First Financial Bancorp announced it has agreed to acquire Munster, Ind.-based Finward Bancorp, the holding company for Peoples Bank.
First Financial said the acquisition will further expand its presence in the Chicagoland market with a strong core deposit franchise that includes 24 financial centers and a 116-year presence in the Northwest Indiana and Chicago markets. In addition to the 15 retail locations from First Financial’s recent acquisition in the Chicagoland market, the Finward acquisition will enhance First Financial’s presence, officials said, and increase its pro forma deposits in the Chicago metropolitan area to more than $4 billion, a 75 percent increase.
“The addition of Finward Bancorp and Peoples Bank is expected to strategically expand First Financial’s ability to serve the consumers and businesses of the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana markets. We are excited to partner with a bank with a similar operating philosophy and strong credit culture,” Archie Brown, president and CEO of First Financial Bank, said. “We have built an impressive combination of retail and commercial banking services, wealth management services, and specialty banking solutions, complemented by our client-centered, community-focused business model, that offers an alternative to larger banks.”
The company said to demonstrate its commitment to Chicago and Northwest Indiana it will donate $500,000 to its Foundation for the benefit of organizations in the communities served by Finward. That donation is in addition to the $1 million donated to the foundation when First Financial entered the Chicago market in January 2026, officials said.
The acquisition joins a list of other recent acquisitions including Westfield Bancorp in Northeast Ohio and BankFinancial Corporation in Chicago, and its commercial banking expansion into Chicago, Cleveland and Grand Rapids. First Financial’s Midwestern base includes Chicago, Ill.; Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Louisville, Ky.