FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP /OH/ 8K

First Financial Bancorp reported record Q2 2026 earnings, raised its quarterly dividend, and agreed to acquire Finward Bancorp in an all-stock deal expected to close in Q4 2026 and be accretive to EPS.

On July 21, 2026, First Financial Bancorp. reported record second quarter 2026 financial results, including diluted EPS of $0.73 ($0.80 adjusted), a 3.98% fully tax-equivalent net interest margin, solid loan and deposit growth, strong credit quality and capital ratios, and announced that its board approved an increase in the quarterly common dividend to $0.26 per share payable September 15, 2026; concurrently, the company disclosed that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Finward Bancorp, the Munster, Indiana-based holding company for Peoples Bank, in an approximately $208 million all‑stock transaction valued at 1.35 First Financial shares per Finward share, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 subject to regulatory and Finward shareholder approvals and projected to be roughly 5% accretive to First Financial’s earnings per share with minimal tangible book value dilution and rapid earnback, significantly expanding its low-cost core deposit base and physical presence in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana markets.

Filing Facts

CIK

708955

Ticker

-

Form

8K

Source Type

sec

Accession

0001104659-26-085424

Alert Tier

8