Company: FRME
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000712534-25-000077
Chunk: 70

Company: FIRST MERCHANTS CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-01
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 70
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 be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which a director or executive officer of the Company, or any member of his or her immediate family, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, will be reviewed for potential conflict of interest.

53 First Merchants Corporation 2025 Proxy Statement

#### X.

#### DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires the Company’s directors and executive officers to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of the Company’s stock with the SEC. Based on its records and the written representations of its directors and executive officers, FMC believes that during 2024 these persons complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements, except for the following:

*Filed after due date.

#### XI.

#### INDEPENDENT AUDITOR
FEES FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RENDERED BY FORVIS MAZARS, LLP

The following table shows the aggregate fees and expenses billed by Forvis for audit and other services rendered to FMC for 2023 and 2024.

|                    |     |     2023 |     |     2024 |
| Audit Fees         |     | $761,970 |     | $807,700 |
| Audit-Related Fees |     |   58,090 |     |   65,200 |
| Tax Fees           |     |        — |     |        — |
| All Other Fees     |     |        — |     |        — |
| Total Fees         |     | $820,060 |     | $872,900 |

The “ Audit Fees ” were for professional services rendered for the audits of FMC’s consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, reviews of condensed consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Forms 10-Q, and agreed-upon procedures on the Company’s electronic submission of audited financial information to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and selected compliance testing on the Company’s major HUD-assisted programs.

The “ Audit-Related Fees ” were for professional services rendered for audits of and services performed in connection with the Company’s employee benefit plans.

All of the services related to the “ Audit Fees ,” “ Audit-Related Fees ,” “ Tax Fees ” and “ All Other Fees ” for 2023 and 2024 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with the Committee’s pre-approval policy described