First Financial FY26 Q2 net income rises 0.4% vs prior quarter to 76.46 million; EPS climbs to 0.73

FFBC•2026-08-06

First Financial agreed in July to buy Finward Bancorp in an all-stock deal valued at about $207.5 million, targeting a fourth-quarter close or early 2027.

First Financial Bancorp posted second-quarter net income of $76.46 million, up 2.7% from the first quarter; diluted EPS rose to $0.73 from $0.71.
Net interest income edged up 0.4% versus the first quarter to $190.38 million; net interest margin (FTE) slipped 0.01 percentage point to 3.98%.
Noninterest income fell 9.9% from the first quarter to $73.79 million, as gain on bargain purchase dropped to $3.19 million from $8.89 million.
Noninterest expense declined 4.6% from the first quarter to $161.54 million, led by lower salaries and benefits tied to weaker fee income.

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