Aozora's announcement came shortly after U.S. regional bank New York Community Bancorp announced a surprise net loss of $252 million for the fourth quarter, slashing its dividend and saying it "[built] reserves during the quarter to address weakness in the office sector" — renewing some fears of the strength of U.S. regional banks, which were embroiled in a liquidity crisis last year. New York Community Bancorp said this was in response to its purchase of the assets of Signature Bank, one of the regional banks that collapsed in last year's crisis. That purchase raised their total assets to $100 billion, placing them in a category that subjects the bank to more stringent liquidity standards.