First Financial to acquire Finward Bancorp stock deal

The First Financial Bancorp and Finward Bancorp have agreed to an all-stock merger, with Finward shareholders receiving 1.35 shares of First Financial for each Finward share and the deal expected to close in Q4 2026 subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. The transaction would merge Finward’s banking subsidiary into First Financial’s and significantly expand First Financial’s Chicago-area footprint, boosting deposits in the region by about 75% to over $4 billion.