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First Financial Bancorp: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 21 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 3 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted EPS reached a high: Adjusted diluted EPS $0.80; reported diluted EPS $0.73, up from $0.71 in the first quarter. Source
  • Margin down 1 bp to 3.96%: Reported margin 3.96%, or 3.98% fully tax-equivalent. Asset yields fell 7 bp, partly offset by funding costs down 6 bp. Source
  • Fee income below expectations: Adjusted noninterest income $71.9 million. Management said fee income was below its expectations, with lower foreign exchange, swap and investment banking results. Source
  • Expenses down on lower commissions: Adjusted noninterest expense $149.1 million, down from the first quarter on lower commissions, payroll taxes and acquisition synergies. Source
  • Loans rose $240 million: End-of-period loans up $240 million, or 7.1% annualized. Growth was broad-based across C&I, Summit and seasonal Agile balances. Source
  • Net charge-offs fell 15 bp: Annualized net charge-offs were 0.20% of total loans, 15 bp below the first quarter. Classified and nonperforming assets declined slightly. Source
  • Finward adds Indiana franchise: Finward has about $2.0 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in deposits, $1.5 billion in loans and $412 million in assets under management. Source

“Our second quarter operating results were strong, and we are very pleased with our performance.”

Archie Brown, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Quarterly dividend per share Sourcepayable in third quarter of 2026$0.26 per common shareRaised from $0.25
Finward earnings per share effect Sourcenot statedapproximately 5% accretiveNew
Finward tangible book value per share Sourceat closing0.4% dilution; 0.6 years earnbackNew
Finward closing timing Sourcefourth quarter of 2026fourth quarter of 2026New

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Agreement to acquire Finward Bancorp in an all-stock deal, valued at about $208 million. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Adjusted EPS reached a high: Adjusted diluted EPS $0.80; reported diluted EPS $0.73, up from $0.71 in the first quarter. Source
  • Net income up from first quarter: Net income $76.5 million, versus $74.4 million in the first quarter. ROA 1.37%; return on average tangible common equity 17.95%. Source
  • Adjusted net income and returns: Adjusted net income $83.9 million; adjusted ROA 1.50%, adjusted ROTCE 19.7%. Adjusted EPS was 8% above second quarter 2025. Source
  • Six-month EPS higher year on year: Six-month diluted EPS $1.44, compared with $1.27 in the same period of 2025. Source

Net interest margin and funding

  • Margin down 1 bp to 3.96%: Reported margin 3.96%, or 3.98% fully tax-equivalent. Asset yields fell 7 bp, partly offset by funding costs down 6 bp. Source
  • Accretion decline trimmed margin: Lower loan accretion reduced margin by 5 bp, mainly because acquired mortgage loans prepaid more slowly than management expected. Source
  • Lower funding costs offset accretion: CEO said the margin stayed near 4.00% because lower funding costs offset lower loan accretion income. Source
  • Net interest income up 20%: Net interest income $190.4 million, up 20.3% from second quarter 2025; six-month net interest income up 23.5%. Source

“Asset quality was stable for the quarter with net charge-offs declining by 15 basis points to 0.20% of total loans.”

Archie Brown, President and CEO

Fee income and noninterest expenses

  • Fee income below expectations: Adjusted noninterest income $71.9 million. Management said fee income was below its expectations, with lower foreign exchange, swap and investment banking results. Source
  • Leasing and other income higher: Leasing income $22.8 million, up 5.3% from first quarter. Other income rose $3.6 million on bank-owned life insurance and limited partnership income. Source
  • Expenses down on lower commissions: Adjusted noninterest expense $149.1 million, down from the first quarter on lower commissions, payroll taxes and acquisition synergies. Source
  • Efficiency ratio at 61.2%: Efficiency ratio 61.2% as reported and 56.8% on an adjusted basis. Source

Loans and deposits

  • Loans rose $240 million: End-of-period loans up $240 million, or 7.1% annualized. Growth was broad-based across C&I, Summit and seasonal Agile balances. Source
  • C&I, Agile and Summit drove growth: Management named C&I, Agile and Summit as the primary drivers of the increase in balances, with growth of 7% annualized. Source
  • Originations and pipelines higher: Loan originations rose 23% from the first quarter. Management said advanced-stage pipelines remain strong into the second half. Source
  • Deposits steady, mix shifted: Average deposits up $41 million, or 0.9% annualized. Interest-bearing demand and public funds offset lower time deposits and brokered CDs. Source

“We are most pleased with how our newer associates have assimilated into the Company.”

Archie Brown, President and CEO

Credit quality and provisioning

  • Net charge-offs fell 15 bp: Annualized net charge-offs were 0.20% of total loans, 15 bp below the first quarter. Classified and nonperforming assets declined slightly. Source
  • Total provision and reserve level: Total provision $8.2 million, including $12.9 million for loans and a $4.7 million release on unfunded commitments. Total allowance $208.2 million. Source
  • Allowance ratio edged up: Allowance for credit losses at 1.38% of total loans, up 2 bp from the first quarter. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • CET1 and total capital ratios up: CET1 ratio 12.33%, up 11 bp; total capital ratio 15.75%, up 5 bp. June 30 regulatory ratios are preliminary. Source
  • Tangible book value per share up 3%: Tangible common equity 8.24% of tangible assets, or 9.30% excluding AOCI. Tangible book value per share $16.64, up 3.0% from the first quarter. Source
  • No shares repurchased in quarter: No repurchases in the quarter. Management focused on integrating recent acquisitions and preparing for Finward. Source

Finward acquisition and integration

  • Finward adds Indiana franchise: Finward has about $2.0 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in deposits, $1.5 billion in loans and $412 million in assets under management. Source
  • Chicago metro deposits up 75%: Management said pro forma Chicago metropolitan area deposits rise 75% to over $4 billion. Source
  • Finward footprint and franchise: Finward brings a core deposit franchise of 24 financial centers and a 116-year presence in Northwest Indiana and Chicago. Source
  • Westfield and BankFinancial integration: Second quarter focused on integration after the Westfield acquisition, and BankFinancial systems were converted. Source

People and leadership

  • Peoples Bank employees join: Peoples Bank employees become First Financial associates. Consumer, trust and wealth, and commercial credit lines move into existing business lines. Source
  • Peoples Bank CEO on partnership: Peoples Bank CEO Benjamin Bochnowski called the partnership an exciting next chapter for both organizations. Source

Coming up, as management said on 21 July 2026

  • Finward Form S-4 filing: First Financial plans to file a Form S-4 registering shares to be issued, with a proxy statement and prospectus for Finward holders. Source
  • Dividend payable September 15: Quarterly dividend payable September 15, 2026, to shareholders of record as of September 1, 2026. Source
  • BankFinancial synergies phase in: Savings from the BankFinancial acquisition phase in over the third quarter, with full synergies expected by quarter-end. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Net interest margin Source3.96%; 3.98% fully tax-equivalent
Net interest income Source$190.4 million
Loans Source$13.7 billion
Deposits Source$17.6 billion
Interest-bearing deposit cost Source2.29%
Provision for credit losses Source$12.9 million (loans and leases)
Net charge-offs Source0.20% of total loans, annualized
Nonperforming assets Source0.70% of ending loans plus OREO
CET1 ratio Source12.33% (preliminary)
Efficiency ratio Source61.2%; 56.8% as adjusted

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Finward closing depends on customary conditions, regulatory approvals and approval by Finward shareholders. Source
  • Demand: Fee income varies by quarter. Lower foreign exchange, swap and investment banking income reduced noninterest income compared with the first quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said virtually all expected Westfield cost reductions were realized as of June 30. Source
  • Met: First-quarter release planned the BankFinancial system conversion for early June; the second-quarter release says it was completed.
  • Met: First-quarter release expected the margin to stay stable absent Federal Reserve cuts; second-quarter release reports the margin stable at about 4.00%.
  • Not stated: First-quarter release expected asset quality to improve gradually through the year; the second-quarter release does not restate this.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.