STEELE SALLY A 4

What Happened Sally A. Steele, a director of Community Financial System, Inc. (CBU), was granted 1,220 deferred stock units on March 17, 2026. The award is recorded as a derivative grant at $0 cash cost to the reporting person; these units are "phantom" or deferred stock units that will be settled in common stock at a predetermined date. This is an award/compensation event rather than an open-market purchase or sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-03-17; Transaction type: A (award/grant of deferred stock units).
• Shares/units granted: 1,220 units; reported dollar amount: $0 (derivative grant recorded with no cash paid).
• Shares owned after transaction: Not specified in the filed Form 4.
• Footnote: The units are deferred (phantom) stock units under the 2022 LTIP and are the economic equivalent of one share each; they will be settled in common stock at a later, predetermined date.
• Filing/timeliness: Report filed 2026-03-18 (next day), consistent with timely reporting.

Context Deferred stock unit grants are a form of long-term compensation for directors and do not represent an immediate cash purchase or sale of stock. They generally reflect compensation policy rather than a direct buy/sell signal; settlement in shares at a future date could increase insider-held shares then, depending on plan terms.