Business
First Financial Bank Earns Top Rating of "Outstanding" for Performance under Community Reinvestment Act
CINCINNATI, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) has earned the highest overall rating of Outstanding from the Federal Reserve
About this update from First Financial Bancorp.
[{"type":"text","content":"CINCINNATI, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) has earned the highest overall rating of Outstanding from the Federal Reserve Board for its performance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to meet the credit needs of the people and businesses in its communities. The top rating comes after a broad evaluation of First Financial's lending, investment and service levels from 2017-2020, specifically benefitting customers that meet income guidelines or reside in low- and moderate-income (LMI) census tracts.\n\"We are extremely proud to have earned this Outstanding rating for our CRA performance,\" said Archie Brown, president and CEO of First Financial Bank. \"And we are just as proud of the work and volunteer efforts of our associates who make a positive difference every day in the communities we serve. It's very rewarding for those efforts to be recognized with such a high level of commendation.\" \nThe Outstanding rating is achieved by only a small number of banks. The Federal Reserve's evaluation cited multiple factors supporting the top rating for First Financial, including:\nThe bank's excellent record of serving the credit needs of low-income individuals and areas and very small businesses; Acting often in a leadership position in providing an excellent level of qualified community development investments and donations; Retail delivery systems that are accessible to geographies and individuals of different income levels and businesses of different revenue sizes.\"Receiving an Outstanding rating from the Federal Reserve Board is deeply gratifying and is made possible by the hard work and dedication of our team members who serve low- and moderate-income communities throughout our footprint,\" said Roddell McCullough, director of Community Development for First Financial Bank. \"This recognition validates the positive impact of our ALIVE strategy, which was established to provide Access, Lending, Investment, Volunteerism, and Education opportunities for all clients, but particularly those that need our services the most. I'm fortunate to be a part of First Financial Bank's commitment to being woven into the communities we serve and leveraging our resources for the good of our clients, communities, and associates.\"\nFirst Financial is well ahead of schedule in reaching and surpassing the $1.7 bi...