NEWS

After more than 13 years of leading significant growth and success for First Merchants, President & CEO Michael C. Rechin announced today he will retire from his position effective December 31, 2020. Rechin will remain on the First Merchants Board of Directors and will serve as an advisor to First Merchants going forward.

In a current text scam, fraudsters send text messages or make phone calls to customers claiming to be from First Merchants. Fraudsters may try to create panic by claiming to alert customers to fraudulent activity.

First Merchants announced today a $1.4 billion community investment plan with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and its community-based members and partners. The collaborative initiative began with a needs assessment in September 2019 and was finalized earlier this month.

First Merchants Corporation, Indiana’s second largest financial services holding company, today announced a $1 million commitment to local nonprofit organizations supporting communities negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has created an urgent need for the most up-to-date information, which can make it difficult for users to ensure they are clicking on reliable resources. Situations like this can play to a fraudster’s advantage. Malicious activity related to COVID has been seen coming through just about every channel: email, social media, text and phone messages, and misleading or malicious websites.