Company: NWBI
Filing Date: 2025-01-27
Form Type: S-4
Source: 0001193125-25-012768
Chunk: 109

Company: Northwest Bancshares, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-01-27
Form: S-4
Chunk 109
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. 001-34582):

| • |     | The description of Northwest’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share, contained as an Exhibit in 
 Northwest’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended                                          
 December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024.                                        |

Penns Woods This document incorporates by reference the following documents that have previously been filed with the SEC by Penns Woods (File No. 000-17077):

89

| • |     | The description of Penns Woods’ common stock, $5.55 par value per share, contained as an Exhibit in Penns 
 Woods’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,                                         
 2023, filed with the SEC on March 13, 2024.                                                               |

In addition, Northwest and Penns Woods are incorporating by reference any documents they may file under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended after the date of this document and prior to the date of each company’s special meeting of shareholders. Northwest and Penns Woods each file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other business and financial information with the SEC. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference and any other materials Northwest and Penns Woods file with the SEC without charge by following the instructions in the section entitled “ WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION” in the forepart of this document. Neither Northwest nor Penns Woods has authorized anyone to give any information or make any representation about the Merger or its companies that is different from, or in addition to, that contained in this document or in any of the materials that have been incorporated into this document. Therefore, if anyone does give you information of this sort, you should not rely on it. If you are in a jurisdiction where offers to exchange or sell, or solicitations of offers to exchange or purchase, the securities offered by this document or the solicitation of proxies is unlawful, or if you are a person to whom it is unlawful to direct these types of activities, then the offer presented in this document does not extend to you. The information contained in this document speaks only as of the date of this document unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies. 90

Annex A

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

dated as of

December 16, 2024

by