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                                  EXHIBIT 10(a)

                     AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

                                THOMAS P. PERCIAK


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                                 AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

         The term "Change in Control, " "Change in Control of the Bank" or
"Change in Control of the Corporation" as used in this Employment Agreement (the
"Agreement")] is amended effective as of this 16th day of July, 1997 to read as
set forth hereinafter. From and after the date hereof, any reference herein or
in the Agreement to the "Corporation" or the "Company" shall mean Emerald
Financial Corp., an Ohio corporation, and any reference to the "Bank" shall mean
The Strongsville Savings Bank, an Ohio-chartered savings and loan association.

         For purposes of the Agreement, a "Change in Control" shall mean:

         (i)      The acquisition by a person or persons acting in concert of
                  the power to vote twenty five percent (25%) or more of a class
                  of the Corporation's voting securities, or the acquisition by
                  a person of the power to direct the Corporation's management
                  or policies, if the Board of Directors or the Office of Thrift
                  Supervision has made a determination that such acquisition
                  constitutes or will constitute an acquisition of control of
                  the Corporation for the purposes of the Savings and Loan
                  Holding Company Act or the Change in Bank Control Act and the
                  regulations thereunder;

         (ii)     during any period of two (2) consecutive years during the term
                  of this Agreement, individuals who at the beginning of such
                  period constitute the Board of Directors of the Bank or the
                  Corporation cease for any reason to constitute at least a
                  majority thereof, unless the election of each director who was
                  not a director at the beginning of such period has been
                  approved in advance by directors representing at least two
                  thirds (2/3) of the directors then in office who were
                  directors in office at the beginning of the period;

         (iii)    the Corporation shall have merged into or consolidated with
                  another corporation, or merged another corporation into the
                  Corporation, on a basis whereby less than fifty percent (50%)
                  of the total voting power of the surviving corporation is
                  represented by shares held by former shareholders of the
                  Corporation prior to such merger or consolidation; or

         (iv)     the Corporation shall have sold substantially all of its
                  assets to another person. The term "person" refers to an
                  individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association,
                  joint venture, pool, syndicate, sole proprietorship,
                  unincorporated organization or other entity.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands as of this 16th day of July
1997.

THE STRONGSVILLE SAVINGS BANK                           EXECUTIVE

By:  \s\ JOHN F. ZIEGLER                     \s\ THOMAS P. PERCIAK
   --------------------------------          ----------------------------------
         John F. Ziegler                           Thomas P. Perciak

Its:     Executive Vice President

EMERALD FINANCIAL CORP.

By:  \s\ JOHN F. ZIEGLER
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         John F. Ziegler

Its:     Executive Vice President