bank. As of June 30, 2015 total assets of the Company were $3.7 billion.

Our principal executive office is located at 301 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632. Our telephone number is (201) 816-8900. Information about the Company is available on our internet website www.cnob.com. The information contained on our website or that can be accessed through our website does not constitute part of this prospectus and is not incorporated in any manner into this prospectus.

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The Exchange Offer

The following is a summary of the significant terms of the exchange offer. Please see “The Exchange Offer” for a more complete description of the exchange offer.

Old Notes	$50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025.
New Notes	Up to $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025, which have terms that are identical in all material respects to the terms of the Old Notes, except that the New Notes are registered under the Securities Act and are generally not subject to transfer restrictions, are not entitled to registration rights, and do not have the right to earn additional interest under circumstances relating to our registration obligations.
Exchange Offer	We are offering to exchange the New Notes for a like principal amount of Old Notes. Subject to the terms of this exchange offer, we will exchange New Notes for all of the Old Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the expiration of this exchange offer. The New Notes will be issued in exchange for corresponding Old Notes in this exchange offer, if consummated, as soon as practicable after the expiration of this exchange offer.
Expiration Date	This exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York, New York time, on [•], 2015, unless we extend the exchange offer.
Withdrawal Rights	You may withdraw the tender of your Old Notes at any time before the expiration date.
Conditions to this Exchange Offer	This exchange offer is subject to customary conditions, which we may waive. See “The Exchange Offer—Conditions.”
Procedures for Tendering	If you wish to accept this exchange offer and your Old Notes are registered in your name, you must complete, sign and date the accompanying letter of transmittal, or a facsimile of the letter of transmittal, according to the instructions contained in this prospectus and the letter of transmittal. You must also mail or otherwise deliver the letter of transmittal, or a facsimile of the letter of transmittal, together with the Old Notes and any other required documents, to the exchange agent at the address set forth on the cover page of the letter of transmittal. Do not send the letter of transmittal, any Old Notes or any other required document to anyone other than the exchange agent.
	If you wish to accept this exchange offer and your Old Notes are held by a custodial entity, such as a bank, broker, dealer, trust company or other nominee, you must instruct this custodial entity to tender your Old Notes on your behalf under the procedures of the custodial entity.

2

	By signing, or agreeing to be bound by, the letter of transmittal, you will be making a number of important representations to us; please see “The Exchange Offer—Eligibility; Transferability.”
Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences	The exchange of Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer generally should not constitute a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.” You should consult your own tax advisor as to the tax consequences of the exchange.
Registration Rights	We have undertaken the exchange offer under the terms of the registration rights agreement that we entered into with the initial holders of the Old Notes at the time of issuance, which we refer to in this prospectus as the registration rights agreement. The exchange offer is intended to satisfy your rights under the registration rights agreement. After the exchange offer is completed, we will have no further obligations, except under limited circumstances, to provide any exchange or registration rights with respect to the Old Notes. See “The Exchange Offer.”
Transferability	Under existing interpretations of the Securities Act by the staff of the SEC contained in several no-action letters issued to third parties, we believe that the New Notes may be offered for resale, resold or otherwise transferred by you without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, provided that:
	•	you are acquiring the New Notes in the ordinary course of your business;
	•	you are not participating or engaged in, do not intend to participate or engage in, and have no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in, the distribution of the New Notes issued to you;
	•	you are not an “affiliate” of ours within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and
	•	you are not acting on behalf of any person who could not truthfully make these statements.
	Our belief that transfers of New Notes would be permitted without registration or prospectus delivery under the conditions described above is based on interpretations by the staff of the SEC given to other, unrelated issuers in similar exchange offers. The staff of the SEC has not considered this exchange offer in the context of a no-action letter, and we cannot assure you that the staff of the SEC would make a similar interpretation with respect to our exchange offer.

3

	If our belief is not accurate and you transfer a New Note without delivering a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act or without an exemption from such requirements, you may incur liability under the Securities Act. We do not and will not assume, or indemnify you against, such liability.
	Each broker-dealer that receives New Notes for its own account under the exchange offer in exchange for Old Notes that were acquired by the broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading activity must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the New Notes. See “The Exchange Offer—Eligibility; Transferability” and “Plan of Distribution.”
Consequences of Failure to Exchange Old Notes	Any Old Notes that are not exchanged in the exchange offer will remain subject to the restrictions on transfer, and you will not be able to offer or sell the Old Notes except under an exemption from the requirements of the Securities Act or unless the Old Notes are registered under the Securities Act. Upon the completion of the exchange offer, we will have no further obligations, except under limited circumstances, to provide for registration of the Old Notes under the U.S. federal securities laws. See “The Exchange Offer—Consequences of Failure to Exchange.”
Use of Proceeds	We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes as a result of the exchange offer. We will pay all expenses incident to the exchange offer.
Exchange Agent	U.S. Bank, National Association is serving as the exchange agent for this exchange offer. See “The Exchange Offer—Exchange Agent” for the address and telephone number of the exchange agent.

Summary of the New Notes

The terms of the New Notes are identical in all material respects to the terms of the Old Notes, except that the New Notes are registered under the Securities Act and are generally not subject to transfer restrictions, are not entitled to registration rights and do not have the right to earn additional interest under circumstances related to our registration obligations. The New Notes will evidence the same debt as the Old Notes and will be governed by the same indenture under which the Old Notes were issued. The summary below describes the principal terms of the New Notes. Please see “Description of the Notes” for further information regarding the New Notes. References in this prospectus to the “notes” include both the Old Notes and the New Notes unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires.

Issuer	ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.
Securities	Up to $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025
Maturity	July 1, 2025

4

Interest and Interest Payment Dates	Interest on the New Notes will accrue from and including June 30, 2015, or from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or provided for on the notes, to, but excluding, June 30, 2020. The New Notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 5.75%, payable semi-annually in arrears commencing in 2016 on January 1 and July 1 of each year ending on July 1, 2020.
	From and including July 1, 2020 to, but excluding, the maturity date, the New Notes will bear interest at an annual rate, reset quarterly, equal to LIBOR determined on the determination date of the applicable interest period plus 393 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of each year of each year, beginning on October 1, 2020.
	For any determination date, “LIBOR” means the rate as published by Bloomberg (or other commercially available source providing quotations of such rate as selected by the Paying Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of an Interest Period, as the rate for Dollar deposits in the London interbank market with a three-month maturity. If such rate is not available at such time from such source for any reason, then the rate for that Interest Period will be determined by such alternate method as reasonably selected by us.
Securities	Up to $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025
Record Dates	We will make each interest payment to the holders of record of the New Notes at the close of business on the fifteenth calendar day prior to the applicable interest payment date.
Subordination	The New Notes will be subordinated unsecured obligations of ours and will be subordinated in right of payment to all of our senior indebtedness. See “Description of the Notes—Subordination.”
Redemption	We may redeem the New Notes, in whole or in part, on any interest payment date on or after June 1, 2020. In addition, we may redeem the New Notes, in whole but not in part, upon the occurrence of a “Tier 2 Capital Event,” a “Tax Event,” or an “Investment Company Event,” each as defined in the indenture. Any redemption of the New Notes will be at a redemption price equal to the principal amount of the New Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption. See “Description of the Notes—Redemption.”

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Form and Denomination	The New Notes may be issued in fully registered, certificated form, without coupons, in minimum denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. Simultaneously, a single global New Note will be issued to DTC, and each participant holding Old Notes in street name and exchanging an Old Note for a New Note will receive a position in the new global note issued to DTC.
Basic Indenture Covenants	The indenture contains no covenants or restrictions restricting the incurrence of indebtedness or other obligations by us or by our subsidiaries. The indenture contains no financial covenants requiring us to achieve or maintain any minimum financial results relating to our financial position or results of operations or meet or exceed any financial ratios as a general matter or in order to incur additional indebtedness or obligations or to maintain any reserves. Moreover, neither the indenture nor the New Notes contain any covenants prohibiting us from, or limiting our right to, incur additional indebtedness or obligations, to grant liens on our assets to secure our indebtedness or other obligations that are senior in right of payment to the New Notes, to repurchase our stock or other securities, including any of the New Notes, or to pay dividends or make other distributions to our shareholders (except, in the case of dividends or other distributions on junior securities, upon our failure to timely pay the principal of or interest on the New Notes, when the same becomes due and payable).
No Public Market	The New Notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We do not intend to apply for listing of the New Notes on any national securities exchange. A liquid or active trading market for the New Notes may not develop. If an active trading market for the New Notes does not develop, the market price and liquidity of the New Notes may be adversely affected. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Notes—There may be no active market for the notes.”
Governing Law	The New Notes and the indenture, dated as of June 30, 2015, between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, which we refer to in this prospectus as the indenture, are governed by New York law.
Trustee	U.S. Bank National Association
Risk Factors	You should carefully consider the information set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus before deciding to participate in the exchange offer.

6

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risk factors and other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus in connection with the exchange offer. In particular, you should carefully consider, among other things, the matters discussed below and under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks faced by us described below and elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein.

Risks Related to the Exchange Offer

If you do not properly tender your Old Notes, you will continue to hold unregistered Old Notes and your ability to transfer Old Notes will be adversely affected.

We will only issue New Notes in exchange for Old Notes that you timely and properly tender. Therefore, you should allow sufficient time to ensure timely delivery of the Old Notes and you should carefully follow the instructions on how to tender your Old Notes. Neither we nor the exchange agent is required to tell you of any defects or irregularities with respect to your tender of Old Notes. Please see “The Exchange Offer—Procedures for Tendering Old Notes” and “Description of the Notes.”

If you do not exchange your Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer, you will continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer of your Old Notes described in the legend on the certificates for your Old Notes. In general, you may only offer or sell the Old Notes if they are registered under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or offer and sell under an exemption from these requirements. We do not plan to register any sale of the Old Notes under the Securities Act. For further information regarding the consequences of failing to exchange your Old Notes in the exchange offer, please read see “The Exchange Offer—Consequences of Failure to Exchange.”

You may not receive the New Notes in the exchange offer if the exchange offer procedures are not properly followed.

We will issue New Notes in exchange for your Old Notes only if you properly tender the Old Notes before expiration of the exchange offer. Neither we nor the exchange agent are under any duty to give notification of defects or irregularities with respect to the tenders of the Old Notes for exchange. If you are the beneficial holder of Old Notes that are held through your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, and you wish to tender such notes in the exchange offer, you should promptly contact the person through whom your Old Notes are held and instruct that person to tender on your behalf.

Some holders who exchange their Old Notes may be deemed to be underwriters.

If you exchange your Old Notes in the exchange offer for the purpose of participating in a distribution of the New Notes, you may be deemed to have received restricted securities and, if so, will be required to comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale transaction.

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Risks Related to the Notes

The notes rank lower than most of our indebtedness, and our holding company structure effectively subordinates any claims against us to those of our subsidiaries’ creditors.

Although the New Notes will rank on par with the Old Notes, our obligations with respect to the notes will be unsecured and rank junior to right of payment to all of our existing and future “senior indebtedness,” as described in “Description of the Notes—Subordination.” This means that we generally cannot make any payments on the notes if we default on a payment of senior indebtedness and do not cure the default within the applicable grace period or if the senior indebtedness becomes immediately due because of a default and has not yet been paid in full. In addition, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or dissolution, our assets would be available to pay obligations under the notes only after we have made payments on all senior indebtedness. Neither the notes nor the indenture limits our ability to incur additional indebtedness, including indebtedness that ranks senior in priority of payment to the notes.

Holders of the notes should only look to our assets as the source of payment of the notes. The notes are not obligations of, or guaranteed by, our subsidiary, ConnectOne Bank. In addition, because we are a holding company, our right to participate in the distribution of assets from any subsidiary, including ConnectOne Bank, upon its liquidation or reorganization or otherwise (and thus the ability of holders of the notes to benefit indirectly from such distribution) is subject to the prior claims of creditors of that subsidiary (including depositors of ConnectOne Bank), except to the extent that we may be recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary. In the event of any such distribution of assets of ConnectOne Bank the claims of depositors and other general or subordinated creditors would be entitled to priority over the claims of holders of the notes. Accordingly, the notes will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries, including ConnectOne Bank. As of June 30, 2015, ConnectOne Bancorp had total outstanding liabilities of $57.0 million. There is no restriction on the ability of ConnectOne Bank to incur additional indebtedness or other liabilities.

We are a holding company and are dependent on dividends from our subsidiary, ConnectOne Bank; banking laws and regulations could limit our access to funds from our subsidiary bank with the result that we may not have access to sufficient cash to make payments on the notes.

As a holding company, our principal source of funds to service our debt, including the notes, is dividends from ConnectOne Bank. ConnectOne Bank is legally distinct from us and has no obligation to make funds available to us for payments of principal of or interest on the notes.

Additionally, federal and state banking laws and regulations limit dividends from ConnectOne Bank to us. Under the New Jersey Banking Act of 1948, as amended, dividends may be paid by ConnectOne Bank only if, after the payment of the dividend, the capital stock of ConnectOne Bank will be unimpaired and either ConnectOne Bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock or the payment of the dividend will not reduce ConnectOne Bank’s surplus. The payment of dividends is also dependent upon ConnectOne Bank’s ability to maintain adequate capital ratios pursuant to applicable regulatory requirements. The total amount available for payment of dividends by ConnectOne Bank was approximately $127.4 million at June 30, 2015, based on ConnectOne Bank maintaining enough capital to be considered “well capitalized” under regulatory guidelines. In addition, federal bank regulatory agencies have the authority to prohibit ConnectOne Bank from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices in conducting its business. The payment of dividends or other transfers of funds to us, depending on the financial condition of ConnectOne Bank, could be deemed an unsafe or unsound practice.

Accordingly, we can provide no assurance that we will receive dividends or other distributions from ConnectOne Bank in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of or interest on the notes.

The notes are subject to limited rights of acceleration.

Payment of principal of the notes may be accelerated only in the case of certain bankruptcy-related events with respect to us. Thus, you have no right to accelerate the payment of principal of

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the notes if we fail to pay principal of or interest on the notes or if we fail in the performance of any of our other obligations under the notes. See “Description of the Notes—Events of Default.”

The limited covenants relating to the notes do not protect you.

The covenants in the indenture are limited. In addition, the notes and the indenture do not limit our or ConnectOne Bank’s ability to issue additional subordinated notes or to incur additional debt, including senior indebtedness. The notes and the indenture do not contain any financial ratios or specified levels of liquidity to which we must adhere. As a result, the indenture does not protect you in the event of an adverse change in our financial condition or results of operations.

There may be no active market for the notes.

The notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We do not intend to apply for listing of the notes on any national securities exchange. A liquid or active trading market for the notes may not develop. If an active trading market for the notes does not develop, the market price and liquidity of the notes may be adversely affected. If the notes are traded, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price, depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities, our performance and other factors. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that you will be able to sell any New Notes that you receive in exchange for your Old Notes or the prices, if any, at which holders may be able to sell their New Notes.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial results and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the subordinated notes.

In addition to our currently outstanding indebtedness, we may be able to borrow substantial additional indebtedness in the future. If new indebtedness is incurred in addition to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could increase.

Our indebtedness, including the indebtedness we may incur in the future, could have important consequences for the holders of the notes, including:

• limiting our ability to satisfy our obligations with respect to the notes;

• increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic industry conditions;

• limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements;

• requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations for the payment of principal of and interest on our indebtedness and thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate requirements;

• limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry; and

• putting us at a disadvantage compared to competitors with less indebtedness.

Our business operations may not generate the cash needed to service our indebtedness.

Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness, including the notes, and to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay the principal of or interest on our indebtedness, including the notes, or to fund our other liquidity needs.

Changes in our credit rating could adversely affect the market price or liquidity of the notes.

Credit rating agencies continually revise their ratings for the companies that they follow, including us. Such ratings are based on a number of factors, including financial strength, as well as factors not entirely within our control, such as conditions affecting the financial services industry

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generally. In addition, credit ratings agencies have themselves been subject to scrutiny arising from the financial crisis that begin in 2008 and there is no assurance that credit rating agencies will not make or be required to make substantial changes to their ratings policies or practices or that such changes would not affect ratings of our securities, including the Old Notes and the New Notes. A negative change in our ratings could have an adverse effect on the price of the notes that may remain outstanding. More generally, a negative change in our ratings could increase our borrowing costs and limit our access to the capital markets. We cannot be sure that credit rating agencies will maintain their initial ratings on the issue.

USE OF PROCEEDS

This exchange offer is intended to satisfy our obligations under the registration rights agreement. We will not receive any cash proceeds from the exchange offer. In exchange for the Old Notes that you tender as a result of this exchange offer, you will receive New Notes in like principal amount. The Old Notes that are surrendered in exchange for the New Notes will be retired and cancelled by us upon receipt and will not be reissued. Accordingly, the issuance of the New Notes under this exchange offer will not result in any increase in our outstanding indebtedness. We will pay all expenses incident to the exchange offer.

THE EXCHANGE OFFER

General

In connection with the issuance of the Old Notes on June 30, 2015, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers of the Old Notes, which provides for the exchange offer. The exchange offer will permit eligible holders of notes to exchange the Old Notes for the New Notes that are identical in all material respects with the Old Notes, except that:

• the New Notes have been registered with the SEC under U.S. federal securities laws and will not bear any legend restricting their transfer;

• the New Notes bear a different CUSIP number from the Old Notes;

• the New Notes generally will not be subject to transfer restrictions and will not be entitled to registration rights; and

• the holders of the New Notes will not be entitled to earn additional interest under circumstances relating to our registration obligations under the registration rights agreement.

The New Notes will evidence the same debt as the Old Notes. Holders of the New Notes will be entitled to the benefits of the indenture. As a result, both the New Notes and the Old Notes will be treated as a single series of subordinated debt securities under the indenture. The exchange offer does not depend on any minimum aggregate principal amount of Old Notes being tendered for exchange.

We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the provisions of the registration rights agreement and the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act, and the related rules and regulations of the SEC. Old Notes that are not tendered for exchange in the exchange offer will remain outstanding and interest on those Old Notes will continue to accrue at the applicable interest rate.

We will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered Old Notes when and if we have given oral or written notice to the exchange agent of our acceptance. Subject to the terms and conditions of this exchange offer, delivery of New Notes will be made by the exchange agent as soon as practicable after receipt of such notice. The exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the purpose of receiving New Notes from us. If any tendered Old Notes are not accepted for exchange because of an invalid tender, the occurrence of other events described in this prospectus or otherwise, we will return the certificates for any unaccepted Old Notes, at our expense, to the tendering holder as promptly as practicable after the expiration of the exchange offer.

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If you validly tender Old Notes in the exchange offer, you will not be required to pay us brokerage commissions or fees. In addition, subject to the instructions in the letter of transmittal and certain limited exceptions described in this prospectus, you will not have to pay transfer taxes for the exchange of Old Notes. Subject to certain exceptions, we will pay all charges and expenses in connection with the exchange offer, other than certain applicable taxes. See “—Fees and Expenses.”

Holders of outstanding Old Notes do not have any appraisal or dissenters’ rights in connection with the exchange offer. Outstanding Old Notes which are not tendered, or are tendered but not accepted, in connection with the exchange offer will remain outstanding. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Exchange Offer—If you do not properly tender your Old Notes, you will continue to hold unregistered Old Notes and your ability to transfer Old Notes will be adversely affected.”

WE MAKE NO RECOMMENDATION TO THE HOLDERS OF THE OUTSTANDING OLD NOTES AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THEIR OUTSTANDING OLD NOTES IN THE EXCHANGE OFFER. IN ADDITION, NO ONE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO MAKE ANY SUCH RECOMMENDATION. HOLDERS OF THE OUTSTANDING OLD NOTES MUST MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION WHETHER TO TENDER PURSUANT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER, AND, IF SO, THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF OUTSTANDING OLD NOTES TO TENDER AFTER READING THIS PROSPECTUS AND THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CONSULTING WITH THEIR ADVISERS, IF ANY, BASED ON THEIR FINANCIAL POSITION AND REQUIREMENTS.

The following summary of certain provisions of the registration rights agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the registration rights agreement. You should refer to the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part for a copy of the registration rights agreement. The registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, is intended to satisfy some of our obligations under the registration rights agreement. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Registration Rights Agreement

We issued the Old Notes in a private placement offering not subject to registration under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. In connection with the issuance of the Old Notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers, and we are making the exchange offer to comply with our contractual obligations under the registration rights agreement. Except under limited circumstances, upon completion of the exchange offer, our obligations with respect to the registration of the Old Notes will terminate.

Under the terms of the registration rights agreement, we agreed, among other things, to:

• file a registration statement with the SEC with respect to a registered offer to exchange the Old Notes for substantially identical notes that do not contain transfer restrictions and will be registered under the Securities Act; and

• use our reasonable best efforts to cause that registration statement to become effective within 120 days after June 30, 2015.

The registration rights agreement also provides that we will promptly commence the exchange offer after the effectiveness of the registration statement and keep the exchange offer open for not less than 20 business days, or longer if required by applicable law, after the date on which notice of the exchange offer is mailed to the holders of the Old Notes.

We agreed to issue and exchange the New Notes for all Old Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn before the expiration of the exchange offer. We are sending this prospectus, together with a letter of transmittal, to all the holders of the Old Notes known to us. For each Old Note validly tendered to us in the exchange offer and not validly withdrawn, the holder will receive a New Note having a principal amount equal to that of the tendered Old Note. Old Notes may be exchanged, and New Notes will be issued, only in minimum denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

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We also agreed that under certain circumstances we would either file a shelf registration statement with the SEC or designate an existing effective shelf registration statement covering resales by holders of the Old Notes in lieu of the exchange offer.

Eligibility; Transferability

We are making this exchange offer in reliance on interpretations of the staff of the SEC set forth in several no-action letters. However, we have not sought our own no-action letter. Based upon these interpretations, we believe that you, or any other person receiving New Notes, may offer for resale, resell or otherwise transfer the New Notes without complying with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the U.S. federal securities laws, if:

• you are, or the person receiving the New Notes is, acquiring the New Notes in the ordinary course of business;

• you do not, nor does any such person, have an arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in any distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the New Notes;

• you are not, nor is any such person, our affiliate as such term is defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act;

• if you, or any such person, are not a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act, you are not engaged in, and do not intend to engage in, any distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the New Notes; and

• you are not acting on behalf of any person who could not truthfully make these statements.

To participate in the exchange offer, you must represent as a holder of Old Notes that each of these statements is true.

In addition, to participate in the exchange offer each broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act must also (i) represent that it is participating in the exchange offer for its own account and is exchanging Old Notes acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, (ii) confirm that it has not entered into any arrangement or understanding with us or any of our affiliates to distribute the New Notes; (iii) must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the New Notes. The letter of transmittal states that by acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering, a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker- dealer in connection with resale of the New Notes received in exchange for the Old Notes where such Old Notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that, for a period of 180 days following the expiration date, we will amend or supplement this prospectus to expedite or facilitate the disposition of any New Notes by such broker-dealers.

Any holder of Old Notes who is our affiliate, who does not acquire the New Notes in the ordinary course of business, who intends to participate in the exchange offer for the purpose of distributing the New Notes or is a broker-dealer who purchased the Old Notes directly from us:

• will not be able to rely on the interpretation of the staff of the SEC set forth in the no-action letters described above;

• will not be able to tender Old Notes in the exchange offer; and

• must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any sale or transfer of the New Notes, unless the sale or transfer is made pursuant to an exemption from those requirements.

The exchange offer is not being made to, nor will we accept tenders for exchange from, holders of Old Notes in any jurisdiction in which the exchange offer or the acceptance of the exchange offer would not be in compliance with the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdiction. The exchange offer is not subject to any federal or state regulatory requirements other than securities laws.

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Expiration of the Exchange Offer; Extensions; Amendments

The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York, New York time on [•], 2015, or the expiration date, unless we extend the exchange offer. If we extend the exchange offer, the expiration date will be the latest date and time to which the exchange offer is extended. To extend the exchange offer, we will notify the exchange agent and each registered holder of the Old Notes of any extension before 9:00 a.m., New York, New York time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date. We reserve the right to extend the exchange offer, delay accepting any tendered Old Notes or, if any of the conditions described below under the heading “—Conditions” have not been satisfied, to terminate the exchange offer. We also reserve the right to amend the terms of the exchange offer in any manner. We will give oral or written notice of any delay, extension, termination or amendment to the exchange agent. We will keep the exchange offer open for not less than 20 business days, or longer if required by applicable law, after the date on which notice of the exchange offer is mailed to holders of the Old Notes.

If we amend the exchange offer in a manner that we consider material, we will disclose that amendment by means of a prospectus supplement, and we will extend the exchange offer so that at least five business days remain in the exchange offer following notice of the material change.

If we determine to make a public announcement of any delay, extension, amendment or termination of the exchange offer, we will do so by making a timely release through an appropriate news agency.

If we delay accepting any Old Notes or terminate the exchange offer, we will promptly pay the consideration offered, or return any Old Notes deposited, under the exchange offer as required by Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act.

Conditions

The exchange offer is not conditioned on any minimum aggregate principal amount of Old Notes being tendered or accepted for exchange. Notwithstanding any other term of the exchange offer, we will not be required to accept for exchange, or issue any New Notes for, any Old Notes, and may terminate or amend the exchange offer before the acceptance of the Old Notes, if:

• such Old Notes are tendered to us other than in accordance with the terms and conditions of the exchange offer;

• we determine that the exchange offer violates any law, statute, rule, regulation or interpretation by the staff of the SEC; or

• any action or proceeding is instituted or threatened in any court or by or before any governmental agency relating to the exchange offer which, in our judgment, could reasonably be expected to impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer.

The conditions listed above are for our sole benefit and may be asserted by us regardless of the circumstances giving rise to any of these conditions. We may waive these conditions in our absolute discretion in whole or in part at any time and from time to time prior to the expiration date. Our failure at any time to exercise any of the above rights will not be considered a waiver of that right, and that right will be considered an ongoing right which we may assert at any time and from time to time.

In addition, we will not accept for exchange any Old Notes tendered, and no New Notes will be issued in exchange for those Old Notes, if at any time any stop order is threatened or issued with respect to the registration statement for the exchange offer and the New Notes or the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. In any such event, we must use reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of any stop order as soon as practicable.

In addition, we will not be obligated to accept for exchange the Old Notes of any holder that has not made to us the representations described under “—Eligibility; Transferability” and “Plan of Distribution.”

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Procedures for Tendering

Tender of Old Notes Held in registered form. To tender in this exchange offer, a holder of Old Notes that are registered in its name must complete, sign and date the letter of transmittal (or a facsimile thereof) in accordance with its instructions, including guaranteeing the signature(s) to the letter of transmittal, if required, and mail or otherwise deliver such letter of transmittal or such facsimile, together with the certificates representing the Old Notes specified therein, to the exchange agent at the address set forth in the letter of transmittal for receipt on or prior to the expiration date.

The letter of transmittal (or facsimile thereof), with any required signature guarantees, and any other required documents, must be transmitted to and received by the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer at one of its addresses set forth under “—Exchange Agent” or as set forth in the letter of transmittal. Old Notes will not be deemed surrendered until the letter of transmittal and signature guarantees, if any, are received by the exchange agent.

The method of delivery of Old Notes, the letter of transmittal, and all other required documents to the exchange agent is at the election and risk of the holder. Instead of delivery by mail, holders may wish to consider overnight or hand delivery service, properly insured. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure delivery to and receipt by the exchange agent on or before the expiration date. Do not send the letter of transmittal, any Old Notes or any other required documents to anyone other than the exchange agent.

A holder of Old Notes who wishes to accept this exchange offer, and whose Old Notes are held by a custodial entity such as a bank, broker, dealer, trust company or other nominee, must instruct the custodial entity to tender and consent with respect to that holder’s Old Notes on the holder’s behalf in accordance with the procedures of the custodial entity.

All New Notes will be delivered only in fully certificated form to the holder.

Tender of Old Notes Held through DTC. To tender Old Notes that are held through DTC, DTC participants on or prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer should either:

– properly complete and duly execute the letter of transmittal (or a facsimile thereof) and any other documents required by the letter of transmittal, and deliver the letter of transmittal or such facsimile pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer set forth below; or

– transmit their acceptance through ATOP, for which the exchange offer will be eligible, and DTC will then edit and verify the acceptance and send an Agent’s Message to the exchange agent for its acceptance.

The term Agent’s Message means a message transmitted by DTC to, and received by, the exchange agent, and forming a part of the Book-Entry Confirmation (as defined below), which states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from a participant in DTC tendering the Old Notes and that such participant has received the letter of transmittal, agrees to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal and we may enforce such agreement against such participant.

Tendered Old Notes held through DTC must be delivered to the exchange agent pursuant to the book-entry delivery procedures set forth below or the tendering DTC participant must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth below.

The method of delivery of Old Notes and letters of transmittal, any required signature guarantees and all other required documents, including delivery through DTC and any acceptance or Agent’s Message transmitted through ATOP, is at the election and risk of the person tendering Old Notes and delivering letters of transmittal. If you use ATOP to tender, you must allow sufficient time for completion of the ATOP procedures during normal business hours of DTC on or prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer. Except as otherwise provided in the letter of transmittal, tender and delivery will be deemed made only when actually received by the exchange agent. If delivery is by mail, it is suggested that the holder use properly insured, registered mail with return receipt requested, and that the mailing be made sufficiently in advance of the expiration date of the exchange offer to permit delivery to the exchange agent on or prior to such date.

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Except as provided below, unless the Old Notes being tendered are deposited with the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer (accompanied by a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal or a properly transmitted Agent’s Message), we may, at our option, reject such tender. Exchange of New Notes for Old Notes will be made only against deposit of the tendered Old Notes and delivery of all other required documents.

Book-Entry Delivery Procedures. The exchange agent will establish accounts with respect to the Old Notes at DTC for purposes of the exchange offer within two business days after the date of this prospectus, and any financial institution that is a participant in DTC may make book-entry delivery of the Old Notes by causing DTC to transfer such Old Notes into the exchange agent’s account in accordance with DTC’s procedures for such transfer. However, although delivery of Old Notes may be effected through book-entry at DTC, the letter of transmittal (or facsimile thereof), with any required signature guarantees or an Agent’s Message in connection with a book-entry transfer, and any other required documents, must, in any case, be transmitted to and received by the exchange agent at its address set forth in this prospectus on or prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer, or compliance must be made with the guaranteed delivery procedures described below. Delivery of documents to DTC does not constitute delivery to the exchange agent. The confirmation of a book-entry transfer into the exchange agent’s account at DTC as described above is referred to as a Book-Entry Confirmation.

Proper Execution and Delivery of Letter of Transmittal

Generally, an eligible institution must guarantee signatures on a letter of transmittal or notice of withdrawal unless:

• you tender your Old Notes as the registered holder and the New Notes issued in exchange for your Old Notes are to be issued in your name and delivered to you at your registered address appearing on the security register for the Old Notes; or

• you tender your Old Notes for the account of an eligible institution.

For the purposes of this prospectus, an “eligible institution” means an “eligible guarantor institution” as defined by Rule 17Ad-15 under the Exchange Act which is a member of a recognized signature guarantee program (i.e., Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchange Medallion Program or New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program).

If the letter of transmittal is signed by the holder(s) of Old Notes tendered thereby, the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of the Old Notes without alteration, enlargement or any change whatsoever. If any of the Old Notes tendered are held by two or more holders, all such holders must sign the letter of transmittal. If any of the Old Notes tendered thereby are registered in different names on different Old Notes, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate letters of transmittal, and any accompanying documents, as there are different registrations of certificates.

If Old Notes that are not tendered for exchange under the exchange offer are to be returned to a person other than the holder thereof, certificates for such Old Notes must be endorsed or accompanied by an appropriate instrument of transfer, signed exactly as the name of the registered owner appears on the certificates, with the signatures on the certificates or instruments of transfer guaranteed by an eligible institution.

If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than the holder of any Old Notes listed therein, those Old Notes must be properly endorsed or accompanied by a properly completed bond power, signed by such holder exactly as such holder’s name appears on such Old Notes. If the letter of transmittal or any Old Notes, bond powers or other instruments of transfer are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, those persons should so indicate when signing, and, unless waived by us, evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so act must be submitted with the letter of transmittal.

No alternative, conditional, irregular or contingent tenders will be accepted. By executing the letter of transmittal (or facsimile thereof), the tendering holders of Old Notes waive any right to

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receive any notice of the acceptance for exchange of their Old Notes. Tendering holders should indicate in the applicable box in the letter of transmittal the name and address to which substitute certificates evidencing Old Notes for amounts not tendered or not exchanged are to be issued or sent, if different from the name and address of the person signing the letter of transmittal. If no such instructions are given, Old Notes not tendered or exchanged will be returned to the tendering holder.

All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt), and acceptance and withdrawal of tendered Old Notes will be determined by us in our absolute discretion, which determination will be final and binding. We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all tendered Old Notes determined by us not to be in proper form or not to be properly tendered or any tendered Old Notes our acceptance of which would, in the opinion of our counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the right to waive, in our absolute discretion, any defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular Old Notes, whether or not waived in the case of other Old Notes. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange offer (including the instructions in the letter of transmittal) will be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of Old Notes must be cured within such time as we will determine. Although we intend to notify holders of defects or irregularities with respect to tenders of Old Notes, neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person will be under any duty to give such notification or will incur any liability for failure to give any such notification. Tenders of Old Notes will not be deemed to have been made until such defects or irregularities have been cured or waived.

Any holder whose Old Notes have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed will be responsible for obtaining replacement securities or for arranging for indemnification with the trustee of the Old Notes. Holders may contact the exchange agent for assistance with these matters.

Withdrawal of Tenders

You may withdraw tenders of Old Notes at any time on or prior to the expiration date.

For a withdrawal of a tender to be effective, the exchange agent must receive a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal before the expiration date at its address set forth under “—Exchange Agent.” The withdrawal notice must:

• specify the name of the person who tendered the Old Notes to be withdrawn;

• identify the Old Notes to be withdrawn, including the certificate numbers and the principal amount represented by the Old Notes;

• contain a statement that the holder is withdrawing the election to have the Old Notes exchanged; and

• be signed by the holder of the Old Notes in the same manner as the original signature on the letter of transmittal, including any required signature guarantees, or be accompanied by evidence satisfactory to us that the person withdrawing the tender has succeeded to the beneficial ownership of the Old Notes. In addition, the notice of withdrawal must specify the name in which any Old Notes are to be registered, if different from that of the registered holder of the Old Notes and be guaranteed by an eligible institution unless the Old Notes have been tendered for the account of an eligible institution.

Withdrawal of tenders of Old Notes may not be rescinded, and any Old Notes validly withdrawn will be deemed not validly tendered for purposes of this exchange offer. Validly withdrawn Old Notes may, however, be tendered again following one of the procedures described in “—Procedures for Tendering” prior to the expiration date.

Exchange Agent

U.S. Bank National Association, the trustee under the indenture, has been appointed the exchange agent for this exchange offer. Letters of transmittal and all correspondence in connection with this exchange offer should be sent or delivered by each holder of Old Notes, or a beneficial

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owner’s commercial bank, broker, dealer, trust company or other nominee, to the exchange agent as follows:

By Mail or Hand Delivery:	U.S. Bank National Association Attn: Corporate Actions 111 Fillmore Avenue St. Paul, MN 55107-1402
Telephone:	(800) 934-6802
Facsimile:	(651) 466-7367
Email:	cts.specfinance@usbank.com

We will pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and will reimburse it for its reasonable, out-of-pocket expenses in connection with this exchange offer.

Fees and Expenses

We will bear the expenses of soliciting tenders. The principal solicitation is being made by mail. However, we may make additional solicitations by email, telephone or in person by our officers and employees and those of our affiliates.

We have not retained any dealer-manager in connection with the exchange offer and will not make any payments to broker-dealers or others soliciting acceptances of the exchange offer. We may, however, pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and reimburse it for its related reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. We will also pay any other cash expenses that we incur in connection with the exchange offer.

Except as described below, we will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the exchange of Old Notes under the exchange offer. The tendering holder will be required to pay any transfer taxes, whether imposed on the registered holder or any other person, if:

• New Notes and/or substitute Old Notes not exchanged are to be delivered to, or registered or issued in the name of, any person other than the registered holder of the Old Notes so exchanged;

• tendered Old Notes are registered in the name of any person other than the person signing the letter of transmittal; or

• a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the exchange of Old Notes under the exchange offer.

If satisfactory evidence of payment of transfer taxes is not submitted with the letter of transmittal, the amount of any transfer taxes will be billed to the tendering holder.

Accounting Treatment

We will record the New Notes at the same carrying value as the Old Notes reflected in our accounting records on the date of the exchange. Accordingly, we will not recognize any gain or loss for accounting purposes upon completion of the exchange offer.

Consequences of Failure to Exchange

Old Notes that are not exchanged will remain “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act. Accordingly, they may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred except:

• to us or to any of our subsidiaries;

• under a registration statement which has been declared effective under the Securities Act;

• for so long as the Old Notes are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, to a person the holder of the Old Notes, and any person acting on its behalf, reasonably believes is a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A, that purchases

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	for its own account or for the account of another qualified institutional buyer, in each case to whom the notice is given that the transfer is being made in reliance on Rule 144A; or
•	under any other available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act (in which case we and the trustee shall have the right to require the delivery of an opinion of counsel, certifications and/or other information satisfactory to us and the trustee);

in each case subject to compliance with any applicable foreign, state or other securities laws.

Upon completion of the exchange offer, due to the restrictions on transfer of the Old Notes and the absence of such restrictions applicable to the New Notes, it is likely that the market, if any, for Old Notes will be relatively less liquid than the market for New Notes. Consequently, holders of Old Notes who do not participate in the exchange offer could experience significant diminution in the value of their Old Notes, compared to the value of the New Notes. The holders of Old Notes not tendered will have no further registration rights, except that, under limited circumstances, we may be required to file a shelf registration statement for a continuous offer of Old Notes.

Additional Information Regarding the Registration Rights Agreement

As noted above, we are effecting the exchange offer to comply with the registration rights agreement. The registration rights agreement requires us to cause an exchange offer registration statement to be filed with the SEC, use our reasonable best efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective, and satisfy certain other obligations, within certain time periods.

In the event that:

• the registration statement is not filed with the SEC on or prior to the 90th day after June 30, 2015;

• the registration statement has not been declared effective by the SEC on or prior to the 120th day after June 30, 2015; or

• the exchange offer is not completed on or prior to the 45th day following the effective date of the registration statement;

the interest rate on the Old Notes will be increased by a rate of 0.25% per annum during the 90-day period following such registration default and will increase by 0.25% per annum at the end of each subsequent 90-day period during which additional interest accrues, but in no event will such increase exceed 0.50% per annum. Following the cure of all such registration defaults, the accrual of additional interest will cease and the interest rate will be reduced to the original interest rate borne by the Old Notes.

Our obligation to register the New Notes will terminate upon completion of the exchange offer. However, under certain circumstances specified in the registration rights agreement, we may be required to file a shelf registration statement for a continuous offer in connection with the Old Notes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

On June 30, 2015, we issued in a private placement $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025, which we have referred to in this prospectus as the Old Notes. The Old Notes were not registered under the Securities Act and were issued, and the New Notes will be issued, under an indenture, dated June 30, 2015, between us, as issuer, and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, which we have referred to in this prospectus as the “indenture.” The term “notes” refers collectively to the New Notes and the Old Notes.

The terms of the New Notes are identical in all material respects with the Old Notes, except that:

• the New Notes have been registered under the U.S. federal securities laws and will not bear any legend restricting their transfer;

• the New Notes bear a different CUSIP number from the Old Notes;

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• the New Notes generally will not be subject to transfer restrictions and will not be entitled to registration rights;

• the holders of the New Notes will not be entitled to earn additional interest under circumstances relating to our registration obligations under the registration rights agreement.

The New Notes will evidence the same debt as the Old Notes.

The terms of the New Notes include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, or the Trust Indenture Act. The following description is only a summary of the material provisions of the indenture and the New Notes. We urge you to read the indenture and the New Notes because those documents, not this description, define your rights as holders of the New Notes. The following sections provide a summary of the various provisions of the indenture and are subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to all provisions of the indenture. You should refer to the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part for a copy of the indenture. Copies of the indenture are also available upon request to us at the address indicated under “Where You Can Find More Information.” Whenever we refer to the defined terms of the indenture in this prospectus without defining them, the terms have the meanings given to them in the indenture. You must look to the indenture for the most complete description of the information summarized in this prospectus.

General

The exchange offer for the New Notes will be for up to $50.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the Old Notes. The New Notes, together with any Old Notes that remain outstanding after the exchange offer, will be treated as a single class for all purposes of the indenture, including, without limitation, waivers, consents, amendments, redemptions and offers to purchase.

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The New Notes have materially identical interest terms as the Old Notes except with respect to additional interest that may be earned on the Old Notes under circumstances relating to our registration obligations under the registration rights agreement. Interest on the notes will accrue from and including June 30, 2015.

From and including June 30, 2015 to, but excluding, July 1, 2020, the notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 5.75%, payable semi-annually in arrears on January 1 and July 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on July 1, 2020. During this period, interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

From and including July 1, 2020 to, but excluding, the maturity date, the notes will bear interest at an annual rate, reset quarterly, equal to LIBOR determined on the determination date of the applicable interest period plus 393 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of each year, beginning October 1, 2020. During this period, interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year and the actual number of days elapsed.

For any determination date, “LIBOR” means the rate as published by Bloomberg (or other commercially available source providing quotations of such rate as selected by the paying agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two business days prior to the commencement of the relevant quarterly interest period, as the rate for dollar deposits in the London interbank market with a three-month maturity. If such rate is not available at such time for any reason, then the rate for that interest period will be determined by such alternate method as reasonably selected by us.

We will make each interest payment to the holders of record of the notes at the close of business on the fifteenth calendar day prior to the applicable interest payment date.

Principal of and interest on the notes will be payable, and the notes will be exchangeable and transferable, at the office or agency that we have designated and maintain for such purposes, which, initially, will be the corporate trust office of the trustee located at U.S. Bank National Association, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, Corporate Trust Services, 21 South Street, Morristown,

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New Jersey 07960, Attention: Stephanie Roche; except that payment of interest may be made at our option by check mailed or to the person entitled thereto as shown on the security register or by wire transfer to an account appropriately designated by the person entitled thereto.

Subordination

Our obligation to make any payment on account of the principal of, or interest on, the notes will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness. As of June 30, 2015, ConnectOne Bancorp had no senior indebtedness outstanding. The notes and the indenture do not contain any limitation on the amount of senior indebtedness that we may incur in the future.

“Senior indebtedness” means the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest, including interest accruing after the commencement of any bankruptcy proceeding relating to us, on, or substantially similar payments we will make in respect of the following categories of debt, whether that debt was outstanding on the date of execution of the indenture or thereafter incurred, created or assumed:

• our other indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, or bonds or other securities issued under the provisions of any indenture, fiscal agency agreement, debenture or note purchase agreement or other agreement, including any senior debt securities that may be offered;

• our indebtedness for money borrowed or represented by purchase money obligations, as defined below;

• our obligations as lessee under leases of property whether made as part of a sale and leaseback transaction to which we are a party or otherwise;

• indebtedness, obligations and liabilities of others in respect of which we are liable contingently or otherwise to pay or advance money or property or as guarantor, endorser or otherwise or which we have agreed to purchase or otherwise acquire and indebtedness of partnerships and joint ventures that is included in our consolidated financial statements;

• reimbursement and other obligations relating to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances and similar obligations;

• obligations under various hedging arrangements and agreements, including interest rate and currency hedging agreements and swap and non-swap forward agreements

• all of our obligations issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, but excluding trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities arising in the ordinary course of business; and

• deferrals, renewals or extensions of any of the indebtedness or obligations described in the seven bullets immediately above.

However, “senior indebtedness” excludes:

• any indebtedness, obligation or liability referred to in the eight bullets immediately above as to which, in the instrument creating or evidencing that indebtedness, obligation or liability, it is expressly provided that the indebtedness, obligation or liability is not senior in right of payment to, is junior in right of payment to, or ranks equally in right of payment with, other specified types of our indebtedness, obligations and liabilities, including the notes;

• any indebtedness, obligation or liability that is subordinated to our indebtedness, obligations or liabilities to substantially the same extent as or to a greater extent than the notes are subordinated; and

• the notes and, unless expressly provided in the terms thereof, any of our indebtedness to our subsidiaries.

As used above, the term “purchase money obligations” means indebtedness, obligations evidenced by a note, debenture, bond or other instrument, whether or not secured by a lien or other security interest, issued to evidence the obligation to pay or a guarantee of the payment of, and any deferred obligation for the payment of, the purchase price of property but excluding indebtedness or

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obligations for which recourse is limited to the property purchased, issued or assumed as all or a part of the consideration for the acquisition of property or services, whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, but does not include any trade accounts payable.

In accordance with the subordination provisions of the indenture and the notes, we are permitted to make payments of accrued and unpaid interest on the notes on the interest payment dates and at maturity and to pay the principal of the notes at maturity unless:

• we are subject to any termination, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership proceedings or upon an assignment for the benefit of our creditors or any other marshalling of our assets and liabilities; or

• a default in the payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any senior indebtedness, has occurred and is continuing beyond any applicable grace period or an event of default has occurred and is continuing with respect to any senior indebtedness, or would occur as a result of a payment of principal of, or interest on, the notes being made and that event of default would permit the holders of any senior indebtedness to accelerate the maturity of that senior indebtedness and such default or event of default has not been cured, waived or otherwise have ceased to exist.

Upon our termination, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership proceedings or upon an assignment for the benefit of our creditors or any other marshalling of our assets and liabilities or otherwise, we must pay to the holders of all of our senior indebtedness the full amounts of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, that senior indebtedness before any payment is made on the notes. If, after we have paid the senior indebtedness in full, there are any amounts available for payment of the notes and any of our other indebtedness and obligations ranking equally in right of payment with the notes, then we will use such remaining assets to pay the amounts of principal of, premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest on, the notes and such other of our indebtedness and obligations that rank equally in right of payment with the notes. If those assets are insufficient to pay in full the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the notes and such other indebtedness and obligations, those assets will be applicable ratably to the payment of such amounts owing with respect to the notes and such other indebtedness and obligations.

In the event that we are subject to any termination, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, whether in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership proceedings or upon an assignment for the benefit of our creditors or any other marshalling of our assets and liabilities or otherwise, if the holders of the notes receive for any reason any payment on the notes or other distributions of our assets with respect to the notes before all of our senior indebtedness is paid in full, the holders of the notes will be required to return that payment or distribution to the bankruptcy trustee, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee, agent or other person making payment of our assets for all our senior indebtedness remaining unpaid until all that senior indebtedness has been paid in full, after giving effect to any other concurrent payment or distribution to the holders of such senior indebtedness.

By reason of the above subordination in favor of the holders of our senior indebtedness, in the event of our bankruptcy or insolvency, holders of our senior indebtedness may receive more, ratably, and holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors.

All liabilities of our wholly-owned banking subsidiary, ConnectOne Bank, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, including deposits and liabilities to general creditors arising during its ordinary course of business or otherwise, will be effectively senior in right of payment to the notes to the extent of the assets of the subsidiary because, as a shareholder of the subsidiary, we do not have any rights to the assets of the subsidiary except if the subsidiary declares a dividend payable to us or if there are assets of the subsidiary remaining after it has discharged its liabilities to its creditors in connection with its liquidation. As of June 30, 2015, ConnectOne Bancorp had total outstanding liabilities of $57.0 million. Over the term of the notes, we will need to rely primarily on dividends paid to us by ConnectOne Bank, which is a regulated and supervised depository institution, for the funds necessary to pay the interest on our outstanding debt obligations and to make dividends and other payments on our other securities outstanding now or in the future. With respect to the payment of

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the principal of the notes at their maturity, we may rely on the funds we receive from dividends paid to us by ConnectOne Bank, but may have to rely on the proceeds of borrowings and other securities we sell to pay the principal amount of the notes. Regulatory rules may restrict ConnectOne Bank’s ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us or provide funds to us by other means. As a result of the foregoing, with respect to the assets of ConnectOne Bank, our creditors (including the holders of the notes) are structurally subordinated to the prior claims of creditors of ConnectOne Bank, including its depositors, except to the extent that we may be a creditor with recognized claims against ConnectOne Bank.

Redemption

The notes may be redeemed by us in whole or in part on any interest payment date on or after July 1, 2020. In addition, the notes may be redeemed by us in whole, but not in part, at any time in the event of:

• a “Tier 2 Capital Event,” which is defined in the indenture to mean receipt by us of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that there is more than an insubstantial risk that the notes do not constitute, or within 90 days of the date of such legal opinion, will not constitute, Tier 2 capital for purposes of capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve Board, as then in effect and applicable to us;

• a “Tax Event,” which is defined in the indenture to mean the receipt by us of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that there is more than an insubstantial risk that interest paid by us on the notes is not, or within 90 days of the date of such legal opinion, will not be, deductible by us, in whole or in part, for U.S. federal income tax purposes; or

• an “Investment Company Event,” which is defined in the indenture to mean receipt by us of an opinion from counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that there is more than an insubstantial risk that we are, or within 90 days of the date of such legal opinion, will be considered an investment company that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

Any such redemption of the notes will be at a redemption price equal to the principal amount of the notes, or portion thereof, to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption. Any redemption of the notes will be subject to any required regulatory approvals.

If less than all of the notes are to be redeemed, the trustee will select the notes or portions thereof to be redeemed on a pro rata basis, by lot, or such other method as the trustee will deem fair and appropriate. No notes of $1,000 or less will be redeemed in part.

Notices of redemption will be mailed by first class mail at least 30 but no more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of notes to be redeemed at its registered address. If any note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that note will state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. A new note in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original note, if any, will be issued in the name of the holder thereof upon cancellation of the original note. Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after the redemption date, interest ceases to accrue on notes or portions of them called for redemption.

Repurchases

We may purchase notes at any time on the open market or otherwise. If we purchase notes in this manner, we have the discretion to hold, resell or surrender the notes to the trustee under the indenture for cancellation.

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No Sinking Fund; Non-Convertible

The notes will not be entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund. This means that we will not deposit money on a regular basis into any separate custodial account to repay the notes. The notes are not convertible into, or exchangeable for, any of our equity securities.

Denominations

The notes will be issued in fully registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of the notes, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charges that may be imposed in connection with the transaction.

Indenture Covenants

The indenture contains no covenants or restrictions restricting the incurrence of indebtedness or other obligations by us or by a subsidiary of ours, including ConnectOne Bank. The indenture contains no financial covenants requiring us to achieve or maintain any minimum financial results relating to our financial position or results of operations or meet or exceed any financial ratios as a general matter or in order to incur additional indebtedness or obligations or to maintain any reserves. Moreover, neither the indenture nor the notes contain any covenants limiting our right to incur additional indebtedness or obligations, grant liens on our assets to secure our indebtedness or other obligations that are senior in right of payment to the notes, repurchase our stock or other securities, including any of the notes, or pay dividends or make other distributions to our shareholders (except, in the case of dividends or other distributions, upon our failure to timely pay the principal of or interest on the notes, when the same becomes due and payable). In addition, neither the indenture nor the notes contain any provision that would provide protection to the holders of the notes against a sudden and dramatic decline in our credit quality resulting from a merger, takeover, recapitalization or similar restructuring or any other event involving us or our subsidiaries that may adversely affect our credit quality.

Events of Default; Right of Acceleration; Failure to Pay Principal or Interest

The following are events of default under the indenture with respect to the notes:

• specified events with respect to us under bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization law (the “bankruptcy events”);

• default in the payment of any interest on the notes when due, which continues for 30 days;

• default in the payment of any principal of the notes when due;

• default in the performance of any other obligation of ours under the notes or the indenture, which continues for 60 days after written notice as provided for in the indenture; and

• default under any of our other indebtedness having an aggregate principal amount of at least $50,000,000, whether such indebtedness now exists or is created or incurred in the future, which default (i) constitutes failure in payment of principal of such indebtedness when due after the expiration of any applicable grace period without such indebtedness having been discharged or (ii) results in such indebtedness becoming due or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it otherwise would have become due or payable without such indebtedness having been discharged or such acceleration having been rescinded or annulled.

If an event of default with respect to the notes occurs due to a bankruptcy event, the principal of the notes and all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, will be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of the notes. If an event of default with respect to the notes occurs due to any reason other than a bankruptcy event, neither the trustee nor any holder may accelerate the maturity of the notes.

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The indenture provides for the acceleration of the unpaid principal and interest on the notes only in limited circumstances related to our involuntary or voluntary bankruptcy under bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization laws of the U.S. or any political subdivision thereof. Accordingly, if an event of default occurs and is continuing related to our bankruptcy, the principal amount of all notes, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, will be due and payable immediately.

Under the indenture, if we fail to make any payment of interest on any note when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or if we fail to make any payment of the principal of any note when such principal becomes due and payable, the trustee may, subject to certain limitations and conditions, seek to enforce its rights and the rights of the holders of notes to regularly scheduled payments of interest and of principal at the scheduled maturity of the notes. Any such rights to receive payment of such amounts under the notes remain subject to the subordination provisions of the notes as discussed above under “—Subordination of the Notes.” Neither the trustee nor the holders of the notes will have the right to accelerate the maturity of the notes in the case of our failure to pay the principal of, or interest on, the notes or our non-performance of any other covenant or warranty under the notes or the indenture.

Amendment, Supplement and Waiver

Without the consent of any holder of notes, we and the trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental to the indenture for any of the following purposes:

• to evidence a successor to our organization, and the assumption by any such successor of our covenants contained in the indenture and the notes;

• to add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders, or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us with respect to the notes;

• to permit or facilitate the issuance of notes in uncertificated or global form, as long as any such action will not adversely affect the interests of the holders;

• to include additional events of default;

• to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under the indenture by a successor trustee;

• to cure any ambiguity, defect, omission, mistake or inconsistency;

• to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the indenture that will not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the notes;

• to supplement any of the provisions of the indenture as necessary to permit or facilitate legal or covenant defeasance, or satisfaction and discharge of the notes, as long as any such action will not adversely affect the interests of any holder;

• to conform any provision of the indenture to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act;

• to provide for the issuance of the New Notes in connection with this exchange offer; or

• to make any change that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the indenture of any holder.

With the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes, we and the trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental to the indenture for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of the indenture or the notes or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the notes under the indenture, except that no such supplemental indenture will, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note affected thereby:

• reduce the rate of, or change the time for payment of, interest on any note;

• reduce the principal of or change the stated maturity of any note, change the date on which any note may be subject to redemption, or reduce the price at which any note subject to redemption may be redeemed;

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• make any note payable in money other than dollars;

• modify any provision of the indenture protecting the right of a holder to receive payment of principal of and interest on such note on or after the due date thereof or to bring suit to enforce payment;

• reduce the threshold of holders the consent of whom is required for any such supplemental indenture or required to waive certain defaults and covenants under the indenture; or

• modify any of the provisions of the section of the indenture governing supplemental indentures with the consent of holders, or those provisions relating to waiver of defaults or certain covenants, except to increase any such percentage required for such actions or to provide that certain other provisions of the indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note affected thereby.

The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes may on behalf of the holders of all notes waive any past default under the indenture and its consequences, except a default in any payment in respect of the principal of or interest on any note, or in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture under which the indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note.

Satisfaction and Discharge of the Indenture; Defeasance

We may terminate our obligations under the indenture when:

• either: (1) all notes that have been authenticated and delivered have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation, or (2) all notes that have not been delivered to the trustee for cancellation (i) have become due and payable or (ii) will become due and payable at their stated maturity within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the trustee, and we have deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee immediately available funds in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the outstanding notes;

• we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums then due and payable by us under the indenture with respect to the notes; and

• we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent under the indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture have been satisfied.

We may elect, at our option and at any time, to have our obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding notes, which we refer to as legal defeasance. Legal defeasance means that we will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by the outstanding notes, except for:

• the rights of the holders of such notes to receive payments in respect of the principal of and interest on such notes when payments are due;

• our obligations with respect to such notes concerning registration of notes, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust;

• the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee under the indenture; and

• the legal defeasance provisions of the indenture.

In addition, we may elect, at our option, to have our obligations released with respect to certain covenants contained in the indenture, which is also called covenant defeasance. In the event covenant defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment, bankruptcy and insolvency events) will no longer constitute an event of default with respect to the notes.

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In order to exercise either legal defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to outstanding notes:

• we must irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to the benefits of the holders of such notes, (1) an amount in dollars, (2) U.S. government obligations that through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than the due date of any payment on the notes, money in an amount, or (3) a combination thereof, in each case in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge, and which will be applied by the trustee to pay and discharge, the entire indebtedness in respect of the principal of and interest on the notes on the stated maturity thereof or, with respect to notes called for redemption, on the redemption date thereof;

• in the case of legal defeasance, we will have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) a ruling or since the date of the indenture there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion will confirm that, the holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such legal defeasance to be effected with respect to such notes and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would be the case if such legal defeasance had not occurred;

• in the case of covenant defeasance, we will have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the outstanding notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance to be effected with respect to the notes and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would be the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred;

• no event of default, or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an event of default with respect to the outstanding notes will have occurred and be continuing at the time of such deposit (and in the case of legal defeasance will have occurred and be continuing at any time during the period ending on and including the 91st day after the date of such deposit);

• such legal defeasance or covenant defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, the indenture or any other material agreement or material instrument to which we or our subsidiaries are a party or by which we or our subsidiaries are bound; and

• we will have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent with respect to such legal defeasance or covenant defeasance have been satisfied.

In connection with a discharge or defeasance, in the event the trustee is unable to apply the moneys deposited as contemplated under the satisfaction and discharge provisions of the indenture for any reason, our obligations under the indenture and the New Notes will be revived as if the deposit had never occurred.

Registration of Transfer and Exchange

We will maintain an office or agency where the notes may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange. That office or agency will be the office of the trustee located at U.S. Bank National Association, 111 Fillmore Avenue, St. Paul MN 55107-1402, and the trustee will serve as the initial registrar with respect to the registration of transfer and exchange of the notes. At the option of the holder, notes may be exchange for other notes containing identical terms and provisions, in authorized denominations, and of like aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the notes to be exchanged.

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Regarding the Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association is acting as the trustee under the indenture and the initial paying agent and registrar for the notes. From time to time, we and some of our subsidiaries may maintain deposit accounts and conduct other banking transactions, including lending transactions, with the trustee in the ordinary course of business.

Except during the continuance of an event of default under the indenture, the trustee will perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. During the continuance of an event of default that has not been cured or waived, the trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by the indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances.

The indenture and the Trust Indenture Act contain certain limitations on the rights of the trustee, should it become a creditor of our organization, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions; however, if it acquires any “conflicting interest” (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act) it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue or resign.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, subject to certain exceptions. The indenture provides that in case an event of default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by the indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by the indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders under the indenture, unless such holders will have provided to the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against the losses, liabilities and expenses which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

No Personal Liability of Shareholders, Partners, Officers or Directors

No past, present or future director, officer, employee or shareholder of our company or any of our subsidiaries, as such or in such capacity, will have any personal liability for any of our obligations under the notes or the indenture by reason of his, her or its status as such director, officer, employee or shareholder. Each holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of the notes. Such waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the notes are governed by, and will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following is a general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exchange of outstanding Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential tax considerations. This discussion is limited to the U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to holders that are beneficial owners of Old Notes that purchased their Old Notes in the original offering at their original “issue price” (the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold for cash (excluding sales to bond houses, brokers, or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers)) for cash and that are held as “capital assets” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address the tax consequences to subsequent purchasers of the Old Notes or the New Notes. This discussion is based

27

on current provisions of the Code, the regulations promulgated thereunder by the United States Department of the Treasury, judicial interpretations thereof and administrative rulings and published positions of the IRS, all as in effect as of the date hereof and all of which are subject to change or different interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect, and any such change could affect the accuracy of the statements and conclusions set forth herein.

This discussion is for general information only and does not purport to address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to particular holders in light of their particular circumstances and does not apply to holders subject to special rules under the U.S. federal income tax laws (including, for example, U.S. holders having a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar, persons subject to special rules applicable to former citizens and residents of the United States, banks or other financial institutions, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax, grantor trusts, partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (or investors therein), real estate investment trusts, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities who elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting, persons holding notes in connection with a hedging transaction, straddle, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction, corporations treated as “personal holding companies,” “controlled foreign corporations,” or “passive foreign investment companies”). This discussion does not address any tax consequences arising under the unearned income Medicare contribution tax pursuant to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and any state, local or foreign tax consequences, nor does it address any U.S. federal tax considerations other than those pertaining to the income tax. Holders should consult their own tax advisors as to the particular tax consequences to them of exchanging Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer, including the applicability of any U.S. federal income and other tax laws, any state, local or foreign tax laws or any treaty, and any changes (or proposed changes) in tax laws or interpretations thereof.

If any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds Old Notes, the tax treatment of a person treated as a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. Persons that for U.S. federal income tax purposes are treated as a partner in a partnership holding Old Notes should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences to them of exchanging Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer.

THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXCHANGE OF OLD NOTES FOR NEW NOTES IN THE EXCHANGE OFFER. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES APPLICABLE TO THEM OF EXCHANGING OLD NOTES FOR NEW NOTES IN THE EXCHANGE OFFER, INCLUDING WITH REGARD TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF NON-INCOME TAX LAWS, THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAXING JURISDICTION, ANY CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS AND ANY PENDING OR PROPOSED LEGISLATION OR REGULATIONS.

Exchange Offer

The exchange of Old Notes for New Notes in the exchange offer will not be a taxable exchange for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consequently, holders of Old Notes will not recognize gain or loss upon the receipt of New Notes in the exchange offer, a holder’s basis in the New Notes received in the exchange offer will be the same as such holder’s basis in the Old Notes surrendered in exchange therefor immediately before the exchange, and a holder’s holding period in the New Notes will include such holder’s holding period in the Old Notes surrendered in exchange therefor.

28

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We are not utilizing any underwriters for the exchange offer.

Each broker-dealer that receives New Notes for its own account in this exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the New Notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker- dealer in connection with resales of New Notes received in exchange for Old Notes where the Old Notes were acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, provided that such broker-dealer notifies the Company to that effect by so indicating on the letter of transmittal. To the extent that any notifying broker-dealer participates in the exchange offer, we have agreed that for a period of 180 days (subject to extension under limited circumstances) following the expiration date, we will use our reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of this prospectus.

We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of New Notes by broker-dealers or any other persons. New Notes received by broker-dealers for their own account under the exchange offer may be sold from time to time in one or more transactions in the over-the-counter market, in negotiated transactions, through the writing of options on the New Notes or a combination of such methods of resale, at market prices prevailing at the time of resale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Any such resale may be made directly to purchasers or to or through brokers or dealers who may receive compensation in the form of commissions or concessions from any such broker-dealer and/or the purchasers of any New Notes. Any broker-dealer that receives New Notes in exchange for Old Notes acquired for its own account as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, and resells such New Notes, and any broker-dealer that participates in a distribution of such New Notes may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and any profit on any such resale of New Notes and any commission or concessions received by any such persons may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under the Securities Act. The letter of transmittal states that, by acknowledging that it will deliver and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters with respect to the New Notes will be passed upon for us by Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, New Brunswick, NJ.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. as of December 31, 2014 and for the year then ended, incorporated by reference into this prospectus and in the registration statement have been included in reliance on the report of Crowe Horwath LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting matters.

The consolidated financial statements of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.as of December 31, 2013 and for the year then ended, incorporated by reference into this prospectus and in the registration statement have been included in reliance on the report of BDO USA LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting matters.

30

PART II.

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 20. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Subsection (2) of Section 3-5, Title 14A of the New Jersey Business Corporation Act empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation), by reason of the fact that he is or was a corporate agent (i.e., a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or a person serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise), against reasonable costs (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

Subsection (3) of Section 3-5 empowers a corporation to indemnify a corporate agent against reasonable costs (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by him in connection with any proceeding by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor which involves such corporate agent by reason of the fact that he is or was a corporate agent if he acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification may be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Superior Court of New Jersey or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine that despite the adjudication of liability, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.

Subsection (4) of Section 3-5 provides that to the extent that a corporate agent has been successful in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (2) and (3) or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by him in connection therewith.

Subsection (5) of Section 3-5 provides that a corporation may indemnify a corporate agent in a specific case if it is determined that indemnification is proper because the corporate agent met the applicable standard of conduct, and such determination is made by any of the following: (a) the board of directors or a committee thereof, acting by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of disinterested directors; (b) independent legal counsel, if there is no quorum of disinterested directors or if the disinterested directors empowers counsel to make the determination; or (c) the shareholders.

Subsection (8) of Section 3-5 provides that the indemnification provisions in the law shall not exclude any other rights to indemnification that a director or officer may be entitled to under a provision of the certificate of incorporation, a by-law, an agreement, a vote of shareholders, or otherwise. That subsection explicitly permits indemnification for liabilities and expenses incurred in proceedings brought by or in the right of the corporation (derivative proceedings). The only limit on indemnification of directors and officers imposed by that subsection is that a corporation may not indemnify a director or officer if a judgment has established that the director’s or officer’s acts or omissions were a breach of his or her duty of loyalty, not in good faith, involved a knowing violation of the law, or resulted in receipt of an improper personal benefit.

Subsection (9) of Section 3-5 provides that a corporation is empowered to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of a director or officer against any expenses or liabilities incurred in any proceeding by reason of that person being or having been a director or officer, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify that person against expenses and liabilities under other provisions of the law.

The Registrant’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains the following provision regarding indemnification:

II-1

“Every person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or of any corporation which he served as such at the request of the corporation, shall be indemnified by the corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law against all expenses and liabilities reasonably incurred by or imposed upon him, in connection with any proceeding to which he may be made, or threatened to be made, a party, or in which he may become involved by reason of his being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or of such other corporation, whether or not he is a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or such other corporation at the time that the expenses or liabilities are incurred.”

Item 21. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) List of Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
	5.1	Opinion of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP
	10.1	Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement dated June 30, 2015 Trustee is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 2, 2015.
	10.2	Indenture dated June 30, 2015 with U.S. Bank, National Association as Trustee is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 2, 2015.
	10.3	Registration Rights Agreement dated June 30, 2015 Trustee is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 2, 2015
	23.1	Consent of Crowe Horwath LLP
	24.1	Powers of Attorney
	25.1	Statement of Eligibility under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 on Form T-1 of U.S. Bank National Association
	99.1	Form of Letter of Transmittal.
	99.2	Form of Letter to Depository Trust Company Participants.

Item 22. Undertakings

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to respond to requests for information that is incorporated by reference into the prospectus pursuant to Items 4, 10(b), 11, or 13 of this Form, within one business day of receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents by first class mail or other equally prompt means. This includes information contained in documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the registration statement through the date of responding to the request.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to supply by means of a post-effective amendment all information concerning a transaction, and the company being acquired involved therein, that was not the subject of and included in the registration statement when it became effective.

II-3

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-4 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Borough of Englewood Cliffs, State of New Jersey, on the 28th day of September 2015.

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

By: /s/ FRANK SORRENTINO III   (Frank Sorrentino III
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 28th day of September 2015.

Signature	Title
/S/ FRANK SORRENTINO III (Frank Sorrentino III)	President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director (principal executive officer)
/S/ WILLIAM S. BURNS (William S. Burns)	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer)
/S/ ALEXANDER BOL (Alexander Bol)	Director
/S/ STEPHEN BOSWELL (Stephen Boswell)	Director
/S/ FRANK W. BAIER (Frank W. Baier)	Director
/S/ FRANK HUTTLE III (Frank Huttle III)	Director
/S/ MICHAEL KEMPNER (Michael Kempner)	Director
/S/ JOSEPH PARISI, JR. (Joseph Parisi, Jr.)	Director
/S/ FREDERICK S. FISH (Frederick S. Fish)	Director
/S/ NICHOLAS MINOIA (Nicolas Minoia)	Director
/S/ HAROLD SCHECHTER (Harold Schechter)	Director
/S/ WILLIAM A. THOMPSON (William A. Thompson)	Director
/S/ RAYMOND VANARIA (Raymond Vanaria)	Director

II-4

EX-5.1

September 28, 2015

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

301 Sylvan Avenue

Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Re: ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

Registration Statement on Form S-4

Dear Sir or Madam:

We have acted as counsel for ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”) in connection with its registration statement on Form S-4 ( as subsequently amended, the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). The Registration Statement includes a prospectus (the “Prospectus”) to be furnished to holders of the $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025 of the Company originally issued on June 30, 2015 and outstanding as of the date hereof (the “Original Notes”) in connection with the proposed exchange of the Original Notes for $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025 of the Company (the “New Notes”). This opinion letter is furnished to you at your request to enable you to fulfill the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. § 229.601(b)(5), in connection with the Registration Statement.

In so acting, we have examined, and relied as to matters of fact upon, the originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws of the Company and such other certificates (including certificates of officers of the Company), records, instruments and documents, and have made such other and further investigations, as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to enable us to express the opinion set forth below. In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.

Based upon and subject to the qualifications, exceptions, assumptions, limitations, definitions, exclusions and other matters described in this opinion letter, we are of the opinion that when the New Notes have been duly authenticated and duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the New Notes will be legally issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving the foregoing consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder.

This opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New Jersey and no opinion is expressed as to the laws of any other jurisdiction. The opinion expressed herein does not extend to compliance with federal and state securities laws relating to the sale of Rights Shares. The opinion is rendered solely for your benefit and that of subscribers in connection with the transaction described above and may not be used or relied upon by any other person without prior written consent in each instance.

/s/ WINDELS MARX LANE & MITTENDORF, LLP

EX-23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. on Form S-4 of our report dated March 13, 2015 on the consolidated financial statements and effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting appearing in the 2014 Form 10-K of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2014 and to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ Crowe Horwath LLP

Crowe Horwath LLP

Livingston, New Jersey

September 28, 2015

EX-24.1

Exhibit 24.1

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each officer and director of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Frank Sorrentino III, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and revocation, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to execute any or all amendments, including any post-effective amendments and supplements to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, thereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

/s/ William S. Burns	September 28, 2015
William S. Burns Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Principal Accounting and Principal Financial Officer
/s/ Alexander Bol	September 28, 2015
Alexander Bol Director
/s/ Stephen Boswell	September 28, 2015
Stephen Boswell Director
/s/ Frank W. Baier	September 28, 2015
Frank W. Baier Director
/s/ Stephen M. Goldman	September 28, 2015
Stephen M. Goldman Director
/s/ Frank Huttle III	September 28, 2015
Frank Huttle III Director
/s/ Michael Kempner	September 28, 2015
Michael Kempner Director

/s/ Joseph Parisi, Jr.	September 28, 2015
Joseph Parisi, Jr. Director
/s/ Frederick S. Fish	September 28, 2015
Frederick S. Fish Director
/s/ Nicholas Minoia	September 28, 2015
Nicholas Minoia Director
/s/ Harold Schechter	September 28, 2015
Harold Schechter Director
/s/ William A. Thompson	September 28, 2015
William A. Thompson Director
/s/ Raymond Vanaria	September 28, 2015
Raymond Vanaria Director

EX-25.1

Exhibit 25.1

securities and exchange commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM T-1

Statement of Eligibility Under

The Trust Indenture Act of 1939 of a

Corporation Designated to Act as Trustee

Check if an Application to Determine Eligibility of

a Trustee Pursuant to Section 305(b)(2)

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

(Exact name of Trustee as specified in its charter)

31-0841368

I.R.S. Employer Identification No.

800 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota	55402
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Stephanie Roche

U.S. Bank National Association

21 South Street

Morristown, NJ 07960

(973) 898-7160

(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc

(Issuer with respect to the Securities)

New Jersey	26-1998619
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
301 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey	07632
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

5.75 Fixed to Floating Subordinated Notes due 2025

(Title of the Indenture Securities)

FORM T-1

Item 1.	GENERAL INFORMATION.  Furnish the following information as to the Trustee.
	a)	Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject.
			Comptroller of the Currency
			Washington, D.C.
	b)	Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers.
			Yes

Item 2.	AFFILIATIONS WITH OBLIGOR.  If the obligor is an affiliate of the Trustee, describe each such affiliation.
	None

Items 3-15	Items 3-15 are not applicable because to the best of the Trustee’s knowledge, the obligor is not in default under any Indenture for which the Trustee acts as Trustee.
Item 16.	LIST OF EXHIBITS:  List below all exhibits filed as a part of this statement of eligibility and qualification.
	1.	A copy of the Articles of Association of the Trustee.*
	2.	A copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to commence business, attached as Exhibit 2.
	3.	A copy of the certificate of authority of the Trustee to exercise corporate trust powers, attached as Exhibit 3.
	4.	A copy of the existing bylaws of the Trustee.**
	5.	A copy of each Indenture referred to in Item 4.  Not applicable.
	6.	The consent of the Trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, attached as Exhibit 6.
	7.	Report of Condition of the Trustee as of June 30, 2015 published pursuant to law or the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, attached as Exhibit 7.

* Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 25.1 to Amendment No. 2 to registration statement on S-4, Registration Number 333-128217 filed on November 15, 2005.

** Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 25.1 to registration statement on form S-3ASR, Registration Number 333-199863 filed on November 5, 2014.

2

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Trustee, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, has duly caused this statement of eligibility and qualification to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in the Town of Morristown, State of New Jersey on the of September 23, 2015.

By:	/s/ Stephanie Roche
	Stephanie Roche
	Vice President

3

Exhibit 2

	Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
		Washington, DC 20219

CERTIFICATE OF CORPORATE EXISTENCE

I, Thomas J. Curry, Comptroller of the Currency, do hereby certify that:

1. The Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statutes 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has possession, custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.

2. “U.S. Bank National Association,” Cincinnati, Ohio (Charter No. 24), is a national banking association formed under the laws of the United States and is authorized thereunder to transact the business of banking on the date of this certificate.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, today, July 3, 2015, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.

	Comptroller of the Currency

4

Exhibit 3

	Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
		Washington, DC 20219

CERTIFICATION OF FIDUCIARY POWERS

I, Thomas J. Curry, Comptroller of the Currency, do hereby certify that:

1. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, pursuant to Revised Statutes 324, et seq, as amended, and 12 USC 1, et seq, as amended, has possession, custody, and control of all records pertaining to the chartering, regulation, and supervision of all national banking associations.

2. “U.S. Bank National Association,” Cincinnati, Ohio (Charter No. 24), was granted, under the hand and seal of the Comptroller, the right to act in all fiduciary capacities authorized under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved September 28, 1962, 76 Stat. 668, 12 USC 92a, and that the authority so granted remains in full force and effect on the date of this certificate.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, today. July 3, 2015, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused my seal of office to be affixed to these presents at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia.

	Comptroller or the Currency

5

Exhibit 6

CONSENT

In accordance with Section 321(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the undersigned, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION hereby consents that reports of examination of the undersigned by Federal, State, Territorial or District authorities may be furnished by such authorities to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon its request therefor.

Dated: September 23, 2015

By:	/s/ Stephanie Roche
	Stephanie Roche
	Vice President

6

Exhibit 7

U.S. Bank National Association

Statement of Financial Condition

As of 6/30/2015

($000’s)

Assets		6/30/2015
Cash and Balances Due From	$	17,896,807
Depository Institutions
Securities		102,874,924
Federal Funds		53,692
Loans & Lease Financing Receivables		252,013,047
Fixed Assets		4,310,148
Intangible Assets		13,076,832
Other Assets		23,776,797
Total Assets	$	414,002,247
Liabilities
Deposits	$	307,828,983
Fed Funds		1,465,991
Treasury Demand Notes		0
Trading Liabilities		885,507
Other Borrowed Money		46,539,645
Acceptances		0
Subordinated Notes and Debentures		3,650,000
Other Liabilities		11,984,151
Total Liabilities	$	372,354,277
Equity
Common and Preferred Stock		18,200
Surplus		14,266,400
Undivided Profits		26,502,086
Minority Interest in Subsidiaries		861,284
Total Equity Capital	$	41,647,970
Total Liabilities and Equity Capital	$	414,002,247

7

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

To Tender for Exchange

5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025

For

Outstanding 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025

In Accordance with Prospectus Dated [•], 2015

THE EXCHANGE OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., EASTERN DAYLIGHT, ON [•], 2015 UNLESS
EXTENDED (“EXPIRATION DATE”). TENDERS MAY BE WITHDRAWN PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M.,
EASTERN DAYLIGHT  TIME, ON THE EXPIRATION DATE

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE ATTACHED INSTRUCTIONS

If you desire to accept the Exchange Offer, this Letter of Transmittal should be completed, signed and submitted to U.S. Bank National Association (the “Exchange Agent”) as follows:

By Mail or Hand Delivery:	U.S. Bank National Association
	Attn: Corporate Actions
	111 Fillmore Avenue
	St. Paul, MN 55107-1402
Telephone:	(800) 934-6802
Facsimile:	(651) 466-7367
Email:	cts.specfinance@usbank.com

DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE OR TRANSMISSION VIA A FACSIMILE NUMBER OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.

For any questions regarding this Letter of Transmittal or for any additional information, you may contact the Exchange Agent by telephone at (800) 934-6802

The Exchange Offer is not being made or mailed to, nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of, holders of outstanding 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of the Exchange Offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this Letter of Transmittal to “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references mean ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

Preliminary Instructions

The undersigned acknowledges receipt of the Prospectus dated [•], 2015 (the “Prospectus”) of ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. , a New Jersey corporation (the “Issuer”), and this Letter of Transmittal, which together constitute our offer to exchange (the “Exchange Offer”) our new 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 (the “New Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for a like principal amount of our outstanding unregistered 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 (the “Old Notes”). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Letter of Transmittal have the meanings ascribed to them in the Prospectus.

The form and terms of the New Notes are identical in all material respects to the form and terms of the Old Notes, except that:

· the New Notes have been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under U.S. federal securities laws and will not bear any legend restricting their transfer;

· the New Notes bear a different CUSIP number from the Old Notes;

· the New Notes generally will not be subject to transfer restrictions and will not be entitled to registration rights; and

· the holders of the New Notes will not be entitled to earn additional interest under circumstances relating to our registration obligations under the registration rights agreement dated June 30, 2015 (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) among the initial purchasers of the Old Notes named therein and us, in accordance with which the Exchange Offer is made.

Interest on each New Note will accrue from the last interest payment date on which interest was paid on the Old Note surrendered in exchange therefor or, if no interest has been paid on the Old Note, from the date of its original issue. See “The Exchange Offer” in the Prospectus.

The Letter of Transmittal is to be completed by a holder of Old Notes if certificates representing the Old Notes are to be forwarded herewith.

We reserve the right, at any time and from time to time, to extend the Exchange Offer, in which case the term “Expiration Date” means the latest date and time to which the Exchange Offer is extended. To extend the exchange offer, we will notify the Exchange Agent and each registered holder of the Old Notes of any extension before 9:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date. The Exchange Offer is not conditioned on any minimum aggregate principal amount of Old Notes being tendered or accepted for exchange. However, the Exchange Offer is subject to certain conditions. See “The Exchange Offer—Conditions” in the Prospectus.

Delivery of documents to us does not constitute delivery to the Exchange Agent.

HOLDERS OF OLD NOTES SHOULD COMPLETE THE APPROPRIATE BOXES BELOW AND SIGN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO INDICATE THE ACTION THE HOLDERS ELECT TO TAKE WITH RESPECT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Exchange Offer, the undersigned tenders to us the Old Notes described in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes) (the “Tendered Notes”). The undersigned is the registered owner of all the Tendered Notes, and the undersigned represents that it has received from each beneficial owner of the Tendered Notes described in Box II (Beneficial Owner(s)) (a “Beneficial Owner”), if any, a duly completed and executed form of “Instructions to Registered Holder from Beneficial Owner” accompanying this Letter of Transmittal as Exhibit A, instructing the undersigned to take the action described in this Letter of Transmittal. Subject to, and effective upon, the acceptance for exchange of the Tendered Notes, the undersigned sells, assigns and transfers to, or upon the order of, us all right, title and interest in and to the Tendered Notes.

The undersigned irrevocably constitutes and appoints the Exchange Agent its agent and attorney-in-fact (with full knowledge that the Exchange Agent also acts as our agent) with respect to the Tendered Notes with the full power of substitution to (i) deliver certificates for the Tendered Notes to us and deliver all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity to, or upon the order of, us, (ii) present the Tendered Notes for transfer on our books and (iii) receive for our account all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of the Tendered Notes, all in accordance with the terms of the Exchange Offer. The power of attorney granted in this paragraph will be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest.

The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to surrender, tender, sell, assign and transfer the Tendered Notes and that we will acquire good and unencumbered title thereto, free and clear of all security interests, liens, restrictions, charges, encumbrances, conditional sale agreements or other obligations relating to their sale and transfer and not subject to any adverse claim when the same are accepted by us and that the information (if any) set forth in Box II (Beneficial Owner(s)) is correct. The undersigned and any Beneficial Owner represent and warrant to us that (i) any New Notes to be received in exchange for the Tendered Notes will have been acquired in the ordinary course of business of the undersigned and any Beneficial Owner, (ii) that neither the undersigned nor any Beneficial Owner has an arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in a distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the New Notes, (iii) that neither the undersigned nor any Beneficial Owner is an “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of us and (iv) that neither the undersigned nor any Beneficial Owner is acting on behalf of any person who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above. If the undersigned or any Beneficial Owner is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the undersigned and such Beneficial Owner (i) represent that such broker-dealer is participating in the Exchange Offer for its own account in exchange for Old Notes that were acquired as a result of market-making or other trading activities, (ii) confirms that it has not entered into any arrangement or understanding with us or any of our affiliates to distribute the New Notes and (iii) acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes. However, by so acknowledging and so delivering a prospectus, such broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act. The above-referenced prospectus may be the Prospectus (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time) only if it contains a plan of distribution and selling security holder information with respect to such resale transactions (but need not name the undersigned or disclose the amount of New Notes held by the undersigned or any such Beneficial Owner).

If the undersigned is not a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act, the undersigned represents that it is not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, a distribution of New Notes. If the undersigned is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act that will receive New Notes for its own account in exchange for Tendered Notes, it represents that the Tendered Notes to be exchanged for New Notes were acquired by it as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and acknowledges that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes pursuant to the Exchange Offer; however, by so acknowledging and by delivering a prospectus, the undersigned will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

The undersigned and any Beneficial Owner agree that acceptance of any Tendered Notes by us and the issuance of New Notes in exchange therefor will constitute performance in full by us of our obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement (as applicable) and that we will have no further obligations or liabilities thereunder (except as expressly provided therein).

The undersigned and any Beneficial Owner also acknowledge that the Exchange Offer is being made based upon our understanding of existing interpretations of the Securities Act by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) set forth in several “no-action” letters to third parties and unrelated to us and the Exchange Offer and, based on such interpretations, we believe that the New Notes issued under the Exchange Offer in exchange for Old Notes may be offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by the holders thereof (other than any such holder which is an “affiliate” of us within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) without further compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, provided that such New Notes are acquired in the ordinary course of such holders’ business and such holders are not engaged in and do not intend to engage in and have no arrangement or understanding with us or any other person to participate in a distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of such New Notes, provided further if a holder is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act, the holder is participating in the Exchange Offer for its own account in exchange for Old Notes that were acquired as a result of market-making or other trading activities and the holder must deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes. Any holder who is an affiliate of us, who does not acquire the New Notes in the ordinary course of business, who intends to participate in the Exchange Offer for the purpose of distributing the New Notes or is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act who purchased the Old Notes directly from us (i) will not be able to rely on the interpretations of the staff of the SEC set forth in the above-mentioned “no-action” letters, (ii) will not be able to tender its Old Notes in the Exchange Offer and (iii) must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any sale or transfer transaction unless such sale or transfer is made in accordance with an exemption from such requirements. The undersigned acknowledges that we have not sought or received our own “no-action” letter with respect to the Exchange Offer and the related transactions, and that there can be no assurance that the staff of the SEC will make a determination in the case of the Exchange Offer and such transactions that is similar to its determinations in the above-mentioned “no-action” letters. The undersigned and any Beneficial Owner further acknowledge that we may rely upon each of the foregoing representations and covenants for purposes of the Exchange Offer.

The undersigned and each Beneficial Owner will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the Exchange Agent or us to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the Tendered Notes. All authority conferred or agreed to be conferred in this Letter of Transmittal and every obligation of the undersigned and each Beneficial Owner hereunder will be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators, trustees in bankruptcy and legal representatives of the undersigned and such Beneficial Owner, and will not be affected by, and will survive the death or incapacity of, the undersigned and such Beneficial Owner.

For purposes of the Exchange Offer, we will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered Tendered Notes when and if we have given written or oral notice to the Exchange Agent of our acceptance.

The undersigned understands that tenders of the Tendered Notes in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus under “The Exchange Offer—Procedures for Tendering” and in the Instructions hereto will constitute a binding agreement between the undersigned and us in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Letter of Transmittal and in the Prospectus.

The undersigned recognizes that (i) under certain circumstances set forth in the Prospectus under “The Exchange Offer—Conditions,” we will not be required to accept the Tendered Notes for exchange and (ii) the undersigned may withdraw its tender of Tendered Notes only as set forth in the Prospectus under “The Exchange Offer—Withdrawal of Tenders.” Tendered notes not accepted for exchange or which have been withdrawn will be returned, without expense, to the undersigned as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date, in the manner set forth in the next succeeding paragraph.

Unless otherwise indicated in Box IV (Special Issuance Instructions), please issue certificates for the New Notes (and, if applicable, substitute certificates representing any Old Notes not exchanged) in the name of the undersigned. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated in Box V (Special Delivery Instructions), please (i) send certificates for the New Notes (and, if applicable, substitute certificates representing Old Notes not exchanged) to the undersigned at the address indicated in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes).

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL CAREFULLY BEFORE COMPLETING ANY BOX BELOW.

BOX I

DESCRIPTION OF TENDERED NOTES*

Name and Address of Registered Noteholder exactly as name appears on Old Note Certificate(s)	Description of Notes Surrendered
	Certificate Number(s)*	Aggregate Principal Amount Represented by Certificate	Aggregate Principal Amount Tendered**
	Total:

* List the Old Notes to which this Letter of Transmittal relates. If the space provided is inadequate, the Certificate numbers and principal amount of Old Notes should be listed on a separate signed schedule attached hereto.

** Tenders of Old Notes must be in a minimum principal amount of $1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. Unless otherwise indicated in this column, a holder will be deemed to have tendered ALL of the Old Notes represented by the Certificate(s) set forth above. See Instruction 2.

BOX II

BENEFICIAL OWNERS

State of Principal Residence
of Each Beneficial Owner of
Tendered Notes Principal Amount of Tendered Notes Held for Account of Beneficial Owner

BOX III

ATTENTION BROKER-DEALERS

¨	CHECK HERE IF THE UNDERSIGNED OR ANY BENEFICIAL OWNER OF TENDERED NOTES IS A BROKER-DEALER:
¨	CHECK HERE IF THE UNDERSIGNED BROKER-DEALER WISHES TO RECEIVE 10 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE PROSPECTUS AND 10 COPIES OF ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO:
	Name:
	Address:

BOX IV

SPECIAL ISSUANCE INSTRUCTIONS

(See Instructions 3 and 4)

To be completed ONLY if certificates for New Notes and/or certificates for Old Notes not exchanged are to be issued in the name of someone other than the person(s) whose signature(s) appear(s) on this Letter of Transmittal in Box VI (Signature). Please type or print information.

Name: 

Address:
	(Street Address)

(City) (State) (Zip Code)

(Tax Identification or Social Security Number)

BOX V

SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

(See Instructions 3 and 4)

To be completed ONLY if certificates for New Notes and/or certificates for Old Notes not exchanged are to be sent to someone other than the person(s) whose signature(s) appear(s) on this Letter of Transmittal in Box VI (Signature) at the address(es) indicated in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes). Please type or print information.

Send: New Notes issued and/or Old Notes not exchanged to:

Name:

Address:
	(Street Address)

(City) (State) (Zip Code)

(Tax Identification or Social Security Number)

BOX VI

SIGNATURE: TO BE COMPLETED BY ALL TENDERING HOLDERS

(See Instructions 1 and 3)

In addition, the enclosed Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or appropriate Internal Revenue Service Form

W-8
must be completed and signed.

(Signatures by Tendering Holders) (Date)

(Additional Signatures by Tendering Holders, if any) (Date)

(Area Code(s) and Telephone Number(s))

For any Tendered Notes, this Letter of Transmittal must be signed by the registered holder(s) as the name(s) appear(s) on the certificate(s) for the Tendered Notes or by any person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by endorsements and documents submitted herewith. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth full title and the other information indicated below and, unless waived by us, submit herewith evidence to our satisfaction of authority to so act. See Instruction 3.

Name:

Capacity:

Address:

(Street Address)

(City) (State) (Zip Code)

Tax Identification or Social Security Number: 

SIGNATURE GUARANTEE

(If required by Instruction 3)

Signature(s) Guaranteed 

by Eligible Institution:

Authorized Signature:

(Print Name)

(Title)

(Name of Firm – Must be an Eligible Institution as defined in Instruction 3)

Address: 

Area Code and Telephone Number: 

CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC.

INSTRUCTIONS TO LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

FORMING PART OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

OF THE EXCHANGE OFFER

1. Delivery of this Letter of Transmittal and Tendered Notes. This Letter of Transmittal is to be completed by holders of Old Notes. Certificates for all physically tendered Old Notes and a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or manually signed facsimile hereof) and all other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Exchange Agent at the address set forth on the front page hereof prior to 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight time, on the Expiration Date.

The method of delivery of this Letter of Transmittal, the Tendered Notes and all other required documents is at the election and risk of the tendering holders. The delivery will be deemed made only when actually received or confirmed by the Exchange Agent. As an alternative to delivery by mail, holders may wish to consider overnight or hand delivery service, properly insured. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to assure delivery to the Exchange Agent prior to 11:59 p.m., eastern Daylight time, on the Expiration Date. Do not send this Letter of Transmittal, any Tendered Notes or any other required documents to anyone other than the Exchange Agent.

2. Tender by Registered Holder; Instructions to Beneficial Holders; Partial Tenders. Only a holder in whose name Old Notes are registered may execute and deliver this Letter of Transmittal and tender Old Notes in the Exchange Offer. Any Beneficial Owner whose Old Notes are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust, company or other nominee and who wishes to tender such Old Notes should (i) contact such registered holder promptly and instruct such registered holder to tender such Old Notes on such Beneficial Owner’s behalf, (ii) properly complete and duly execute the form of “Instructions to Registered Holder from Beneficial Owner” accompanying this Letter of Transmittal as Exhibit A and (iii) timely deliver such form to such registered holder. We, the Exchange Agent and the transfer and registrar for the Old Notes will be entitled to rely upon all representations, warranties, covenants and instructions given or made by such registered holder and/or such Beneficial Owner. If such Beneficial Owner wishes to tender Old Notes on its own behalf, such Beneficial Owner must, prior to completing and executing this Letter of Transmittal and delivering its Old Notes, either make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of the Old Notes in such Beneficial Owner’s name or obtain a properly completed bond power from the registered holder. Any such transfer of registered ownership may take considerable time.

Tendered Notes must be in a minimum principal amount of $1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. If less than the entire principal amount of the Old Notes evidenced by a submitted certificate are to be tendered, the tendering holder(s) should indicate the aggregate principal amount of Old Notes to be tendered in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes) under the caption “Aggregate Principal Amount Tendered.” The entire principal amount of Old Notes delivered to the Exchange Agent will be deemed to have been tendered unless otherwise indicated. If the entire principal amount of Old Notes held by the tendering holder is not tendered for exchange, then (i) unless otherwise indicated in Box IV (Special Issuance Instructions), certificates evidencing untendered Old Notes and New Notes issued in accordance with the Exchange Offer will be issued in the name of the person signing this Letter of Transmittal and (ii) unless otherwise indicated in Box V (Special Delivery Instructions), such certificates will be sent to the person signing this Letter of Transmittal at the address indicated in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes).

3. Signatures on this Letter of Transmittal; Bond Powers and Endorsements; Guarantee of Signatures. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder of the Tendered Notes, the signature must correspond exactly with the name(s) as written on the face of the certificates for the Tendered Notes without any change whatsoever. If any tendered Old Notes are owned of record by two or more joint owners, all such owners must sign this Letter of Transmittal. If any Tendered Notes are registered in different names on several certificates, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate copies of this Letter of Transmittal as there are different registrations of certificates.

When this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Tendered Notes specified in this Letter of Transmittal and tendered hereby, no endorsements of certificates or separate bond powers are required. If, however, the New Notes are to be issued, or any untendered Old Notes are to be reissued, to a person other than the registered holder, then endorsements of any certificates transmitted hereby or separate bond powers are required. Signatures on such certificate(s) must be guaranteed by a firm which is an “eligible guarantor institution” within the meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and which is, in each case, a member of a recognized signature guarantee program (i.e., Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchange Medallion Program or New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program) (an “Eligible Institution”).

If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of any certificate(s) specified in this Letter of Transmittal, such certificate(s) must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate bond powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear(s) on the certificate(s) and signatures on each such endorsement or bond power must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

If this Letter of Transmittal or any certificates, bond powers or other instruments of transfer are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such persons should so indicate when signing, and, unless waived by us, evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so act must be submitted with this Letter of Transmittal.

Endorsements on certificates for Tendered Notes or signatures on bond powers required by this Instruction 3 must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

Signatures on this Letter of Transmittal need not be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution, provided the Tendered Notes are tendered by: (i) the registered holder thereof who has not completed Box IV (Special Issuance Instructions) or Box V (Special Delivery Instructions) on this Letter of Transmittal or (ii) an Eligible Institution.

4. Special Issuance and Delivery Instructions. Tendering holders should indicate in the applicable boxes the name and address to which New Notes issued under the Exchange Offer and/or substitute certificates evidencing Old Notes not exchanged are to be issued or sent if different from the name or address of the holder signing this Letter of Transmittal. In the case of issuance in a different name, the taxpayer identification number or social security number of the person named must also be indicated. If no such instructions are given, certificates evidencing such Old Notes not exchanged and New Notes issued in accordance with the Exchange Offer will be returned to the person signing this Letter of Transmittal at the address indicated in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes).

5. Internal Revenue Form W-9 or Appropriate Internal Revenue Form W-8. Payments of principal and interest on a note are generally subject to backup withholding unless the holder provides us (as payor) or other payor with such holder’s correct Taxpayer Identification Number (“TIN”) on Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-9 (or appropriate IRS Form W-8 in the case of a foreign holder), which in the case of a tendering holder who is an individual, is his or her social security number, and in the case of an entity, the TIN is typically the employer identification number. If we are not provided with the current TIN or an adequate basis for an exemption, such tendering holder may be subject to a penalty imposed by the IRS, and all reportable payments that are made to such holder may be subject to backup withholding. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained.

Exempt holders of Old Notes (such as corporations) are not subject to these backup withholding and reporting requirements.

To prevent backup withholding on reportable payments of principal and interest by us, each holder of Tendered Notes must provide its correct TIN by completing the IRS Form W-9 enclosed with this Letter of Transmittal, certifying (i) that the TIN provided is correct (or that such holder is awaiting a TIN), (ii) that (x) the holder is exempt from backup withholding, (y) the holder has not been notified by the IRS that such holder is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends or (z) the IRS has notified the holder

that such holder is no longer subject to backup withholding, (iii) that the holder is a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person and (iv) that FATCA code(s) entered on the form (if any) indicating that the holder is exempt from FATCA reporting is correct. If the holder of Tendered Notes is a nonresident alien or foreign entity not subject to backup withholding, such holder must give us a completed appropriate IRS Form W-8, which may be obtained at the IRS website at www.irs.gov. If the Tendered Notes are in more than one name or are not in the name of the Beneficial Owner, the tendering holder should consult its tax advisor for information on which TIN to report. If such holder does not have a TIN, such holder should consult its tax advisor for instructions on applying for a TIN and complete the IRS Form W-9 or IRS Form W-8 in accordance with the IRS instructions provided with the forms.

6. Transfer Taxes. Except as described below, we will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the transfer of Tendered Notes to us in accordance with the Exchange Offer. If, however, New Notes and/or substitute Old Notes not exchanged are to be delivered to, or are to be registered or issued in the name of, any person other than the registered holder of the Tendered Notes, or if the Tendered Notes are registered in the name of any person other than the person signing this Letter of Transmittal, or if a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the transfer of Tendered Notes to us under the Exchange Offer, the amount of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or any other persons) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption therefrom is not submitted herewith, the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed directly to such tendering holder.

Except as provided in this Instruction 6, it will not be necessary for transfer tax stamps to be affixed to the Tendered Notes specified in this Letter of Transmittal.

7. Waiver of Conditions. We reserve the absolute right to waive any or all conditions relating to the Exchange Offer set forth in the Prospectus or this Letter of Transmittal.

8. No Conditional Tenders. No alternative, conditional, irregular or contingent tenders will be accepted. All holders of Tendered Notes, by execution of this Letter of Transmittal, will waive any right to receive notice of the acceptance of their Tendered Notes for exchange.

9. Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Old Notes. Any holder whose Old Notes have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed will be responsible for obtaining replacement securities or for arranging for indemnification with the trustee of the Old Notes. Holders may contact the exchange agent for assistance with these matters.

10. Validity of Tenders. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt), acceptance and withdrawal of Tendered Notes will be determined by us in our absolute discretion, which determination will be final and binding. We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all Tendered Notes determined by us not to be in proper form or not to be properly tendered or any Tendered Notes our acceptance of which would, in the opinion of our counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the right to waive, in our absolute discretion, any defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular Tendered Notes, whether or not waived in the case of other Tendered Notes. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer (including the Instructions in this Letter of Transmittal) will be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with Tendered Notes must be cured within such time as we will determine. Although we intend to notify holders of defects or irregularities with respect to tenders of Tendered Notes, neither we, the Exchange Agent nor any other person will be under any duty to give such notification or will incur any liability for failure to give such notification. Tenders of Tendered Notes will not be deemed to have been made until such defects or irregularities have been cured or waived.

11. Acceptance of Tendered Notes and Issuance of Notes; Return of Notes. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer, we will accept for exchange all validly tendered Old Notes as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date and will issue New Notes therefor as promptly as practicable thereafter. For purposes of the Exchange Offer, we will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered Old Notes when and if we have given oral or written notice to the Exchange Agent of our acceptance. If any Tendered Notes are not exchanged under the Exchange Offer for any reason, such unexchanged Tendered Notes will be returned, without expense, to the person signing this Letter of Transmittal at the address indicated in Box I (Description of Tendered Notes),

except as may otherwise be specified in Box IV (Special Issuance Instructions) or Box V (Special Delivery Instructions).

12. Withdrawal. Tendered Notes may be withdrawn only in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Prospectus under “The Exchange Offer—Withdrawal of Tenders.”

13. Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Questions related to the procedures for tendering, as well as requests for additional copies of the Prospectus and this Letter of Transmittal, may be directed to the Exchange Agent at the address and telephone number set forth on the front cover hereof.

Exhibit A: Instructions to Registered Holder from Beneficial Owner

To Registered Holder:

The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt and review of the prospectus, dated as of [•], 2015, of CONNECTONE BANCORP, INC. (the “Company”) and the related letter of transmittal. These two documents together constitute the Company’s offer (the “Exchange Offer”) to exchange its 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 (the “New Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for a like principal amount of the Company’s issued and outstanding unregistered 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 (the “Old Notes”).

This will instruct you, the registered holder, as to the action to be taken by you relating to the Exchange Offer for the Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

The aggregate principal amount of the Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned is (fill in amount): $__________________.

With respect to the Exchange Offer, the undersigned hereby instructs you (check appropriate box):

¨ To TENDER all Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

¨ To TENDER the following amount of Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned (fill in amount):
$ __________________.

¨ NOT to TENDER any Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

If no box is checked, a signed and returned Instruction to Registered Holder will be deemed to instruct you to tender all Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

If the undersigned instructs you to tender the Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned, it is understood that you are authorized to make, on behalf of the undersigned (and the undersigned, by its signature below, hereby makes to you), the representations contained in the letter of transmittal that are to be made with respect to the undersigned as a beneficial owner, including, but not limited to, the representations that:

· Any New Notes to be received in exchange for Old Notes will have been acquired in the ordinary course of business of the undersigned;

· The undersigned does not have an arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in a distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the New Notes ;

· The undersigned is not an “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the Company;

· If the undersigned is not a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the undersigned is not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, a distribution of New Notes; and

· If the undersigned is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act that will receive New Notes for its own

account in exchange for Old Notes, the Old Notes to be exchanged for New Notes were acquired by it as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such New Notes; however, by so acknowledging and by delivering a prospectus, the undersigned will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

·

The undersigned is not acting on behalf of any person who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in the bullets above.

SIGN HERE

Name of beneficial owner(s):

Signature(s):

Name(s) (please print):

Address:

Telephone Number:

Taxpayer Identification or Social Security Number:

Date:

EX-99.2

Exhibit 99.2

 

To Tender for Exchange

5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025

For

Outstanding 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025

In Accordance with Prospectus Dated [•], 2015

The Exchange Offer Will Expire at 5:00 p.m., prevailing Eastern Time, on                           , 2015

[    ], 2015

To Our Clients:

Enclosed for your consideration is a Prospectus, dated [    ], 2015 (the “Prospectus”), and the Beneficial Ownership Exchange Form relating to the offer (the “Exchange Offer”) by ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) to the holders of record (“Record Holders”) of its Outstanding 5.75% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2025 (the “Old Notes”) as described in the Prospectus.

We are offering to exchange (the “Exchange”) registered 5.75% Subordinated Notes due 2025, which we refer to as the “New Notes,” for any and all of our outstanding unregistered Old Notes. We are offering to exchange the New Notes for the Old Notes to satisfy our obligations contained in the registration rights agreement that we entered into in connection with the issuance of the Old Notes (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange offer, and issuance of the New Notes will not result in any increase in our outstanding debt.

The Exchange Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., prevailing Eastern Time, on                                 , 2015, unless extended (the “Expiration Time”).

The materials enclosed are being forwarded to you as the beneficial owner of the Old Notes carried by us in your account but not registered in your name. An exchange of New Notes for the Old Notes may be made only by us as the record owner and pursuant to your instructions. Accordingly, we request instructions as to whether you wish us to elect to exchange the New Notes for the Old Notes, which you are entitled pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the enclosed Prospectus and the Registration Rights Agreement. However, we urge you to read the Prospectus and other enclosed materials carefully before instructing us to exchange the New Notes for the Old Notes.

Your instructions to us should be forwarded as promptly as possible in order to permit us to make an Exchange on your behalf in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Offer. The Exchange Offer will expire at the Expiration Time.

If you wish to have us, on your behalf, exercise your rights to Exchange New Notes for your existing Old Note, please so instruct us by completing, executing and returning to us the Beneficial Owner Exchange Form enclosed with this letter.

If you have any questions concerning the Rights Offering, please contact our Exchange Agent, US Bank, 21 South Street, Morristown, New Jersey 07960, (800) 368-5948.

Sincerely,

[Name of Nominee Holder]

 

BENEFICIAL OWNER Exchange FORM

The undersigned acknowledge(s) receipt of your letter and the enclosed materials referred to therein relating to instructions regarding the exchange offer (the “Rights Offer”) by ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) to the holders of record of its Old Notes, described in the Company’s Prospectus dated [    ], 2015 (the “Prospectus”), whereby holders have the opportunity to exchange (the “Exchange”) New Notes for the existing Old Notes. The Exchange is described in detail in the Prospectus.

This will instruct you whether to Exchange New Notes for Old Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned, pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

Box 1.	o	Please DO NOT EXCHANGE NEW NOTES FOR OLD NOTES
Box 2.	o	Please EXCHANGE NEW NOTES FOR OLD NOTES, as set forth below

Principal Amount of Old Notes $___________

Account No.:                                                                                                          Type of Account:

SIGNATURE(S)

Please type or print names below:

Date:                               , 2015