libor transition and phase-out we have a significant amount of loans , borrowings and swaps that are tied to libor benchmark interest rates . it is anticipated that the libor index will be phased out by the end of 2021 and the federal reserve bank of new york has established the sofr as its recommended alternative to libor . we have created a sub-committee of our asset liability management committee to address libor transition and phase-out issues . this committee includes personnel from legal , loan operations , risk , it , credit , business intelligence , treasury , corporate banking , marketing , audit , accounting and corporate development . we are currently reviewing loan documentation , technology systems and procedures we will need to implement for the transition . critical accounting policies our accounting and reporting policies are prepared in accordance with gaap and conform to general practices within the banking industry . accounting policies considered critical to our financial results include the allowance for loan losses , accounting for business combinations and accounting for deferred income taxes . for additional information on our significant accounting policies , see note 1 . “ basis of financial statement presentation and summary of significant accounting policies ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . allowance for loan losses . the methodology for determining the allowance for loan losses is considered by us to be a critical accounting policy due to the high degree of judgment involved , the subjectivity of the assumptions utilized and the potential for changes in the economic environment that could result in changes to the amount of the allowance for loan losses considered necessary . we evaluate our loans at least quarterly , including a review of their risk components and their carrying value , and the allowance is adjusted accordingly . while management uses the best information available to make evaluations , future adjustments to the allowance may be necessary if conditions differ substantially from the information used in making such evaluations . in addition , as an integral part of their examination process , our regulatory agencies periodically review the allowance for loan losses . such agencies may require us to recognize additions to the allowance based on their judgments of information available to them at the time of their examination . see note 1 . “ basis of financial statement presentation and summary of significant accounting policies ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the risk components . we consistently review the risk components to identify any changes in trends . business combinations . we account for business combinations under the purchase method of accounting . the application of this method of accounting requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions in the determination of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in order to properly allocate purchase price consideration between assets that are amortized , accreted or depreciated from those that are recorded as goodwill . our estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based upon assumptions that we believe to be reasonable , and whenever necessary , include assistance from independent third-party appraisal and valuation firms . deferred income taxes . we use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes . under this method , deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases . if current available information raises doubt as to the realization of the deferred tax assets , a valuation allowance is established . deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled . we exercise significant judgment in evaluating the amount and timing of recognition of the resulting tax liabilities and assets , including projections of future taxable income . these judgments and estimates are reviewed on a continual basis as regulatory and business factors change . general the astoria merger , the acquisition of advantage funding on april 2 , 2018 , the acquisition of asset-based lending and equipment finance loans from woodforest national bank on february 28 , 2019 and the acquisition of equipment finance loans and leases from santander bank on november 29 , 2019 are discussed in note 2 . “ acquisitions ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . these transactions were accounted for as business combinations , and accordingly , their related results of operations are included from the date of acquisition . the discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements , notes to consolidated financial statements and other information contained in this report . 25 recent developments in addition to the transactions discussed above , recent significant transactions and events include the following : balance sheet repositioning strategy in connection with our objective of creating a more optimal balance sheet mix , during 2019 , we executed several strategies that impacted our earning asset mix , including the sale of residential mortgage loans , which is further described below , and the sale of $ 1.4 billion of investment securities . these asset sales allowed us to reduce low yielding assets that are not part of our longer-term strategy , and improve our funding profile by reducing our higher cost funding liabilities . portfolio acquisitions see note 2 . story_separator_special_tag however , these market factors improved over the course of 2019 , which combined with our deposit pricing strategies and changing balance sheet composition , allowed us to reduce the cost of deposits , borrowings and total funding in the fourth quarter of 2019 relative to the third quarter of 2019 . we anticipate the current interest rate environment and our pricing strategies will allow us to further reduce our cost of total funding liabilities in 2020. tax equivalent net interest margin excluding accretion income on acquired loans was 3.15 % in the year ended december 31 , 2019 , compared to 3.17 % in the year ended december 31 , 2018 . 32 2018 compared to 2017 for this discussion , see “ part ii , item 7. management 's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations - 2018 compared to 2017 ” in the company 's annual report on form 10-k for the fiscal year ended december 31 , 2018 filed with the sec on march 1 , 2019. provision for loan losses . the provision for loan losses is determined by us as the amount to be added to the allowance for loan losses after net charge-offs have been deducted in order to bring the allowance to a level that is our best estimate of probable incurred credit losses inherent in the outstanding loan portfolio . in 2019 and 2018 the provision for loan losses totaled $ 45,985 and $ 46,000 , respectively . see the section captioned “ asset quality characteristics and credit costs - provision for loan losses ” elsewhere in this discussion for further analysis of the provision for loan losses . non-interest income . the components of non-interest income were as follows : replace_table_token_13_th as presented in item 6 . “ selected financial data - non-gaap financial measures , ” we eliminate net ( loss ) on sale of securities , gain on termination of pension plan , net gain ( loss ) on sale of fixed assets and gain on sale of residential mortgage loans in calculating our adjusted total revenues and adjusted net income . net ( loss ) on sale of securities is impacted significantly by changes in market interest rates and strategies we use to manage liquidity and interest rate risk . as a result , net ( loss ) on sale of securities is not part of our corporate budgeting or business planning process . we terminated the defined benefit pension plan we assumed in the astoria merger , which is not part of our recurring operating income . as we continue our financial center consolidation strategy , we may sell real estate over time , which may result in gains and losses based on market conditions , which are also not a part of our recurring operating income . lastly , we sold $ 1,409,334 of residential mortgage loans in 2019 that we acquired in the astoria merger and gain on sale of residential mortgage loans is not part of our recurring operating income . when we analyze non-interest income performance , we eliminate the impact of these gains and losses in evaluating our results . the main driver of growth in our non-interest income between 2019 and 2018 was loan commissions and fees , bank owned life insurance and income generated on loan swaps , which is included in other non-interest income . 33 deposit fees and service charges were $ 26,398 for 2019 compared to $ 26,830 for 2018 . the decrease was mainly due to the consolidation of financial centers , which resulted in consumer deposit attrition . consumer deposits typically generate higher levels of fee income than other types of deposits . accounts receivable management / factoring commissions and other related fees represents fees generated in our factoring and payroll finance businesses . in factoring , we receive a nonrefundable factoring fee , which is generally a percentage of the factored receivables or sales volume , which is designed to compensate us for the bookkeeping and collection services provided and , if applicable , the credit review of the client 's customer and assumption of customer credit risk . in payroll finance , we provide outsourcing support services for clients in the temporary staffing industry . we generate fee income in exchange for providing full back-office , payroll , tax and accounting services to independently-owned temporary staffing companies . fees in 2019 were $ 23,837 , an increase of $ 1,065 compared to 2018 . the increase was mainly due to an increase in factoring commissions and related fees due to organic growth from our commercial teams . loan commissions and fees income includes fees on lines of credit , loan servicing and collateral monitoring fees , syndication fees , collateral monitoring , and other loan related fees that are not included in interest income . other loan related fees were $ 9,411 in 2019 compared to $ 3,745 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to higher gain on sale of equipment finance and public sector finance loans . loan commissions and fees were $ 24,129 for 2019 compared to $ 16,181 for 2018 . lines of credit commissions were $ 3,953 in 2019 compared to $ 3,041 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to organic growth from our commercial banking teams . loan syndication fees were $ 4,047 for 2019 compared to $ 3,463 for 2018 , as we have continued to invest in growing our syndications team . loan servicing and collateral monitoring fees were $ 6,718 in 2019 compared to $ 4,935 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to additional fees associated with our asset-based lending and equipment finance portfolios and offset by a decline in servicing fees . bank owned life insurance ( “ boli ” ) income mainly represents the change in the cash surrender value of life insurance policies owned by the bank . boli income was $

liquidity and capital resources capital . at december 31 , 2019 , stockholders ' equity totaled $ 4,530,113 compared to $ 4,428,853 at december 31 , 2018 . the factors that contributed to the change in stockholders ' equity for the periods are presented in the following table : replace_table_token_42_th the increase in stockholders ' equity for 2019 was mainly due to net income of $ 427,041 , other comprehensive income of 106,161 and stock-based compensation of $ 17,826 . these increases were partially offset by the repurchase of 19,312,694 common shares at an aggregate cost of $ 382,883 , dividends on common stock of $ 58,110 and dividends on preferred stock of $ 8,775 . 61 the accumulated other comprehensive income ( “ aoci ” ) component of stockholders ' equity totaled a net , after-tax unrealized gain of $ 40,216 at december 31 , 2019 compared to a net , after-tax unrealized loss of $ 65,945 at december 31 , 2018 . the increase in 2019 was the result of a $ 113,133 increase in the net after-tax value of available for sale securities due to changes in market interest rates and an increase in aoci of $ 2,008 related to accretion of the unrealized holding loss on securities transferred to held to maturity in connection with a prior merger . these additions were partially offset by an unrealized loss of $ 8,980 related to retirement plan obligations . under current regulatory requirements , amounts reported as aoci related to securities available for sale , securities transferred to held to maturity , and retirement plan obligations do not increase or reduce regulatory capital and are not included in the calculation of leverage and risk-based capital ratios . regulatory agencies for banks and bank holding companies utilize capital guidelines to measure tier 1 and total capital and to take into consideration the risk inherent in both on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet items . see note 18 . “ stockholders ' equity ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . at december 31 , 2019 , we held 31,417,601 shares in treasury compared to 13,645,073 at december 31 , 2018 .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```liquidity and capital resources capital . at december 31 , 2019 , stockholders ' equity totaled $ 4,530,113 compared to $ 4,428,853 at december 31 , 2018 . the factors that contributed to the change in stockholders ' equity for the periods are presented in the following table : replace_table_token_42_th the increase in stockholders ' equity for 2019 was mainly due to net income of $ 427,041 , other comprehensive income of 106,161 and stock-based compensation of $ 17,826 . these increases were partially offset by the repurchase of 19,312,694 common shares at an aggregate cost of $ 382,883 , dividends on common stock of $ 58,110 and dividends on preferred stock of $ 8,775 . 61 the accumulated other comprehensive income ( “ aoci ” ) component of stockholders ' equity totaled a net , after-tax unrealized gain of $ 40,216 at december 31 , 2019 compared to a net , after-tax unrealized loss of $ 65,945 at december 31 , 2018 . the increase in 2019 was the result of a $ 113,133 increase in the net after-tax value of available for sale securities due to changes in market interest rates and an increase in aoci of $ 2,008 related to accretion of the unrealized holding loss on securities transferred to held to maturity in connection with a prior merger . these additions were partially offset by an unrealized loss of $ 8,980 related to retirement plan obligations . under current regulatory requirements , amounts reported as aoci related to securities available for sale , securities transferred to held to maturity , and retirement plan obligations do not increase or reduce regulatory capital and are not included in the calculation of leverage and risk-based capital ratios . regulatory agencies for banks and bank holding companies utilize capital guidelines to measure tier 1 and total capital and to take into consideration the risk inherent in both on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet items . see note 18 . “ stockholders ' equity ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . at december 31 , 2019 , we held 31,417,601 shares in treasury compared to 13,645,073 at december 31 , 2018 .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : libor transition and phase-out we have a significant amount of loans , borrowings and swaps that are tied to libor benchmark interest rates . it is anticipated that the libor index will be phased out by the end of 2021 and the federal reserve bank of new york has established the sofr as its recommended alternative to libor . we have created a sub-committee of our asset liability management committee to address libor transition and phase-out issues . this committee includes personnel from legal , loan operations , risk , it , credit , business intelligence , treasury , corporate banking , marketing , audit , accounting and corporate development . we are currently reviewing loan documentation , technology systems and procedures we will need to implement for the transition . critical accounting policies our accounting and reporting policies are prepared in accordance with gaap and conform to general practices within the banking industry . accounting policies considered critical to our financial results include the allowance for loan losses , accounting for business combinations and accounting for deferred income taxes . for additional information on our significant accounting policies , see note 1 . “ basis of financial statement presentation and summary of significant accounting policies ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . allowance for loan losses . the methodology for determining the allowance for loan losses is considered by us to be a critical accounting policy due to the high degree of judgment involved , the subjectivity of the assumptions utilized and the potential for changes in the economic environment that could result in changes to the amount of the allowance for loan losses considered necessary . we evaluate our loans at least quarterly , including a review of their risk components and their carrying value , and the allowance is adjusted accordingly . while management uses the best information available to make evaluations , future adjustments to the allowance may be necessary if conditions differ substantially from the information used in making such evaluations . in addition , as an integral part of their examination process , our regulatory agencies periodically review the allowance for loan losses . such agencies may require us to recognize additions to the allowance based on their judgments of information available to them at the time of their examination . see note 1 . “ basis of financial statement presentation and summary of significant accounting policies ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the risk components . we consistently review the risk components to identify any changes in trends . business combinations . we account for business combinations under the purchase method of accounting . the application of this method of accounting requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions in the determination of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in order to properly allocate purchase price consideration between assets that are amortized , accreted or depreciated from those that are recorded as goodwill . our estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based upon assumptions that we believe to be reasonable , and whenever necessary , include assistance from independent third-party appraisal and valuation firms . deferred income taxes . we use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes . under this method , deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases . if current available information raises doubt as to the realization of the deferred tax assets , a valuation allowance is established . deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled . we exercise significant judgment in evaluating the amount and timing of recognition of the resulting tax liabilities and assets , including projections of future taxable income . these judgments and estimates are reviewed on a continual basis as regulatory and business factors change . general the astoria merger , the acquisition of advantage funding on april 2 , 2018 , the acquisition of asset-based lending and equipment finance loans from woodforest national bank on february 28 , 2019 and the acquisition of equipment finance loans and leases from santander bank on november 29 , 2019 are discussed in note 2 . “ acquisitions ” in the notes to consolidated financial statements . these transactions were accounted for as business combinations , and accordingly , their related results of operations are included from the date of acquisition . the discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements , notes to consolidated financial statements and other information contained in this report . 25 recent developments in addition to the transactions discussed above , recent significant transactions and events include the following : balance sheet repositioning strategy in connection with our objective of creating a more optimal balance sheet mix , during 2019 , we executed several strategies that impacted our earning asset mix , including the sale of residential mortgage loans , which is further described below , and the sale of $ 1.4 billion of investment securities . these asset sales allowed us to reduce low yielding assets that are not part of our longer-term strategy , and improve our funding profile by reducing our higher cost funding liabilities . portfolio acquisitions see note 2 . story_separator_special_tag however , these market factors improved over the course of 2019 , which combined with our deposit pricing strategies and changing balance sheet composition , allowed us to reduce the cost of deposits , borrowings and total funding in the fourth quarter of 2019 relative to the third quarter of 2019 . we anticipate the current interest rate environment and our pricing strategies will allow us to further reduce our cost of total funding liabilities in 2020. tax equivalent net interest margin excluding accretion income on acquired loans was 3.15 % in the year ended december 31 , 2019 , compared to 3.17 % in the year ended december 31 , 2018 . 32 2018 compared to 2017 for this discussion , see “ part ii , item 7. management 's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations - 2018 compared to 2017 ” in the company 's annual report on form 10-k for the fiscal year ended december 31 , 2018 filed with the sec on march 1 , 2019. provision for loan losses . the provision for loan losses is determined by us as the amount to be added to the allowance for loan losses after net charge-offs have been deducted in order to bring the allowance to a level that is our best estimate of probable incurred credit losses inherent in the outstanding loan portfolio . in 2019 and 2018 the provision for loan losses totaled $ 45,985 and $ 46,000 , respectively . see the section captioned “ asset quality characteristics and credit costs - provision for loan losses ” elsewhere in this discussion for further analysis of the provision for loan losses . non-interest income . the components of non-interest income were as follows : replace_table_token_13_th as presented in item 6 . “ selected financial data - non-gaap financial measures , ” we eliminate net ( loss ) on sale of securities , gain on termination of pension plan , net gain ( loss ) on sale of fixed assets and gain on sale of residential mortgage loans in calculating our adjusted total revenues and adjusted net income . net ( loss ) on sale of securities is impacted significantly by changes in market interest rates and strategies we use to manage liquidity and interest rate risk . as a result , net ( loss ) on sale of securities is not part of our corporate budgeting or business planning process . we terminated the defined benefit pension plan we assumed in the astoria merger , which is not part of our recurring operating income . as we continue our financial center consolidation strategy , we may sell real estate over time , which may result in gains and losses based on market conditions , which are also not a part of our recurring operating income . lastly , we sold $ 1,409,334 of residential mortgage loans in 2019 that we acquired in the astoria merger and gain on sale of residential mortgage loans is not part of our recurring operating income . when we analyze non-interest income performance , we eliminate the impact of these gains and losses in evaluating our results . the main driver of growth in our non-interest income between 2019 and 2018 was loan commissions and fees , bank owned life insurance and income generated on loan swaps , which is included in other non-interest income . 33 deposit fees and service charges were $ 26,398 for 2019 compared to $ 26,830 for 2018 . the decrease was mainly due to the consolidation of financial centers , which resulted in consumer deposit attrition . consumer deposits typically generate higher levels of fee income than other types of deposits . accounts receivable management / factoring commissions and other related fees represents fees generated in our factoring and payroll finance businesses . in factoring , we receive a nonrefundable factoring fee , which is generally a percentage of the factored receivables or sales volume , which is designed to compensate us for the bookkeeping and collection services provided and , if applicable , the credit review of the client 's customer and assumption of customer credit risk . in payroll finance , we provide outsourcing support services for clients in the temporary staffing industry . we generate fee income in exchange for providing full back-office , payroll , tax and accounting services to independently-owned temporary staffing companies . fees in 2019 were $ 23,837 , an increase of $ 1,065 compared to 2018 . the increase was mainly due to an increase in factoring commissions and related fees due to organic growth from our commercial teams . loan commissions and fees income includes fees on lines of credit , loan servicing and collateral monitoring fees , syndication fees , collateral monitoring , and other loan related fees that are not included in interest income . other loan related fees were $ 9,411 in 2019 compared to $ 3,745 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to higher gain on sale of equipment finance and public sector finance loans . loan commissions and fees were $ 24,129 for 2019 compared to $ 16,181 for 2018 . lines of credit commissions were $ 3,953 in 2019 compared to $ 3,041 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to organic growth from our commercial banking teams . loan syndication fees were $ 4,047 for 2019 compared to $ 3,463 for 2018 , as we have continued to invest in growing our syndications team . loan servicing and collateral monitoring fees were $ 6,718 in 2019 compared to $ 4,935 for 2018 . the increase was mainly due to additional fees associated with our asset-based lending and equipment finance portfolios and offset by a decline in servicing fees . bank owned life insurance ( “ boli ” ) income mainly represents the change in the cash surrender value of life insurance policies owned by the bank . boli income was $

