FFBC (FFBC) CEO Archie Brown receives 20,668-share stock grant

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

First Financial Bancorp President and CEO Archie M. Brown reported an acquisition of company common stock through an equity award. On March 4, 2026, he received a grant of 20,668 shares of common stock at no stated purchase price, increasing his directly held stake to 236,560 shares.

The direct holdings figure includes 10,334 restricted performance shares that vest after three years if certain performance measures are achieved. Brown also reports indirect ownership of 50,594.3537 shares held through a 401(k) plan.

Insider Trade Summary

2 transactions reported

Mixed 2 txns

Insider Brown Archie M

Role President & CEO

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	20,668	$0.00	--
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 236,560 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 50,594.354 shares (Indirect, By 401k)

Footnotes (1)

1. Includes 10,334 restricted performance shares subject to vesting at three years upon the attainment of certain performance measures. Balance adjusted to reflect fractional share obtained through dividend reinvestment in 2025. Balance adjusted to reflect reduction of fractional share for administration fee in 2025.

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Brown Archie M

(Last) (First) (Middle)

255 EAST 5TH STREET, SUITE 2900

(Street)

CINCINNATI OH 45202

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP /OH/ [ FFBC ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	President & CEO

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
03/04/2026

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	03/04/2026		A		20,668(1)	A	$0	236,560(2)	D
Common Stock								50,594.3537(3)	I	By 401k

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. Includes 10,334 restricted performance shares subject to vesting at three years upon the attainment of certain performance measures.

2. Balance adjusted to reflect fractional share obtained through dividend reinvestment in 2025.

3. Balance adjusted to reflect reduction of fractional share for administration fee in 2025.

	/s/ Maria Hinkel, POA	03/05/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

What insider transaction did FFBC CEO Archie M. Brown report?

Archie M. Brown reported an acquisition of First Financial Bancorp common stock via an equity grant of 20,668 shares on March 4, 2026. This was classified as a grant, award, or other acquisition, not an open-market purchase or sale.

How many FFBC shares does Archie M. Brown hold after this Form 4?

After the reported grant, Archie M. Brown directly owns 236,560 shares of First Financial Bancorp common stock. He also reports indirect ownership of 50,594.3537 shares through a 401(k) plan, representing retirement-plan holdings associated with his position.

Were the FFBC shares acquired by Archie M. Brown purchased in the market?

No, the 20,668 shares reported were acquired as a grant or award with a per-share transaction price of $0.0000. This indicates a compensation-related stock award rather than an open-market purchase involving cash consideration.

What are the restricted performance shares reported by FFBC’s CEO?

Archie M. Brown’s direct holdings include 10,334 restricted performance shares of First Financial Bancorp common stock. These shares are subject to three-year vesting and depend on meeting specified performance measures before they fully vest and become unrestricted.

How are Archie M. Brown’s indirect FFBC holdings structured?

The filing shows indirect ownership of 50,594.3537 shares of First Financial Bancorp common stock held by a 401(k) plan. This reflects retirement-plan investment holdings associated with Brown, separate from his directly held and performance-based equity awards.