As Brookline Bank’s parent company approaches $10 billion in assets, executives expect the company to see few effects from the additional costs and regulatory requirements associated with reaching that threshold.

While Brookline Bancorp, the parent company of Brookline Bank and Bank of Rhode Island, saw assets increase by almost $300 million in the fourth quarter to $8.6 billion, total assets were down year-over-year from $8.9 billion at the end of 2020.

In response to an analyst’s questions about the bank’s expectations for future expenses and the effects of passing the $10 billion threshold, Brookline Bancorp’s Co-President and Chief Financial Officer Carl Carlson said the bank has an “eye on” the approaching threshold but does not “think a lot about that.”

According to the Durbin Amendment, which is part of the Dodd-Frank Act, banks with assets over $10 billion have lower debit card fees compared to banks below that threshold. Carlson said the company currently estimates it will see $800,000 less in debit card fee income.

The bank expects expenses to grow 5-6 percent year-over-year going forward, higher than in past years and due in part to inflation. But operating costs associated with managing the regulatory environment of a $10 billion-asset bank do not look to have a significant effect on expenses.

“We don’t see too much of an impact on that at this point,” Carlson said.

Brookline Bancorp had record earnings in 2021, with net income of $115.4 million, or $1.48 per basic and diluted share, compared to $47.6 million, or $0.60 per basic and diluted share, in 2020.

Brookline Bancorp had fourth quarter net income of $28.5 million, or $0.37 per basic and diluted share, compared to $28.8 million, or $0.37 per basic and diluted share, in the third quarter, and $26.7 million, or $0.34 per basic and diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The company had total deposits of $7.05 billion, up from $6.87 billion at the end of the third quarter and $6.91 billion at the end of 2020.

Total loans and leases were $7.2 billion, an increase of $222.8 million from the third quarter and a decrease of $115.1 million from Dec. 31, 2020.

In response to an analyst’s question about whether some of the growth came from banks involved with mergers, Brookline Bancorp’s Chairman and CEO Paul Perrault said the company has been seeing new customers from those banks.

“That has gone as well as we might have hoped,” Perrault said. “As our reputation continues to grow and our expertise continues to grow both in Mass. and Rhode Island, we are a very attractive alternative for people who are a little bit fed up with some of the mass market banks.”