First Financial Bancorp Posts Record Q3 Earnings, Raises Dividend
First Financial Bancorp reported record third-quarter results with adjusted EPS of $0.84, an 11% year-over-year gain, alongside a quarterly dividend declaration.
First Financial Bancorp announced record financial results for the third quarter, with earnings per diluted share of $0.77, or $0.84 on an adjusted basis — the highest in the company's history and an 11% increase compared to the third quarter of 2025.
The regional bank posted a return on average assets of 1.44%, rising to 1.56% on an adjusted basis, reflecting continued profitability gains across its core lending and deposit operations. The net interest margin on a fully taxable-equivalent basis reached 4.07%, a nine basis-point improvement from the linked quarter, signaling strengthening spread income amid the current rate environment.
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The results underscore a broader trend among regional banks that have benefited from sustained elevated interest rates, which tend to widen the gap between what banks earn on loans and what they pay on deposits. First Financial's margin expansion suggests the institution has been effective at repricing assets while managing funding costs.
Alongside the earnings release, the company declared a quarterly cash dividend, rewarding shareholders as the bank enters what management characterized as a period of record performance. The combination of margin improvement, strong returns on assets, and record per-share earnings positions the bank favorably relative to many of its regional peers.
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