Company: FRME
Filing Date: 2025-07-31
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0000712534-25-000171
Chunk: 93

Company: FIRST MERCHANTS CORP
Filing Date: 2025-07-31
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 1
Chunk 93
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3, the Corporation completed the private issuance and sale to four institutional investors of an aggregate of $70.0 million of debt comprised of (a) 5.00 percent Fixed-to-Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2028 in the aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million and (b) 6.75 percent Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due October 30, 2028 in the aggregate principal amount of $65.0 million.  The Corporation exercised its right to redeem $65.0 million of the subordinated debt on the scheduled interest payment date during the first half of 2024. On June 9, 2025, the Corporation, through its trustee, distributed notice of redemption of the remaining $5.0 million in principal amount of its 5.00 percent Fixed-to-Floating Senior Notes due October 30, 2028. The Corporation exercised its right to redeem the $5.0 million of the Senior Notes on the scheduled interest payment date of July 30, 2025. 

On April 1, 2022, the Corporation assumed $30.0 million of subordinated notes in conjunction with its acquisition of Level One.  On February 14, 2025, the Corporation, through its trustee, distributed notice of redemption of all $30.0 million in principal amount of its 4.75 percent Fixed-to-Floating Subordinated Notes due December 18, 2029.  The Corporation exercised its right to redeem $30 million of the subordinated debt on the scheduled interest payment date of March 18, 2025. 

Management believes the disclosed capital ratios are meaningful measurements for evaluating the safety and soundness of the Corporation. Traditionally, the banking regulators have assessed bank and bank holding company capital adequacy based on both the amount and the composition of capital, the calculation of which is prescribed in federal banking regulations.  The Federal Reserve focuses its assessment of capital adequacy on a component of tier 1 capital known as CET1.  Because the Federal Reserve has long indicated that voting common stockholders equity (essentially tier 1 risk-based capital less preferred stock and non-controlling interest in subsidiaries) generally should be the dominant element in tier 1 risk-based capital, this focus on CET1 is consistent with existing capital adequacy categories.  Tier I regulatory capital consists primarily of total common stockholders’ equity and subordinated debentures issued to business trusts categorized as qualifying borrowings, less non-qualifying intangible assets