
First Financial announces 2 acquisitions
First Financial Bank, Cincinnati, announced the acquisition of Westfield Bank FSB and BankFinancial.

First Financial Bank, Cincinnati, announced the acquisition of Westfield Bank FSB and BankFinancial.

First Busey Corporation, holding company of First Busey Bank, Champaign, Illinois, completed its acquisition by merger of CrossFirst Bankshares Inc., holding company of CrossFirst Bank, Leawood, Kansas, effective March 1.

WesBanco Bank Inc., Wheeling, West Virginia, was approved to acquire Premier Bank, Youngstown, Ohio, on Feb. 12.

Northwest Bank, Warren, PA, is acquiring Jersey Shore State Bank & Luzerne Bank in an all-stock transaction.

Old National Bank, Evansville, is acquiring Bremer Bank, St. Paul, in a merger transaction valued at $1.4 billion.

The all-cash deal is valued at $40 million.

Reading Time: 4 minutesCommunity banks are the backbone of local economies, and the regulatory environment that governs them is undergoing significant change.

North Salem State Bank appointed Jeff Joyce, its chief financial officer, to its board of directors effective January 1, 2026.

Reading Time: 4 minutesMarket adjustments, counteroffers and off-cycle raises, while well-intentioned and driven by legitimate business needs, pose a common, source of employment litigation risk.