First Financial Bancorp reported a record adjusted net income of $83.9 million, or $0.80 per share, for the second quarter of 2026, an 8% increase over the same period last year. The company maintained a stable net interest margin of approximately 4% and posted strong annualized loan growth of 7%, driven by C&I, Agile, and Summit lending, with originations up 23% from the prior quarter. Asset quality improved as net charge-offs fell 15 basis points to 0.2% of total loans. The pending acquisition of Finward Bancorp is expected to be 5% accretive to earnings per share with minimal impact on tangible book value. However, adjusted fee income came in below expectations due to lower foreign exchange, swap, and investment banking fees, and no share repurchases were made during the quarter as the company focused on integrating recent acquisitions.
First Financial BancorpRecord adjusted net income of $83.9M, up 8% YoY, with strong loan growth and improved asset quality.
Finward BancorpPending acquisition by First Financial Bancorp expected to be 5% accretive to earnings per share.