First Financial Bancorp will close its previously announced acquisition of Chicago-based BankFinancial through an all-stock transaction, expanding First Financial’s presence in the Chicago market with its first retail consumer-focused locations.
First Financial adds BankFinancial’s strong core deposit franchise, with 18 financial centers in the area, plus its regional and national commercial loan, lease and deposit lines of business. With the completion of this acquisition, First Financial will now have $22 billion in assets and offer an even broader range of consumer, commercial, specialty lending and wealth management services.
“Expanding our presence in Chicago presents us with significant opportunities for growth and profitability because of the many solutions we can bring to new and existing clients in this market,” Archie Brown, president and CEO of First Financial Bank, said. “First Financial exists to create opportunities to help our clients and communities thrive, and we look forward to the impact we can have with this approach in Chicago.”
BankFinancial locations will continue to operate under the name “BankFinancial” until the completion of the conversion process, anticipated in June 2026, which will consolidate the two banks’ products, processes and operating systems.
