Premier Bank bought

PERKINS TWP. — Bank customers in the area will soon notice some changes at Premier Bank locations as a result of a recent sale of its parent company. WesBanco — a bank holding company based in Wheeling, West Virginia — recently purchased Premier Financial Corp., headquartered in Defiance, in a reportedly $959 million all-stock transaction. Shareholders of Premier Bank reportedly will receive 0.8 WesBanco shares per Premier share in the deal. Premier Bank has multiple locations in the area: • In Perkins Township, 4112 Milan Road (U.S. 250) • In Bellevue, 211 N. Sandusky St. • In Norwalk, 50 W. Main St. • In Willard, 301 S. Myrtle Ave. • In Genoa, 22020 West St. Former Premier financial centers will continue operating under the Premier Bank name until customer and data conversion occurs in mid-May. At that time, all financial centers of the combined bank will be branded as WesBanco. WesBanco had operated about 200 branches in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland and Indiana. With the Premier purchase, it now boasts more than 250 locations and has extended its reach into Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee. Closing of the deal has created a regional financial services institution with about $27 billion in assets, significant economies of scale and stronger profitability. The combined company is the 81st-largest insured depository organization in the U.S. and the eighth-largest bank in Ohio, based on deposit market share. "We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of this acquisition, which brings together two strong, community-focused institutions to create an even more dynamic regional bank well-positioned to support our customers' unique financial journeys across their consumer, commercial and wealth management needs," said Jeff Jackson, chief executive officer of WesBanco. "We warmly welcome four experienced directors of Premier to our board, as well as the employees, customers and community partners who have contributed to Premier's past success and will now help build the next chapter in WesBanco's longstanding legacy of success," Jackson said. "Together, we will deliver enhanced financial services with a community focus to help make every market we serve a better place for people and businesses to thrive."