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): October 29, 2007
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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))
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ITEM 8.01 OTHER EVENTS
On October 29, 2007, 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 December 20, 2007 to stockholders of record as of
December 6, 2007. 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 October 29, 2007, 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
Principal Accounting Officer)
Dated: October 29, 2007
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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 October 29, 2007, issued by
First Merchants Corporation.
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First Merchants Corporation
Exhibit No. 99.1
Press Release, dated October 29, 2007
N / E / W / S R / E / L / E / A / S / E
October 29, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Mark K. Hardwick, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, 765-751-1857
http://www.firstmerchants.com
SOURCE: First Merchants Corporation (Nasdaq: FRME), Muncie, Indiana
FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
At its regularly scheduled meeting held on October 23, 2007, 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 December 20, 2007, to stockholders of record
December 6, 2007. For purposes of broker trading, the ex-date of the cash
dividend is December 4, 2007.
In addition, the board authorized management to repurchase up to 150,000 of the
Corporation's Common Stock. This authorization expires on January 22, 2008.
About First Merchants Corporation
First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in
Muncie, Indiana. Subsidiaries of the Corporation include First Merchants Bank,
N.A., First Merchants Bank of Central Indiana, N.A., Lafayette Bank & Trust
Company, N.A., Commerce National Bank and First Merchants Trust Company, N.A.
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 company's Internet web page
(http://www.firstmerchants.com).
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