First Financial Bancorp Smashes Earnings Records

First Financial Bancorps Q4 and full year 2025 earnings shattered records, with adjusted EPS of $0.80, a 1.52% ROA, and a 20.3% ROE. Despite Fed rate cuts, their NIM remained steady at 3.98%, thanks to smart deposit cost management. Organic loan growth was 4% annualized, and deposits grew 7% excluding Westfield. Noninterest income surged with $77M in adjusted fees, up 5% from Q3, driven by wealth management and foreign exchange. Expenses rose 6% due to Westfield acquisition, but asset quality remained strong. They issued $300M in subordinated debt at 6.375%. Full year adjusted net income was $281M or $2.92 per share, with an 8% revenue increase. Capital strengthened, with TBVPS up 11% to $15.74. Net charge-offs eased to 25 basis points. Looking ahead, they project low single-digit organic loan growth for Q1, ramping to 6-8% for 2026. NIM is expected between 3.94-3.99%, assuming a 25 basis point cut in March. Fee income is projected at $71-73M, expenses at $156-158M, with cost savings later after Westfield and Bank Financial integrations. Acquisitions and organic growth set up Midwest expansion, with top CRA ratings and Gallup workplace nods. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/c1a6193ea02c17be