First Merchants Bank opens a new Ohio banking center focused on positively impacting the local community

Northland banking center is the eighth location in the Columbus area

 

COLUMBUS –Yesterday, First Merchants Bank opened its new banking center in the Northland neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The banking center is the eighth First Merchants Bank location in the area. As a part of its community-focused banking philosophy, First Merchants is partnering with several local organizations focused on increasing financial wellness, supporting greater access to home ownership, and facilitating economic growth and vitality in the Northland and surrounding areas.

“Our success is contingent on the financial health of the communities we serve,” said First Merchants Bank CEO Mark Hardwick. “We are a community bank with a genuine ‘helping you prosper’ approach to banking. Our commitment to the Northland community is focused on providing people and businesses with equal access to financial capital opportunities.”

“We look forward to our member and partner, First Merchants Bank, being a great resource to business owners in the Northland neighborhood,” said Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce (COAACC) Board President Jill Frost. “We know that First Merchants Bank is not just ‘setting up shop’ as a business but will continue forging meaningful relationships and providing resources that strengthen small businesses in the community.”

“Supporting our communities is not just a responsibility, but a passion,” said First Merchants Bank Regional President Jennifer Griffith. “We believe the best way to create real and lasting impact is to start locally, and that’s just what we’re doing here in Northland.”

First Merchants Bank is partnering with the Africentric Personal Development Shop, Community of Caring Development Foundation, ECDI, Godman Guild Association, Homes on the Hill, IMPACT Community Action, MY Project USA, NeighborWorks Collaborative of Ohio, Ohio CDC Association and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC).

They have partnered with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) through a five-year commitment to invest $1.4 billion in their communities including new branch access, down payment assistance programs and more. The bank is expanding access to their services by adding new banking centers or loan production offices in Marion County (IN), Lake County (IN), Franklin County (OH), and Wayne County (MI). This is the third addition in that commitment, having previously opened a banking center in the Avondale Meadows community of Indianapolis and a loan production office in Indianapolis.

First Merchants Bank’s Northland banking center, located at 1925 Morse Road, is a financial hub for individuals, families, and businesses in the community. The bank has invested in staffing it with helpfully welcoming, attentive, and dependable bankers and lenders who are empowered to help community members prosper with a range of services. That includes everything from setting up a bank account and using the First Merchants Bank digital app on their phones for day-to-day money management, to learning how to budget, save for the future, and navigate the path to homeownership.

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About First Merchants Corporation

First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ: FRME), with assets of approximately $18 billion and operating in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan, is the parent company of First Merchants Bank. The Muncie, Indiana-based bank is committed to providing exceptional financial services while making meaningful contributions in each community it serves. First Merchants Bank promotes economic mobility through its five community pillars: Employee Empowerment; Community Investments and Charitable Giving; Financial Wellness; Community Home Lending; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The company has been honored for its excellence in banking by Forbes, Newsweek, and S&P Global Intelligence and attributes this recognition to a mission-driven team passionate about helping you prosper. To see how First Merchants Bank is making a difference, go to (www.firstmerchants.com).