First Merchants Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Per Share

MUNCIE, Ind., Jan. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ - FRME) (the "Corporation")

Achieved record full‑year results, including net income available to common stockholders of $224.1 million and diluted EPS of $3.88 for 2025.

Fourth Quarter 2025 Highlights:

"First Merchants delivered record double-digit earnings and high single-digit loan growth in 2025. Our capital, liquidity and credit positions remain very strong and position us for continued success," said Mark Hardwick, Chief Executive Officer. "The pending completion of the First Savings Bank acquisition on February 1st will further enhance our state-wide Indiana presence. We value the continued trust of our clients, teammates and shareholders."

Fourth Quarter Financial Results:

First Merchants Corporation (the “Corporation”) reported fourth quarter 2025 net income available to common stockholders of $56.6 million compared to $63.9 million during the same period in 2024. Diluted earnings per common share for the period totaled $0.99 compared to $1.10 in the fourth quarter of 2024. During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Corporation completed the sale of five Illinois branches, including $7.4 million of loans and $267.4 million of deposits, generating a $20.0 million gain recorded in noninterest income. Excluding non-core income and expenses incurred in each period, adjusted earnings per common share 1 for the fourth quarter 2025 totaled $0.98 compared to $1.00 in the prior year period.

Total assets of the Corporation equaled $19.0 billion as of quarter-end and loans totaled $13.8 billion. During the past twelve months, total loans grew by $938.8 million, or 7.3%. On a linked quarter basis, loans grew $197.4 million, or 5.8% annualized.

Investments, totaling $3.4 billion, decreased $82.1 million, or 2.4%, during the last twelve months and were flat on a linked quarter basis. Investments declined during the quarter due to principal paydowns and maturities; however, the decline was offset by an increase in the securities portfolio valuation.

Total deposits equaled $15.3 billion as of quarter-end and increased by $773.2 million, or 5.3%, over the past twelve months. On a linked quarter basis, deposits increased $424.9 million, or 11.4% annualized. The loan to deposit ratio decreased to 90.3% at period end from 91.6% in the prior quarter.

The Corporation’s Allowance for Credit Losses – Loans (ACL) totaled $195.6 million as of quarter-end, or 1.42% of total loans, an increase of $1.1 million from prior quarter. Net charge-offs totaled $6.0 million and provision for credit losses of $7.2 million was recorded during the quarter. Reserves for unfunded commitments totaled $18.0 million and remained unchanged from the prior quarter. Non-performing assets to total assets were 0.38% for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 0.36% in the prior quarter, reflecting stable credit performance.

Net interest income, totaling $139.1 million for the quarter, increased $5.4 million, or 4.0%, compared to prior quarter and increased $4.7 million, or 3.5%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Positively impacting net interest income was an interest recovery of $3.3 million recorded during the current quarter from the successful resolution of a nonaccrual commercial real estate loan. Fully tax equivalent net interest margin was 3.29%, an increase of five basis points compared to prior quarter, and an increase of one basis point compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.

Noninterest income totaled $33.1 million for the quarter, an increase of $0.6 million compared to the third quarter of 2025 and a decrease of $9.6 million from the fourth quarter of 2024. The linked quarter increase was driven by higher customer-related fees including wealth management and card payment fees, as well as higher gains on the sales of mortgage loans. The decrease from the fourth quarter of prior year was driven by a gain on the sale of five Illinois branches to Old Second National Bank on December 6, 2024. Customer-related fees increased $0.7 million over the fourth quarter of prior year.

Noninterest expense totaled $99.5 million for the quarter, an increase of $3.0 million from the third quarter of 2025 and an increase of $3.2 million from the fourth quarter of 2024. The linked quarter increase was from higher health insurance, software and credit costs. Additionally, $0.5 million of acquisition-related costs were recorded in the current quarter. Offsetting these increases was a $0.7 million reduction of an FDIC special assessment accrual that was originally recorded in the first quarter of 2024 following the bank failures of 2023. The increase from the fourth quarter of 2024 was due to higher salaries, employee benefits and data processing costs offset by the reduction of the FDIC special assessment accrual.

The Corporation’s total risk-based capital ratio equaled 13.41%, common equity tier 1 capital ratio equaled 11.70%, and the tangible common equity ratio totaled 9.38%. These ratios continue to reflect the Corporation’s strong capital position.

1 See “Non-GAAP Financial Information” for reconciliation

CONFERENCE CALL

First Merchants Corporation will conduct a fourth quarter earnings conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

To access via phone, participants will need to register using the following link where they will be provided a phone number and access code: (https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI2b60181d46504632aa732ea584590460)

To view the webcast and presentation slides, please go to (https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/o68enev5) during the time of the call. A replay of the webcast will be available until January 27, 2027.

Detailed financial results are reported on the attached pages.

About First Merchants Corporation

First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Muncie, Indiana. The Corporation has one full-service bank charter, First Merchants Bank. The Bank also operates as First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors (as a division of First Merchants Bank).

First Merchants Corporation’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market System under the symbol FRME. Quotations are carried in daily newspapers and can be found on the company’s Internet web page ( http://www.firstmerchants.com).

FIRST MERCHANTS and the Shield Logo are federally registered trademarks of First Merchants Corporation.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements can often, but not always, be identified by the use of words like “believe”, “continue”, “pattern”, “estimate”, “project”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “expect” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will”, “would”, “should”, “could”, “might”, “can”, “may”, or similar expressions. These forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the expected timing and benefits of the proposed merger between First Merchants and First Savings, including future financial and operating results, cost savings, enhanced revenues, and accretion/dilution to reported earnings that may be realized from the proposed merger, as well as other statements of expectations regarding the proposed merger, and other statements of First Merchants’ goals, intentions and expectations; statements regarding the First Merchants’ business plan and growth strategies; statements regarding the asset quality of First Merchants’ loan and investment portfolios; and estimates of First Merchants’ risks and future costs and benefits, whether with respect to the proposed merger or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks, assumptions and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in forward-looking statements, including, among other things: the risk that the businesses of First Merchants and First Savings will not be integrated successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; expected revenue synergies and cost savings from the proposed merger may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame; revenues following the proposed merger may be lower than expected; customer and employee relationships and business operations may be disrupted by the proposed merger; the ability to complete the proposed merger on the expected timeframe; possible changes in monetary and fiscal policies, and laws and regulations; the effects of easing restrictions on participants in the financial services industry; the cost and other effects of legal and administrative cases; possible changes in the credit-worthiness of customers and the possible impairment of collectability of loans; fluctuations in market rates of interest; competitive factors in the banking industry; changes in the banking legislation or regulatory requirements of federal and state agencies applicable to bank holding companies and banks like First Merchants’ affiliate bank; continued availability of earnings and excess capital sufficient for the lawful and prudent declaration of dividends; changes in market, economic, operational, liquidity (including the ability to grow and maintain core deposits and retain large uninsured deposits), credit and interest rate risks associated with First Merchants’ business; the impacts of epidemics, pandemics or other infectious disease outbreaks; and other risks and factors identified in each of First Merchants’ filings with the SEC. Neither First Merchants nor First Savings undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, relating to the matters discussed in this news release. In addition, the companies’ respective past results of operations do not necessarily indicate their anticipated future results, whether or not the proposed merger is completed.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release contains non-GAAP financial measures. For purposes of Regulation G, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of the registrant’s historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that excludes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of excluding amounts, that are included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in the statement of income, balance sheet or statement of cash flows (or equivalent statements) of the issuer; or includes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of including amounts, that are excluded from the most directly comparable measure so calculated and presented. In this regard, GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G, First Merchants Corporation has provided reconciliations within this news release, as necessary, of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

( 1) Total brokered deposits of $1.5 billion, which includes brokered CD's of $523.6 million at December 31, 2025.

(1) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended December 31, 2025 included a $0.7 million reduction in the FDIC special assessment

(2) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 included $0.6 million of severance costs

(3) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 included $0.8 million of costs directly related to the branch sale

(4) Non-core expenses in the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024 included $2.4 million from duplicative online banking conversion costs, $1.1 million from the FDIC special assessment, and $0.8 million of costs directly related to the branch sale

(1) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended December 31, 2025 included a $0.7 million reduction in the FDIC special assessment

(2) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 included $0.6 million of severance costs

(3) Non-core expenses in the Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 included $0.8 million of costs directly related to the branch sale

For more information, contact:

Nicole M. Weaver, First Vice President and Director of Corporate Administration

765-521-7619

http://www.firstmerchants.com