FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP (FFBC) received a notice that officer Archie M. Brown intends to sell 5,000 shares of common stock under Rule 144 through Stifel Nicolaus & Company. The shares relate to vested Restricted Stock Units, and there was a prior sale of 10,000 shares in June 2026.
As context, 104,968,940 shares of common stock were outstanding as of September 3, 2026; this is a baseline figure, not the amount being sold.
FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP (symbol: FFBC) is the issuer of record for a Form 4 filing submitted to the SEC.
First Financial Bancorp. reported net income of $76,456 thousand for the second quarter and $150,901 thousand for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Basic earnings per share were $0.74 for the quarter and $1.45 year‑to‑date, with diluted EPS of $0.73 and $1.44, respectively.
Net interest income was $190,377 thousand in the quarter, up from $158,269 thousand a year earlier, and $379,987 thousand for the first half, while noninterest income reached $73,791 thousand, supported by leasing income and a $3,189 thousand bargain‑purchase gain. Noninterest expenses rose to $161,542 thousand, driven mainly by higher salaries, occupancy and intangible amortization.
Total loans and leases increased to $13,734,914 thousand and deposits to $17,583,229 thousand at June 30, 2026. The allowance for credit losses on loans and leases was $189,912 thousand, influenced by recent acquisitions and early adoption of new credit‑loss guidance. The available‑for‑sale portfolio had $257,038 thousand of unrealized losses, and year‑to‑date AFS impairment losses totaled $8.3 million alongside $560.4 million of AFS sales.
ANDERSON JAMES M reported disposition transactions in this Form 4 filing.
First Financial Bancorp Chief Financial Officer James M. Anderson reported an internal restructuring of indirect holdings in common stock. On 2026-08-03, 566 shares held as UTMA custodian for his daughter were transferred to her personal account, leaving that custodial account at 0 shares. Anderson continues to hold 114,537 shares directly, plus indirect positions of 828 shares as UTMA custodian for his son and 20,563.4069 shares through a 401-K plan, and disclaims beneficial ownership of the transferred shares.
First Financial Bancorp reported that Scott T Crawley, its Controller & Principal Accounting Officer, sold 2,700 shares of common stock on 2026-08-03 at $34.16 per share in an open-market or private transaction. After the sale he holds 22,711.3767 shares directly and 293.4 shares indirectly through a 401k plan. The transaction was not reported as made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
First Financial Bancorp has filed to sell up to 2,700 shares of common stock through a brokerage account at Merrill located in Columbus, Ohio, with the shares listed on NASDAQ. The shares come from multiple restricted stock vesting events dated between March 8, 2019 and March 7, 2025.
First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) Chief Financial Officer James M. Anderson reported selling 4,000 shares of common stock on 2026-07-31 at $33.73 per share in an open market or private transaction, leaving 114,537 shares held directly. He also reports indirect holdings of 566 shares as UTMA custodian for a daughter, 828 shares as UTMA custodian for a son, and 20,563.4069 shares through a 401-K account.
First Financial Bancorp. reported strong second-quarter 2026 performance, marking its 143rd consecutive profitable quarter. As of June 30, 2026, assets were $22.4B, with loans of $13.7B and deposits of $17.6B. Net income was $76.5M, or $0.73 per diluted share, while adjusted net income reached $83.9M, or a record $0.80 per share. Adjusted return on assets was 1.50% and adjusted return on average tangible common equity 19.70%, supported by a fully tax-equivalent net interest margin of 3.98% and 7.1% annualized loan growth.
Asset quality remained conservative, with net charge-offs of $6.7M, or 0.20% of average loans, an allowance for credit losses equal to 1.38% of total loans, nonperforming assets at 0.43% of total assets, and classified assets at 1.01%. The Tier 1 common equity ratio was 12.33% and total capital 15.75%. Tangible book value per share was $16.64, up 3.0% from the prior quarter, and the quarterly dividend was increased to $0.26 per share.
Management also detailed an all-stock acquisition of Finward Bancorp, a $2.0B-asset institution with $1.7B in deposits and $412M of assets under management in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana markets. The deal values Finward at $208M based on a fixed 1.35x exchange ratio and is expected to be about 5.0% accretive to earnings per share, with only 0.4% tangible book value dilution and a 0.6-year earnback. Pro forma Chicago-area deposits would increase 75% to $4.1B, enhancing First Financial’s Midwest franchise, subject to regulatory and Finward shareholder approvals.
First Financial Bancorp. agreed to acquire Finward Bancorp and reported strong second‑quarter 2026 results. The all‑stock merger will convert each Finward share into 1.35 First Financial shares, valuing the deal at approximately $208 million, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to Finward shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Finward has about $2.0 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in deposits, $1.5 billion in loans and $412 million in assets under management, adding 24 locations and lifting First Financial’s pro forma Chicago‑area deposits by 75% to over $4 billion. The transaction is expected to be roughly 5% EPS accretive, with only about 0.4% estimated tangible book value dilution and a 0.6‑year tangible book value earnback period.
For the three months ended June 30, 2026, First Financial generated net income of $76.5 million, diluted EPS of $0.73 and record adjusted EPS of $0.80, with a 1.37% return on average assets, 17.95% return on average tangible common equity (19.7% adjusted) and a 3.98% net interest margin on a fully tax‑equivalent basis. Loans grew $240 million (7.1% annualized), net charge‑offs were 0.20% of total loans, and the allowance for credit losses equaled 1.38% of loans. Capital remained strong, including a 15.75% total capital ratio and 12.33% common equity Tier 1 ratio. The board increased the quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, payable September 15, 2026.