Filed
Pursuant to Rule 433
Registration
No. 333-156841
June 3,
2010
TREASURY
DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES PRICING OF PUBLIC OFFERING OF WARRANTS TO PURCHASE COMMON
STOCK OF FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.
WASHINGTON — The U.S.
Department of the Treasury announced today that it priced a secondary public
offering of 465,117 warrants to purchase common stock of First Financial Bancorp
(the “Company”) at $12.90 per warrant. The aggregate net proceeds to
Treasury from the offering are expected to be $2,966,288. These
proceeds provide an additional return to the American taxpayer from Treasury’s
investment in the Company beyond the dividend payments it received on the
related preferred stock.
The
closing is expected to occur on or about June 8, 2010, subject to customary
closing conditions. The offering was priced through a modified Dutch
auction. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. is the sole underwriter for this
offering. This offering represents Treasury’s sale of its remaining
investment in the Company.
The
warrants were offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that
was filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”). A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the offering
was filed with the SEC on June 1, 2010, and a final prospectus supplement will
be filed by the Company with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website
at http://www.sec.gov.
Copies of
the final prospectus supplement relating to these securities may be obtained,
when available, from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Prospectus Department,
Harborside Financial Center, 100 Plaza One, Jersey City, New Jersey 07311-3988,
telephone: 1-800-503-4611, or by emailing
prospectus.cpdg@db.com. Before you invest, you should read the
prospectus and prospectus supplement in the registration statement and other
documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about
the Company and the warrants.
This news
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to
buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior
to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or
jurisdiction.
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