First Merchants reports Q3 adjusted EPS 95c, consensus 90c

Strong capital position with Common Equity Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 11.25% and Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets Ratio of 8.76%. Net interest margin was 3.23% compared to 3.16% on a linked quarter basis. Total loans grew $15.5 million, or 0.5% annualized, on a linked quarter basis, and $385.1 million, or 3.1% during the last twelve months. Total deposits grew by $83.7 million, or 2.3% annualized, on a linked quarter basis after normalizing for $287.7 million of deposits reclassified to held for sale. “We are pleased with our third quarter results and the focused momentum that we are building,” said Mark Hardwick, Chief Executive Officer. “The pending sale of five non-core Illinois branches, restructure of the securities portfolio, and successful completion of four major technology initiatives provides us with the opportunity to reprioritize our core markets and introduce innovative customer acquisition strategies.”