{"filing":{"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","cik":"0000919864","ticker":"FNWD","company_name":"Finward Bancorp","form":"8-K","filing_date":"2026-07-21","report_date":null,"primary_document":"d140760d8k.htm","primary_document_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/919864/000119312526310388/d140760d8k.htm"},"events":[{"id":19186,"run_id":17264,"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","anchor_item_number":"1.01","event_type":"ma_activity","event_domain":"operational","is_material":true,"confidence":0.99,"summary":"Finward Bancorp entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with First Financial Bancorp on July 21, 2026, whereby Finward will merge into First Financial in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $208 million (1.35 shares of First Financial per Finward share). The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2026 and requires shareholder approval and regulatory clearance.","company_name":"Finward Bancorp","ticker":"FNWD","filing_date":"2026-07-21","form":"8-K","submitted_at":null,"items":[{"id":18206,"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","item_number":"1.01","item_title":"Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement","event_type":"ma_activity","event_domain":"operational","is_material":true,"confidence":0.99,"reasoning":"Finward Bancorp entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with First Financial Bancorp on July 21, 2026, whereby Finward will merge into First Financial in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $208 million (1.35 shares of First Financial per Finward share). This is a material acquisition/change of control transaction requiring shareholder approval and regulatory clearance, expected to close in Q4 2026. The transaction is explicitly disclosed under Item 1.01 (Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement) and constitutes a material M\u0026A activity.","classifier_version":"claude-haiku-4-5-20251001+prompt-a85dd512","taxonomy_version":"v1.3","classified_at":"2026-07-21T20:33:48.219420+00:00","company_name":"","ticker":null,"filing_date":""},{"id":18207,"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","item_number":"7.01","item_title":"Regulation FD Disclosure.","event_type":"ma_activity","event_domain":"operational","is_material":true,"confidence":0.98,"reasoning":"The filing discloses execution of a merger agreement whereby First Financial Bancorp will acquire Finward Bancorp in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $208 million. The press release explicitly states \"First Financial Bancorp. (Nasdaq: FFBC) and Finward Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNWD) jointly announced today that they have entered into an agreement by which First Financial will acquire Munster-based Finward.\" This is a material acquisition event requiring disclosure under Item 1.01 of Form 8-K, though disclosed here under Item 7.01 (Regulation FD Disclosure).","classifier_version":"claude-haiku-4-5-20251001+prompt-a85dd512","taxonomy_version":"v1.3","classified_at":"2026-07-21T20:33:48.219420+00:00","company_name":"","ticker":null,"filing_date":""}]}],"classifications":[{"id":18206,"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","item_number":"1.01","item_title":"Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement","event_type":"ma_activity","event_domain":"operational","is_material":true,"confidence":0.99,"reasoning":"Finward Bancorp entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with First Financial Bancorp on July 21, 2026, whereby Finward will merge into First Financial in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $208 million (1.35 shares of First Financial per Finward share). This is a material acquisition/change of control transaction requiring shareholder approval and regulatory clearance, expected to close in Q4 2026. The transaction is explicitly disclosed under Item 1.01 (Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement) and constitutes a material M\u0026A activity.","classifier_version":"claude-haiku-4-5-20251001+prompt-a85dd512","taxonomy_version":"v1.3","classified_at":"2026-07-21T20:33:48.219420+00:00","company_name":"Finward Bancorp","ticker":"FNWD","filing_date":"2026-07-21"},{"id":18207,"accession_number":"0001193125-26-310388","item_number":"7.01","item_title":"Regulation FD Disclosure.","event_type":"ma_activity","event_domain":"operational","is_material":true,"confidence":0.98,"reasoning":"The filing discloses execution of a merger agreement whereby First Financial Bancorp will acquire Finward Bancorp in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $208 million. The press release explicitly states \"First Financial Bancorp. (Nasdaq: FFBC) and Finward Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNWD) jointly announced today that they have entered into an agreement by which First Financial will acquire Munster-based Finward.\" This is a material acquisition event requiring disclosure under Item 1.01 of Form 8-K, though disclosed here under Item 7.01 (Regulation FD Disclosure).","classifier_version":"claude-haiku-4-5-20251001+prompt-a85dd512","taxonomy_version":"v1.3","classified_at":"2026-07-21T20:33:48.219420+00:00","company_name":"Finward Bancorp","ticker":"FNWD","filing_date":"2026-07-21"}]}