Finward Bancorp to be acquired by First Financial Bancorp in $208M all-stock deal

Filed July 21, 2026 · Period ending July 21, 2026 · ~1 min read

Key Changes

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  Finward shareholders will receive 1.35 shares of First Financial common stock for each Finward share, valuing the transaction at approximately $208 million based on First Financial's July 20, 2026 closing price.

  Item 1.01 — Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement verify on EDGAR →
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  The acquisition adds $2.0 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in deposits, and 24 locations in northwest Indiana and Chicago to First Financial, increasing its Chicago-area deposits by 75% to over $4 billion.

  Exhibit 99.1 view on EDGAR →
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  First Financial expects the deal to be approximately 5% accretive to earnings per share with minimal tangible book value dilution of 0.4% and an earnback period of 0.6 years.

  Exhibit 99.1 view on EDGAR →