ITEM 1.01 ENTRY INTO A MATERIAL DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT.
On November 11, 2009, FirstMerit Bank, N.A. (the "Bank"), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of FirstMerit Corporation (the "Company"), entered into a Purchase
and Assumption Agreement (the "P&A Agreement") with First Bank, a wholly owned
subsidiary of First Banks, Inc., to purchase certain assets and transfer certain
liabilities with respect to 24 First Bank branches located in the greater
Chicago, Illinois area. This transaction will include the assumption by the Bank
of not less than $1.0 billion in deposits and the purchase by the Bank of not
less than $315 million of loans and certain other assets of First Bank
associated with the acquired branch locations. The acquisition of the First Bank
branches is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010, subject to the
receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing
conditions.
The foregoing description of the P&A Agreement does not purport to be
complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of
such agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and
incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the press release announcing the
Bank's execution of the P&A Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is
incorporated by reference herein.
ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.
On November 11, 2009, the Company published a slide show presentation
concerning the proposed branch acquisition from First Bank. A copy of the slide
presentation is set forth as Exhibit 99.2 hereto and is incorporated herein by
reference.
Pursuant to General Instruction B.2 of Current Report on Form 8-K, the
information in this Item 7.01 is being furnished and shall not be deemed to be
"filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Furthermore, the
information in this Item 7.01 shall not be deemed to be incorporated by
reference into the filings of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.