First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) (“First Financial” or “the company”) is the holding company for subsidiary, First Financial Bank (“the bank”), which operates 128 locations in the Midwest U.S., notably OH and IN where it reflects the 3rd and 6th largest deposit market shares, respectively, and the leading market share in the Cincinnati MSA (excluding national and super regional banks). FFBC also has a smaller presence in KY and IL.
FFBC has pursued an active M&A strategy in both the whole bank and non-bank spaces, with its most significant bank merger being the acquisition of MainSource Financial Group, Inc. in 2Q18, which added $4.6 billion in assets. Since then, management has focused on fee-based businesses and commercial finance acquisitions, including Summit Funding Group in 1Q22 and Agile Premium Finance in 1Q24. Looking ahead, the emphasis is on organic growth, driven by specialty finance verticals and recent expansions into…
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