UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                         ______________________________

       DATE OF REPORT (Date of earliest event reported): November 3, 2005

                         ______________________________

                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

                         _______________________________

         INDIANA                     0-17071                   35-1544218
(State or other jurisdiction  (Commission File Number)       (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                                    Identification No.)


                             200 East Jackson Street
                                  P.O. Box 792
                              Muncie, IN 47305-2814
          (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)


                                 (765) 747-1500
              (Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code)


         Check the appropriate  box  below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)

[ ] Soliciting  material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


Item 5.02.        Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of
                  Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

          (c)     On  November  3, 2005,  the Corporation  appointed  Michael C.
Rechin to serve as its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr.
Rechin has served as the  Executive  Vice  President  of  Corporate  Banking for
National  City Bank for the past  five (5)  years.  A copy of the  Corporation's
press release,  dated November 4, 2005, announcing the appointment of Mr. Rechin
is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01.        Financial Statements and Exhibits.

          (c)     (99.1) Press Release dated November 4, 2005.



<PAGE>
                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,
the  Registrant  has duly  caused  this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

         DATE:  November 4, 2005

                                              FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION


                                              By:  /s/ Mark K. Hardwick
                                                   ----------------------
                                                       Mark K. Hardwick,
                                                       Senior Vice President and
                                                       Chief Financial Officer

<PAGE>


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


         99.1     Press Release dated November 4, 2005

<PAGE>
                                  Exhibit 99.1

N / E / W / S     R / E / L / E / A / S / E

November 4, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Andrew Weixler, 765-747-1360

BANKING VETERAN TO JOIN FIRST MERCHANTS AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Muncie, Indiana - November 4, 2005 - First Merchants Corporation announced today
that Michael C. Rechin will be joining the company as Executive  Vice  President
and Chief Operating Officer.

Rechin most  recently was  Executive  Vice  President  of Corporate  Banking for
National City Bank,  managing its Indiana  operations.  He began his career with
BancOhio National Bank in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983 as a corporate banking trainee
and joined  National  City upon the  acquisition  of BancOhio  in 1984.  He held
various positions in the multi-national and metro-Ohio  commercial banking areas
of National  City before  assuming  his current  post in  Indianapolis  in 1995.
During his tenure with  National  City,  Rechin has had  responsibility  for all
commercial banking activities involving commercial lending, treasury management,
investment real estate, and international divisions.

Rechin is a graduate  of Miami  University  of Ohio with a  Bachelors  degree in
English and an MBA in finance.  He has completed numerous banking schools during
his career with BancOhio and National City.

As an active leader in the Indianapolis  community,  Rechin is a director of the
United Way of Central Indiana,  Arts Council of  Indianapolis,  and Lynx Capital
Corporation.  He  previously  served  as a  director  of  St.  Vincent  Hospital
Foundation, the Indy Partnership, a member of Junior Achievement of Indianapolis
Board, and as co-chairman of the American Heart Association Heart Walk.

First Merchants Chief Executive, Michael L. Cox, stated, "we are very excited to
have a person of Mike's  caliber  and  capabilities  join our senior  management
team."

About First Merchants Corporation


First Merchants  Corporation (Nasdaq:  FRME) is a $3.2 billion financial holding
company  headquartered in Muncie,  Indiana.  Since its organization in 1982, the
Corporation  has grown to include nine affiliate banks with over 70 locations in
17 Indiana and three Ohio  counties,  a trust  company,  a multi-line  insurance
company, and a title company. Bank subsidiaries of the Corporation include:


* First Merchants Bank in Delaware and Hamilton counties
* Madison Community Bank in Madison County
* First United Bank in Henry County
* United Communities National Bank (UCNB) in Randolph, Union, Fayette, Wayne,
  and Butler (OH) counties
* First National Bank in Jay County
* Decatur Bank & Trust Company in Adams County
* Frances Slocum Bank in Wabash, Howard, and Miami counties
* Lafayette Bank and Trust Company in Tippecanoe, Carroll, Jasper, and White
  counties
* Commerce National Bank in Franklin and Hamilton counties in Ohio


The Corporation also operates First Merchants Insurance Services, a full-service
property, casualty, personal lines, and health care insurer, and is the majority
owner of the Indiana Title Insurance Company LLC. Merchants Trust Company unites
the  trust  and  asset  management  services  of  all  affiliate  banks  of  the
Corporation  and represents  one of the largest trust  companies in the State of
Indiana, with assets in excess of $1.5 billion.


For more information, visit www.firstmerchants.com.


                                       ###