Welcome to our dedicated page for Finward Bancorp SEC filings (Ticker: FNWD), a comprehensive resource for investors and traders seeking official regulatory documents including 10-K annual reports, 10-Q quarterly earnings, 8-K material events, and insider trading forms.
Finward Bancorp filings document the public-company disclosures of a bank holding company whose principal activity is holding the stock of Peoples Bank. Recent Form 8-K reports cover unaudited quarterly financial results, common stock dividend declarations, Regulation FD presentation materials, and board or director matters involving the Bancorp and its bank subsidiary.
Proxy materials describe annual meeting voting matters, director elections, board structure and governance practices. The filing record also reflects disclosure topics common to regulated banking issuers, including capital position, financial performance, liquidity, dividend considerations, regulatory and accounting factors, and compliance matters tied to Peoples Bank’s operations.
Finward Bancorp reported second‑quarter 2026 net income available to common stockholders of $2,093 thousand, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared with $2,242 thousand, or $0.52 per diluted share, for the prior quarter. Return on assets was 0.42% and return on equity 4.74%. Net interest margin improved to 3.25%, or 3.37% on a tax‑equivalent basis, from 3.23% and 3.35%, respectively. Management cited solid loan growth, stable funding, and progress toward a planned merger with First Financial.
Total loans rose to $1,503,793 thousand from $1,455,118 thousand, with $81,300 thousand of new commercial originations versus $37,400 thousand in the prior quarter. Deposits totaled $1,732,544 thousand, up $13,473 thousand, with core deposits representing 71.3% of total deposits. Available‑for‑sale securities were $310,198 thousand, and available liquidity stood at $604,000 thousand, including borrowing capacity.
Asset quality weakened as non‑performing loans increased to $16,549 thousand from $12,371 thousand, raising the non‑performing loans to total loans ratio to 1.10% from 0.85%. The allowance for credit losses was $17,694 thousand, or 1.18% of loans, with coverage of non‑performing loans at 106.92%. Capital remained strong, with a tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.31% and tangible common book value per share of $35.75, up from $34.39. For the first six months of 2026, net income was $4,335 thousand versus $2,606 thousand a year earlier, and dividends of $0.12 per share were declared in the quarter.
Finward Bancorp describes a proposed merger transaction with First Financial and outlines related regulatory and shareholder processes. The text emphasizes that statements about expected strategic and financial benefits, timing, and integration are forward-looking statements subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
First Financial plans to file a Registration Statement on Form S-4, which will include a joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus for Finward shareholders in connection with the merger. Investors and shareholders are urged to read these materials and any amendments in full when available, as they will contain important information about Finward, First Financial and the merger. The communication clarifies that it is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities and explains that Finward’s directors, officers and employees may be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation for the merger.
Finward Bancorp, the parent of Peoples Bank, describes an announced merger with First Financial Bank, highlighting First Financial’s reputation and Midwest growth while emphasizing cultural fit and opportunities for employees, customers, shareholders, and communities. Management plans town halls, employee FAQs, and customer communications to address questions about roles and services as the banks work to bring their organizations together.
The communication explains that First Financial intends to file a Registration Statement on Form S‑4, which will include a joint proxy statement/prospectus for Finward shareholders regarding the proposed transaction. It includes extensive cautionary language on forward‑looking statements and urges investors and shareholders to read the S‑4 and proxy statement/prospectus when available on the SEC’s website and each company’s investor relations site before making any voting or investment decisions.
First Financial Bancorp. entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger to acquire Finward Bancorp, with Finward merging into First Financial and Peoples Bank merging into First Financial Bank. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.
At closing, each outstanding Finward common share will be exchanged for 1.35 shares of First Financial common stock. Conditions include approval by Finward shareholders, effectiveness of a Form S-4 registration statement, NASDAQ listing of the merger shares, and required banking regulatory approvals without a Materially Burdensome Regulatory Condition. The merger is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The agreement includes customary covenants, D&O indemnification and insurance for six years (subject to a cost cap of 300% of Finward’s current premium), mutual termination rights, and a $9.0 million termination fee payable by Finward to First Financial under specified circumstances.
Finward Bancorp entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with First Financial Bancorp. under which Finward will merge into First Financial in a stock-for-stock transaction. At closing, each outstanding Finward common share will be converted into the right to receive 1.35 shares of First Financial common stock, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares based on the average closing price of First Financial stock over the five trading days before closing.
The deal, unanimously approved by both boards, is targeted to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to Finward shareholder approval, effectiveness of a Form S-4, NASDAQ listing of the new First Financial shares, and bank regulatory approvals without a “Materially Burdensome Regulatory Condition.” Finward equity awards will vest and convert into First Financial stock at the same 1.35 ratio. The merger is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The agreement includes customary termination rights and a $9.0 million termination fee payable by Finward to First Financial under specified circumstances, as well as six years of director and officer indemnification with D&O insurance premiums capped at 300% of Finward’s current annual premium.
Finward Bancorp has agreed to merge with First Financial Bancorp in an all-stock transaction. Each Finward common share will be converted into the right to receive 1.35 shares of First Financial common stock, valuing the deal at approximately $208 million based on First Financial’s July 20, 2026 closing price. The merger, along with the merger of Peoples Bank into First Financial Bank, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to Finward shareholder approval, required regulatory consents without a “Materially Burdensome Regulatory Condition,” Nasdaq listing of the new First Financial shares, effectiveness of a Form S-4 registration statement and tax reorganization opinions.
The agreement includes customary covenants, closing conditions and termination rights, including a $9.0 million termination fee payable by Finward to First Financial under specified circumstances. First Financial will indemnify current and former directors and officers of Finward and Peoples Bank and maintain D&O insurance for six years, subject to a 300% premium cap. Strategically, the combination adds Finward’s 24 locations and 116-year Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland franchise, increasing First Financial’s pro forma Chicago-area deposits by 75% to over $4 billion. First Financial expects the transaction to be approximately 5% accretive to earnings per share, with an estimated 0.4% tangible book value dilution and a 0.6-year TBV earnback.
Finward Bancorp, as an institutional investment manager, submitted a Form 13F holdings report covering its reportable securities positions.
The report lists 184 holdings with an aggregate reported value of $131,854,305 and shows 0 other included managers, meaning Finward alone is responsible for these disclosed positions.
Finward Bancorp reported that regulators have ended an informal oversight agreement affecting its banking subsidiary. Peoples Bank, the Bancorp’s wholly owned Indiana-chartered commercial bank, had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the FDIC and the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions on August 9, 2024. By letter dated June 24, 2026, the FDIC and DFI notified the Bank that this memorandum of understanding has been terminated effective immediately.
Finward Bancorp director Robert E. Johnson III increased his direct holdings through compensation and a small market purchase. On May 22, 2026, he acquired 372 shares of common stock as a grant under the Finward Bancorp 2025 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan at a reference value of $32.24 per share. These granted shares will vest one year after issue on May 22, 2027. On June 30, 2026, he made an additional open-market purchase of 5.453 shares at $35.75 per share through the Dividend Reinvestment Plan. Following these transactions, he holds 3,752.9379 shares of Finward Bancorp common stock directly.
Lowry Robert T reported open-market purchase transactions in this Form 4 filing.
Finward Bancorp executive Robert T. Lowry reported additional share ownership in company stock. On June 30, 2026, an indirect account labeled Profit Sharing acquired 50.6419 shares of Finward Bancorp common stock at $36.00 per share, described as shares acquired from the Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
Following this transaction, that Profit Sharing account held 15,244.1912 shares indirectly. Lowry also reported 11,215.7252 shares held directly, plus indirect holdings of 2,478.0000 shares in an IRA and 755.0000 shares held by a spouse. The filing reflects a small net increase in his overall position.