First Financial Bancorp. reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $81.2 million, up 12.9% from a year earlier, and diluted EPS of $0.77. Net interest income rose 22.3% year over year to $196.3 million; net interest margin was 4.05% (4.07% on a fully tax-equivalent basis). Loan balances increased $170.2 million, or 4.9% on an annualized basis, from the linked quarter. Nine-month diluted EPS was $2.21, versus $2.02 a year earlier.
Classified assets were 1.26% of total assets, up from 1.01% in the prior quarter; the company attributed the rise primarily to a downgrade of one ICRE relationship involving multiple loans and expects to resolve its workout over the next few quarters. The board approved a $0.26 quarterly dividend, payable December 15, 2026, to shareholders of record December 1. First Financial received federal regulatory approval for its Finward Bancorp acquisition and expects to close January 1, 2027, subject to state regulatory and Finward shareholder approvals. Management expects low to mid single digit loan growth as 2026 closes and expenses to moderate in the fourth quarter.
First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) director Maribeth S. Rahe acquired 518 shares of Common Stock through a grant or award on September 30, 2026. This was a compensation-related award acquisition, not a market transaction. Her direct holdings after the transaction were 72,402 shares.
First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) director Andre T. Porter acquired 518 common shares through a compensation-related grant or award on September 30, 2026. His direct holdings following the award were 18,005 shares; this was an award acquisition, not a market purchase.
First Financial Bancorp director Thomas Murray Obrien acquired 259 shares of common stock in a grant or award on September 30, 2026, at a reported price of $31.32 per share. After the transaction, he reported 5,624 shares held directly and 30,392 shares held indirectly through a revocable trust.
First Financial Bancorp director Anne L. Arvia acquired 518 common shares through a grant/award transaction on September 30, 2026. Her direct holdings following the transaction were 14,049 shares. The transaction was reported as a grant/award acquisition, not a market purchase.
First Financial Bancorp agreed to acquire Finward Bancorp in a stock-for-stock merger: each eligible Finward common share will convert into 1.35 First Financial common shares, subject to the merger agreement’s conditions; cash will replace fractional shares. Based on Finward shares outstanding as of September 22, 2026, First Financial expects to issue approximately 5.87 million shares; former Finward shareholders are expected to own approximately 5% of First Financial after closing.
The merger consideration was valued at approximately $47.90 per Finward share, or approximately $208.3 million in aggregate, using First Financial’s July 20, 2026 closing price. The share value received at completion will vary with First Financial’s market price. The companies expect closing in the fourth quarter of 2026 or early in the first quarter of 2027, subject to Finward shareholder approval, regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Finward shareholders will vote virtually on November 2, 2026; approval requires affirmative votes from holders of a majority of outstanding eligible shares. Finward’s board unanimously recommends votes for both the merger and adjournment proposals.
First Financial Bancorp. agreed to acquire Finward Bancorp under a July 21, 2026 merger agreement. Subject to the agreement’s conditions, Finward will merge into First Financial, followed immediately by the merger of Finward’s Peoples Bank into First Financial Bank. Each eligible Finward share will convert into 1.35 First Financial common shares, with cash instead of fractional shares.
Based on Finward shares outstanding as of September 22, 2026, First Financial expects to issue approximately 5.87 million common shares. The stated aggregate merger consideration is approximately $208.3 million, based on a reference value of $47.90 per Finward share using First Financial’s July 20, 2026 closing price. Former Finward shareholders are estimated to own approximately 5% of First Financial’s common shares after completion.
The merger is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 or early in the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder approval, regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Finward shareholders are scheduled to vote at a virtual meeting on November 2, 2026; the Finward board unanimously recommends voting for the merger and adjournment proposals.
FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP's Chief Retail Officer, Mark Gregory Exterkamp, reported 19,595 common shares held directly and 1,500 common shares held indirectly as trustee, as of September 14, 2026. The two entries describe ownership positions rather than purchases or sales.
First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) reports that Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Sue Findley held 35,625 shares of its common stock directly as of September 14, 2026.