EXHIBIT 10.12

ENDORSEMENT METHOD SPLIT DOLLAR AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made as of this          day of     , by and
between the following parties:          (the “Bank”) and           (the
“Executive”).

This Agreement between the Bank and the Executive sets forth the terms under
which the Bank will purchase and own a life insurance policy (the “Policy”)
insuring the life of the Executive, and the death proceeds of the Policy will be
divided between the Bank and the beneficiary designated by the Executive. This
Agreement is made in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein and
other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which hereby
are acknowledged.

This Agreement amends, restates, and completely replaces a prior agreement
concerning a split dollar life insurance policy between the Bank and the
Executive executed as of .

I.   POLICY TITLE AND OWNERSHIP       The Bank has applied for one or more life
insurance policies, hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Policy,”
insuring the life of the Executive. Schedule A, which is attached hereto and
incorporated herein by reference as if fully rewritten, provides the following
information with regard to the Policy: the issuer thereof (the “Insurer”), the
death benefit amount, the policy number, and such other information as therein
set forth. The Bank and the Executive agree to take all necessary action to
cause the Insurer to issue the Policy and to cause the Policy to conform to the
provisions of this Agreement. The Bank and the Executive further agree that the
Policy shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If the
Bank and the Executive mutually agree to increase the coverage under the Policy,
the rights, duties, and benefits of the parties to such increased coverage shall
continue to be subject to the terms of this Agreement.       The Bank shall be
the sole and absolute owner of and shall possess all incidents of ownership in
the Policy and may exercise all ownership rights granted to the owner thereof by
the terms of the Policy except as may be otherwise provided in this Agreement.  
    The Bank alone may, to the extent of its interest, exercise the right to
borrow from or withdraw the Policy cash values. The amount of such loans and
withdrawals and any unpaid interest thereon shall at no time exceed the Part One
Share of the Bank as defined in Section VI of this Agreement. The interest due
on any such Policy loans shall be a debt of the Bank owed to the Insurer.      
This Agreement is effective as to a Policy upon execution of this Agreement or
upon issuance of such Policy, whichever is later. The Bank shall be responsible
for safeguarding the Policy.   II.   BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION RIGHTS       The
Executive shall have the right and power to instruct the Bank from time to time
to designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries (collectively referred to herein as
the “Executive’s Beneficiary”) to receive the Part Two Share of the proceeds
payable under this Agreement upon the death of the Executive, and to elect a
payment option for such Executive’s Beneficiary, subject to any right or

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    interest the Bank may have in such proceeds, as provided in this Agreement.
The Bank agrees to designate the Executive’s Beneficiary for the Part Two Share
in such Policy in accordance with the written direction of the Executive. The
parties to this Agreement shall execute and forward promptly and without
unreasonable delay, changes in beneficiary designation forms and documents,
including the Policy, as required by the Insurer, to effectuate the exercise of
any rights of the parties hereto. If the Executive does not designate a
Beneficiary or if no Beneficiary survives the Executive, the Executive’s
Beneficiary shall be his or her estate.   III.   PREMIUM PAYMENT METHOD      
The Bank shall pay amounts equal to the planned premiums and any other premium
payments that might become necessary to keep the Policy in force.   IV.   USE OF
DIVIDENDS       Dividends declared on the Policy shall be applied as the Bank
elects on the Policy application.   V.   TAXABLE BENEFIT       The Executive
will receive an annual taxable benefit equal to the assumed cost of insurance to
the extent required by the Internal Revenue Service. The Bank will cause the
amount of imputed income received annually to be reported to the Executive on
Form W-2 or its equivalent.   VI.   DIVISION OF DEATH PROCEEDS       Upon the
death of the Executive, the Bank shall cooperate with the Executive’s
Beneficiary to take whatever action is necessary to collect the death benefit
provided under the Policy. Subject to Section VII of this Agreement, the death
proceeds of the Policy shall be divided as follows and paid in the following
order to the extent that such proceeds permit. All payments of proceeds under
the Part One Share and the Part Three Share will be reduced by outstanding
policy loans or withdrawals made to or by the Bank. When such death benefit has
been collected and paid as provided herein, this Agreement shall thereupon
terminate.

  A.   Part One Share. First the Bank shall be entitled to an amount known
herein as the “Part One Share” which is equal to the premiums which the Bank has
paid for the Policy.     B.   Part Two Share. Second, the Executive’s
Beneficiary shall be entitled to an amount known herein as the “Part Two Share”
which is equal to the following:

(i)   If the Executive is employed by the Bank or an Affiliated Employer at the
time of his or her death, the Part Two Share shall be equal to three (3) times
the Executive’s base salary in effect at the time of his or her death. For
purposes of this Agreement, “Affiliated Employer” means First Financial Bancorp
and any employer which is a direct or indirect subsidiary of First Financial
Bancorp, but only during the period it is such a subsidiary.   (ii)   If the
Executive is not employed by the Bank or an Affiliated Employer at the time of
his or her death, and if, when the Executive’s employment with the Bank and all
Affiliated Employers terminated, the Executive: (a) was then eligible to receive
an immediate retirement benefit under the Early Retirement, Normal Retirement,
Late Retirement, or Disability Retirement provisions of the First

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    Financial Bancorp Employees’ Pension Plan and Trust as in effect from time
to time, and (b) had been employed by First Financial Bancorp and/or an
Affiliated Employer for at least five years, the Part Two Share shall be equal
to three (3) times the Executive’s base salary at the time of his or her
termination of employment. For purposes of clause (b) of this subparagraph,
employment with an Affiliated Employer other than First Financial Bancorp (or
the successor or predecessor of that Affiliated Employer) during any period
during which that employer is not a subsidiary or affiliate of First Financial
Bancorp shall be disregarded.   (iii)   For purposes of this Agreement, an
Executive’s base salary shall be his or her base annual rate of compensation not
including fringe benefits, bonuses, incentive compensation, severance pay,
contributions to or benefits paid under qualified or nonqualified retirement or
deferred compensation plans, stock options, expense reimbursements, or other
forms of special compensation. Notwithstanding the prior sentence, the
Executive’s base salary shall include any pre-tax elective deferral
contributions made at the Executive’s election under a cash or deferred
arrangement that is qualified under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code
and any elective contributions made by the Executive under a Code section 125
cafeteria plan or flexible spending arrangement.

  C.   Part Three Share. Third, the Bank shall be entitled to an amount known
herein as the “Part Three Share” which is equal to the remainder of the
proceeds.     D.   If there is interest due on the death benefit proceeds, the
Bank and the Executive’s Beneficiary shall share in such interest in proportion
to the amount each party receives from the death proceeds.

VII.   OTHER DISPOSITION OF THE POLICY       Subject to the Executive’s option
to purchase an assignment of the Policy under Section IX below, if this
Agreement terminates for any reason (except due to the death of the Executive if
such death entitles the Executive’s Beneficiary to a Part Two Share under
Section VI hereof), the Bank may surrender or cancel the Policy for its cash
surrender value and retain all such value, or the Bank may change the
beneficiary designation provisions of the Policy, naming itself or any other
person or entity as beneficiary thereof, or exercise any other ownership rights
in and to the Policy, without regard to the provisions of this Agreement.
Thereafter, neither the Executive nor any person claiming for or through him or
her shall have any further interest in and to the Policy, either under the terms
thereof or this Agreement.   VIII.   PREMIUM WAIVER       If the Policy contains
a premium waiver provision and such waiver becomes operative, such waived
premium amounts shall be considered for all purposes of this Agreement as having
been paid by the Bank.

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IX.   TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT       This Agreement shall terminate upon the
final payment of death benefits as provided under Section VI hereof. This
Agreement also shall terminate upon the happening of any one of the following:

  A.   The Executive shall leave the employ of the Bank and all Affiliated
Employers (voluntarily or involuntarily) for a reason other than his or her
death and prior to having met all of the requirements in Section VI(B)(ii)
above.     B.   The Executive shall be discharged from employment with the Bank
or an Affiliated Employer for cause. Solely for purposes of this Agreement,
“cause” shall mean gross negligence or gross neglect or the commission of a
felony or gross misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, fraud, dishonesty, or
willful violation of any law that results in any adverse effect on the Bank or
an Affiliated Employer.     C.   The Executive shall notify the Bank in writing
that he or she irrevocably elects to terminate this Agreement and relinquish all
of his or her rights thereunder.

    If the Executive’s employment is terminated for cause or if the Executive
elects to terminate this Agreement, this Agreement shall terminate as of the
date of termination of employment or the date that the termination election is
received by the Bank, respectively, and neither the Executive nor any person
claiming for or through him shall have any further rights under this Agreement
or under the Policy. If the Executive’s employment terminates for any reason
except cause or the Executive’s death, the Bank shall promptly notify the
Executive that he or she has an assignable option to receive from the Bank an
absolute assignment of the Policy in consideration of a cash payment to the
Bank, equal to the greater of:

  A.   The cash value of the Policy as of the date of such assignment, or     B.
  The amount of the premiums paid by the Bank prior to the date of such
assignment plus interest at the annual rate of six percent (6%).

    The amounts in items A and B above shall be reduced by any outstanding loans
or withdrawals from the Policy made by the Bank.       If the Executive does not
provide written notice to the Bank that he or she elects to exercise this option
within fourteen (14) calendar days after the Bank sends notice of such option,
this Agreement and all of the Executive’s rights, interest, and claims hereunder
and in the Policy shall terminate and be irrevocably forfeited as of the end of
such 14 day period.       If the Executive provides timely written notice of the
exercise of such option, he or she shall have thirty (30) calendar days from the
date the Bank first notifies him or her of such option to make the required cash
payment to the Bank or to notify the Bank in writing that he or she irrevocably
elects to have such payment deducted from any amounts then owed to him or her by
the Bank. If the Executive timely pays for such assignment, this Agreement shall
terminate as of the date of the assignment of the Policy. If the Executive does
not timely pay, this Agreement and all of the Executive’ rights, interest, and
claims hereunder and in the Policy shall terminate and be irrevocably forfeited
as of the end of such 30 day period.

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X.   ASSIGNMENT       Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary, the
Executive may, with the Bank’s written consent, absolutely and irrevocably
assign by gift all of his or her right, title, and interest in and to this
Agreement and the Policy to an assignee. This right shall be exercisable by the
execution and delivery to the Bank of a written assignment, on a form prepared
or approved by the Bank. Upon the Bank’s consent to such written assignment
executed by the Executive and duly accepted by the assignee thereof, the Bank
shall indicate its consent thereto in writing and shall thereafter treat the
Executive’s assignee as the sole owner of all of the Executive’s right, title,
and interest in and to this Agreement and in and to the Policy. Thereafter, the
Employee shall have no right, title, or interest in and to this Agreement or the
Policy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of Section VI(B)(i) and
(ii) shall be applied by determining the employment status and/or pension
eligibility of the Executive (the assignor), not the assignee.       The Bank
may pledge or assign the Policy, subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, for the sole purpose of securing a loan from the Insurer or from a
third party. The amount of such loan together with accumulated interest thereon
shall not exceed the lesser of the amount of premiums paid by the Bank on the
Policy or the cash surrender value of the Policy.   XI.   AGREEMENT BINDING    
  This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Bank and
its successors and assigns, and the Executive and his or her heirs, successors,
personal representatives, executors, administrators, assigns, and beneficiaries.
  XII.   NAMED FIDUCIARY AND PLAN ADMINISTRATOR       The Bank is hereby
designated the “Named Fiduciary” under this Agreement. As Named Fiduciary, the
Bank shall be responsible for the management, control, and administration of the
split dollar life insurance plan established herein. The Named Fiduciary may
allocate to others certain aspects of the management and operational
responsibilities of the plan including the employment of advisors and the
delegation of any ministerial duties to qualified individuals.   XIII.   CLAIMS
PROCEDURE       The Named Fiduciary will establish a claims procedure which is
consistent with the requirements of Section 503 of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and the Executive or any Beneficiary claiming any
benefit under this Agreement must exhaust such claims procedure before
commencing action in any judicial or administrative forum.   XIV.   GOVERNING
LAW       The law of the State of Ohio shall govern this Agreement.   XV.  
AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT       This Agreement may be altered, amended, or modified
only by a written agreement signed by the Bank and the Executive. It shall be
the obligation of the Bank to notify the Insurer of any amendments or changes to
this Agreement.

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XVI.   INTERPRETATION OF AGREEMENT       The Bank, as the Named Fiduciary, shall
have sole discretion to interpret each and all provisions of this Agreement and
to determine the eligibility of any person for benefits under this Agreement.
All such determinations of the Bank shall be binding on all persons concerned.
Where appropriate in this Agreement, words used in the singular shall include
the plural and works used in the masculine shall include the feminine and vice
versa.   XVII.   INSURER NOT A PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT       The Insurer shall
not be deemed a party to this Agreement. The Insurer shall be fully discharged
from its obligations under the Policy by payment of the Policy death benefit to
the beneficiary or beneficiaries named in the Policy, subject to the terms and
conditions of the Policy. No provision of this Agreement or any amendment or
modification thereto shall in any way be construed as enlarging, changing,
varying, or in any other way affecting the obligations of the Insurer except
insofar as the provisions hereof are made a part of the Policy by the
beneficiary designation executed by the Bank and filed with the Insurer in
connection herewith.

Executed at (City, State)              this             day
of                        , 20              .

      Witness:

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  By:

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        Title:

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    Witness:

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  Signed:

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ENDORSEMENT METHOD SPLIT DOLLAR AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE A

Insurer:

Policy Number:

Bank:

Executive:

      Relationship of Bank to Executive:   Employer       Agent:   Dr. Rodney L.
Bartels
First Financial Resources
70 Dennis Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Telephone: 413-567-6339
FAX: 413-567-8918
Email: bartels@mediaone.net       Contact:   Mark A. Willis
Flagstone Life Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.
300 High St.
Hamilton, OH 45011
Telephone: 513-867-4771
FAX: 513-867-3112
mark.willis@flagstone-insurance.com

ENDORSEMENT METHOD SPLIT DOLLAR AGREEMENT
BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION FORM

Instructions: The Executive (hereafter, “you”) should complete this form in
order to direct the Bank to designate your beneficiaries for purposes of the
Endorsement Method Split Dollar Agreement (the “Agreement”). If you designate
more than one primary beneficiary, please indicate below what percent of the
policy proceeds you want each surviving primary beneficiary to receive. If you
designate more than one contingent beneficiary, please indicate what percent of
the policy proceeds you want each surviving contingent beneficiary to receive if
no primary beneficiary survives you. If you designate more than one beneficiary
but you do not indicate what percent each one should receive, the proceeds will
be divided equally among each surviving primary beneficiary (or equally among
each surviving contingent beneficiary if no primary beneficiary survives you)
Any percentages that you designate for primary beneficiaries will be increased
proportionately for surviving primary beneficiaries if some primary
beneficiaries die before you die and you do not file a new form. The same rule
will apply to contingent beneficiaries if no primary beneficiaries survive you.
When you die, the proceeds will be distributed to the primary beneficiaries you
designated who survive you. If no primary beneficiary survives you, the proceeds
will be distributed to the

 

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contingent beneficiaries you designated who survive you. If no designated
primary or contingent beneficiary survives you, the proceeds will be distributed
according to the applicable terms of the Agreement.

          Primary Beneficiary:         Name:   Relationship   Percentage        
 

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          Contingent Beneficiary:         Name   Relationship   Percentage      
   

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I direct the Bank to designate the person(s) or entity named above to be my
beneficiary for purposes of the Agreement. I hereby revoke all prior directions
regarding designations of primary and contingent beneficiaries for purposes of
the Agreement. I understand that this form applies only if I properly complete
it and file it with the Bank before my death. I reserve the right to revoke or
change my beneficiary designation directions by filing a new properly completed
form with the Bank before my death.

      Name of Executive:            

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Signature of Executive                 Date