UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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DATE OF REPORT (Date of earliest event reported): February 22, 2006
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FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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INDIANA 0-17071 35-1544218
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission file number) (IRS Employer
of incorporation) Identification No.)
200 East Jackson Street
P.O. Box 792
Muncie, IN 47305-2814
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(765) 747-1500
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:
[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Page 1 of 5
ITEM 8.01 OTHER EVENTS
On February 22, 2006, First Merchants Corporation issued a press
release announcing the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per
share. The cash dividend is payable on March 20, 2006 to stockholders of record
as of March 6, 2006. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to
this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information in this Form 8-K and the attached exhibit shall not
be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), or incorporated by reference in any
filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except
as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
(a) Not applicable.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) Exhibits.
Exhibit 99.1 Press Release, dated February 22, 2006, issued by
First Merchants Corporation
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
First Merchants Corporation
(Registrant)
By: /s/ Mark K. Hardwick
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Mark K. Hardwick
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Chief
Accounting Officer)
Dated: February 22, 2006
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No.
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99.1 Description
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Press Release, dated February 22, 2006, issued by
First Merchants Corporation.
Page 4 of 5
First Merchants Corporation
Exhibit No. 99.1
Press Release, dated February 22, 2006
N / E / W / S R / E / L / E / A / S / E
February 22, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Mark K. Hardwick, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, 765-751-1857
http://firstmerchants.com
SOURCE: First Merchants Corporation (Nasdaq: FRME), Muncie, Indiana
FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
At its regularly scheduled meeting held on February 14, 2006, the Board of
Directors of First Merchants Corporation declared a quarterly cash dividend of
$0.23 per share on its common stock.
The cash dividend is payable March 20, 2006, to stockholders of record March 6,
2006. For purposes of broker trading, the ex-date of the cash dividend is March
2, 2006.
About First Merchants Corporation
First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in
Muncie, Indiana. Subsidiaries of the Corporation include First Merchants Bank,
Madison Community Bank, United Communities National Bank, First National Bank,
Decatur Bank & Trust Company, Frances Slocum Bank, Lafayette Bank & Trust
Company, Commerce National Bank and Merchants Trust Company. The Corporation
also operates First Merchants Insurance Services, a full-service property
casualty, personal lines, and healthcare insurance agency and is a majority
member of Indiana Title Insurance Company, LLC, a title insurance agency.
First Merchants Corporation's common stock is traded over-the-counter on the
NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol FRME. Quotations are carried in
daily newspapers and can be found on the Corporation's Internet web page
(http:/www.firstmerchants.com).
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