First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) News & EventsFFBCNews & EventsFirst Financial Bancorp

Stock Futures Surge as Focus Shifts to Earnings Reports

Stock futures were sharply higher in after-hours, adding to the session's broad gains. Traders after the close saw early reporting mostly from smaller banks, though notable names included Capital One, Bank OZK, and Pegasystems.The focus this week is on corporate earnings, with Alphabet, Tesla, IBM and Intel all set to report in the coming days. Investors are looking for signs that spending on artificial intelligence continues to translate into revenue growth and profitability after recent volatility in chip stocks raised questions about lofty valuations across the sector.Check out this evening's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.UP AFTER EARNINGS -Annaly Capitalup 1.1%ALSO HIGHER -Finward Bancorpup 17.8% after agreeing to be acquired by First Financialin an all-stock transactionSuper Microup 17.5% after guiding for Q4 revenue at the low end of its previously provided guidance rangeDOWN AFTER EARNINGS -Pegasystemsdown 13%Alaska Airdown 2.1%Bank OZKdown 1.9%Western Alliancedown 1.9%ALSO LOWER -Faraday Futuredown 23% after announcing it will effect a 1-for-50 reverse split of its Class A Common Stock and Class B common stock on July 24Dyne Therapeuticsdown 10% after announcing a $300M common stock offering

Archie Brown Comments on Strong Q2 Results

Archie Brown, President and CEO commented on Second Quarter results, "The second quarter was another active quarter as we remained focused on post-integration efforts related to the Westfield acquisition and successfully converted BankFinancial systems. Our second quarter operating results were strong, and we are very pleased with our performance."

First Financial Acquires Finward Bank for Approximately $208 Million

First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC) and Finward Bancorp (FNWD) jointly announced that they have entered into an agreement by which First Financial will acquire Munster-based Finward in an all-stock transaction, further expanding First Financial's presence in the economically robust Chicagoland market with a strong core deposit franchise including 24 financial centers and a 116 year presence in the Northwest Indiana and Chicago markets. Combined with the 15 retail locations from First Financial's recent acquisition in the Chicagoland market, the Finward acquisition enhances First Financial's market presence and increases its pro forma deposits in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area by 75% to over $4 billion. "The addition of Finward Bancorp and Peoples Bank is expected to strategically expand First Financial's ability to serve the consumers and businesses of the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana markets. We are excited to partner with a bank with a similar operating philosophy and strong credit culture," said Archie Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Financial Bank. "We have built an impressive combination of retail and commercial banking services, wealth management services, and specialty banking solutions, complemented by our client-centered, community-focused business model, that offers an alternative to larger banks. To demonstrate our further commitment to Chicago and Northwest Indiana, First Financial has committed to donate $500,000 to its Foundation for the benefit of local organizations in the communities served by Finward, in addition to the $1 million we donated to the Foundation when we entered the Chicago market with the completed acquisition of BankFinancial Corporation in January 2026." Upon completion of the transaction, Finward's consumer, trust/wealth management and commercial credit lines of business will be incorporated into First Financial's respective business lines, and Peoples Bank employees will become First Financial associates. Under the terms of the agreement, each outstanding share of Finward common stock will be converted into the right to receive 1.35 shares of First Financial common stock, valuing the transaction at approximately $208 million, based on First Financial's closing stock price on July 20, 2026. The transaction is expected to be approximately 5% accretive to First Financial's earnings per share, and First Financial's tangible book value per share (at closing is estimated to be only slightly diluted with an anticipated TBV earnback of 0.6 years. The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of First Financial and Finward. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and approval of Finward's shareholders.