Archie Brown, president & CEO of First Financial Bank, Cincinnati, has been reappointed to the board of directors for the Cincinnati branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland for a three-year term from 2025-27. This is his second consecutive term. The Cleveland Fed is one of 12 banks in the Federal Reserve System, with its Cincinnati branch serving stakeholders in southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky. Brown has been president & CEO of First Financial Bank and its holding company since April 2018 after serving as president, CEO and chairman of MainSource Financial Group. He has more than 40 years of banking experience.
Stephanie Commins, human resources manager for Hendricks County Bank & Trust Company, Brownsburg, tested for and achieved her SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) designation. The Society for Human Resource Management designed the credential to recognize professionals for their credibility and proficiency in human resources. Commins joined the bank in 2023 with more than 25 years of general business management experience. She has volunteered with numerous organizations over the years, including the Hendricks County Historical Museum, Sheltering Wings, the Susan B. Komen Foundation and Make-a-Wish.
Kim Steele, senior loan operations specialist at Alliance Bank, Francesville, received the bank’s Spirit of Alliance Award in February. Created in 2012, this award recognizes an employee who demonstrates the bank’s core values in their daily actions. Steele has been with the bank for more than two decades.
Photo: Alliance Bank President and CEO Shane Pilarski (left) presents the Terry Steven Spirit of Alliance Award to Kim Steele.
German American Bank, Jasper, was ranked second in the nation in Forbes’ America’s Best Banks 2025 list. Forbes evaluates the 200 largest publicly traded banks and thrifts by asset size and then ranks the top 100 financial performers based on 11 metrics including growth, credit quality and profitability for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2024, as well as stock performance for the 12 months ending Jan. 10, 2025. German American was one of eight IBA-member banks to make the list:
2) German American Bank, Jasper
17) Chase Bank, New York
26) 1st Source Bank, South Bend
36) Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co., Louisville
45) Lake City Bank, Warsaw
59) First Financial Bank, Cincinnati
88) Busey Bank, Champaign, Illinois
95) Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati
1st Source Bank, South Bend, was named to Forbes’ list of America’s Best Midsize Employers. This was the 10th year for the list to be released and the fourth time the bank made the list. The list identifies companies rated most highly by their employees, including salary, work environment, training programs, opportunities to advance and whether they would recommend their employer to others. Chase Bank, New York; Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio; Bank of America, Charlotte, North Carolina; PNC Bank NA, Wilmington, Delaware; and Regions Bank, Birmingham, Alabama, were named to the list for Large Employers.
First Financial Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Regions Bank, Birmingham, Alabama, received the 2025 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for employee engagement in March. The award recognizes the most engaged workplace cultures in the world. On average, this year’s 62 honorees had 14 engaged employees for every one actively disengaged employee – eight times the national average and 12 times the global average.
Peoples Bank, Munster’s Whiting banking center was celebrated at the Whiting Chamber of Commerce’s annual installation dinner with an esteemed Longevity Award for 15 years of dedicated community service. The award acknowledges the branch’s longstanding commitment to enhancing the quality of life for the town’s residents through consistent, community-focused service.
Photo: Joseph Shimala, Claudia Guerrero, Nadia Grisolia and Sergio Gonzalez accepted the Whiting Chamber of Commerce’s Longevity Award on Feb. 7, for their branch’s 15 years of service to the community.
