Company: FRME
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000712534-25-000077
Chunk: 3

Company: FIRST MERCHANTS CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 3
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 to be held on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (the “ Annual Meeting ”). You may attend the virtual meeting by going to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/FRME2025. The Board of Directors (the “ Board ”) of the Company is soliciting your proxy to be voted at the Annual Meeting.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“ SEC ”) “notice and access” rule allows us to furnish these proxy materials over the Internet, enabling us to reduce the cost of delivering the materials and lessening the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. Under this rule, we are mailing a notice regarding the availability of proxy materials to most of our shareholders if you haven’t previously informed us that you prefer a paper copy of the proxy materials. This notice contains instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet. It also contains instructions on how shareholders may receive a paper or electronic copy of the proxy materials, including a proxy statement, annual report and a proxy card. If you received a paper or electronic copy of the proxy materials, you also received a proxy card that can be used to vote your shares.

The distribution of these proxy materials is expected to commence on or about April 1, 2025.

#### I.

#### VOTING YOUR SHARES
Each share of FMC common stock issued and outstanding as of the close of business on the record date for the Annual Meeting, March 20, 2025 (the “ Record Date ”), is entitled to be voted on all items being voted upon at the Annual Meeting. As of the close of business on the Record Date, there were 58,534,988 shares outstanding and entitled to vote.

Each share of FMC common stock is entitled to one vote. In a contested election, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the shares entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present. In an uncontested election, directors are elected by a majority of the votes cast by shares entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present. An incumbent director who fails to receive a majority vote in an uncontested election is required to tender his or her resignation to the Board promptly following the certification of the shareholder vote. Shareholders do not have a right to cumulate their votes for directors. The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present and voting at the meeting in person or by proxy is required for approval of all items submitted to the shareholders