CINCINNATI, Oct. 1 OH-FirstFinancial-S-3
CINCINNATI, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Financial Bancorp
(Nasdaq: FFBC) announced today that it has filed a shelf registration statement
on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The shelf
registration statement, when declared effective by the SEC, will allow the
company to raise capital from time to time, up to an aggregate of $100 million,
through the sale of various types of securities. Specific terms and prices will
be determined at the time of each offering under a separate prospectus
supplement to be filed with the SEC at the time of the offering.
Claude E. Davis, First Financial's President and Chief Executive Officer,
said, "We are presently well positioned to take advantage of many growth
opportunities, and we believe that this shelf registration statement will
provide us with the added flexibility to access the capital markets, if
necessary, to support additional growth."
The registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC has not yet become
effective. Securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to
the time that the registration statement becomes effective. This news release
does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy
securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in which such
offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or
qualification of the securities under the securities laws of that state.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated
financial statements, notes and tables in First Financial Bancorp's most recent
Form 10-Q filing dated June 30, 2008, and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2007. Management's analysis contains forward-looking
statements that are provided to assist in the understanding of anticipated
future financial performance. However, such performance involves risk and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that
could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, management's ability to effectively
execute its business plan; the risk that the strength of the United States
economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which First
Financial conducts operations may be different from expected, resulting in,
among other things, a deterioration in credit quality or a reduced demand for
credit, including the resultant effect on First Financial's loan portfolio and
allowance for loan and lease losses; the effects of and changes in policies and
laws of regulatory agencies, inflation, and interest rates; technology changes;
mergers and acquisitions; the effect of changes in accounting policies and
practices; adverse changes in the securities markets; the cost and effects of
litigation and of unexpected or adverse outcomes in such litigation; and First
Financial's success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing. For further
discussion of certain factors that may cause such forward-looking statements to
differ materially from actual results, refer to the 2007 Form 10-K and other
public documents filed with the SEC. These documents are available at no cost
within the investor relations section of First Financial's website at
www.bankatfirst.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
About First Financial Bancorp
First Financial Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company
with $3.5 billion in assets. Its banking subsidiary, First Financial Bank, N.A.,
founded in 1863, provides retail and commercial banking products and services,
and investment and insurance products through its 80 retail banking locations in
Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The bank's wealth management division, First
Financial Wealth Resource Group, provides investment management, traditional
trust, brokerage, private banking, and insurance services, and has approximately
$2.0 billion in assets under management. Additional information about the
company, including its products, services, and banking locations, is available
at www.bankatfirst.com.
This news release may constitute a "free writing prospectus" and an "issuer
free writing prospectus" as such terms are defined in Rule 405 and Rule 433,
respectively, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and relates to the
registration statement on Form S-3 filed by First Financial Bancorp on October
1, 2008.
First Financial Bancorp has filed a registration statement (including
prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates.
Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement
and other documents that First Financial Bancorp has filed with the SEC for more
complete information about First Financial Bancorp and this offering. You may
get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov
or within the investor relations section of First Financial Bancorp's website at
www.bankatfirst.com .
SOURCE First Financial Bancorp
