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): February 17, 2009

                         ------------------------------

                           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)

                                  Not Applicable
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

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))

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<PAGE>

ITEM 8.01  OTHER EVENTS

     On February 17, 2008,  First  Merchants Corporation  issued a press release
announcing the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share.  The
cash dividend is payable on March 20, 2009 to stockholders of record as of March
6, 2009.  A copy of the press  release  is  furnished  as  Exhibit  99.1 to this
Current Report on Form 8-K.

     The  information  in this Form 8-K and the  attached  exhibit  shall not be
deemed  "filed" for  purposes of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of
1934,  as amended (the  "Exchange  Act"),  or  incorporated  by reference in any
filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except
as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.


ITEM 9.01  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

(a)        Not applicable.

(b)        Not applicable.

(c)        Exhibits.

           Exhibit 99.1      Press Release, dated Febuary 17, 2008, issued by
                             First Merchants Corporation

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<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.

                                 First Merchants Corporation
                                        (Registrant)

                                 By:  /s/  Mark K. Hardwick
                                    --------------------------------------------
                                           Mark K. Hardwick
                                           Executive Vice President and
                                           Chief Financial Officer
                                           (Principal Financial and
                                           Principal Accounting Officer)


Dated:  February 17, 2008


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<PAGE>
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------

Exhibit No.
-----------
    99.1                Description
                        -----------
                        Press Release, dated February 17, 2008, issued by
                        First Merchants Corporation.


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<PAGE>
                          First Merchants Corporation

                                 Exhibit No. 99.1

                     Press Release, dated February 17, 2008


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

February 17, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Mark K. Hardwick, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, 765-751-1857
http://www.firstmerchants.com

SOURCE: First Merchants Corporation (Nasdaq: FRME), Muncie, Indiana

FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND

At its meeting  held on  February  16,  2009,  the Board of  Directors  of First
Merchants  Corporation  declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share on
its common stock.

The cash dividend is payable March 20, 2009, to  stockholders of record March 6,
2009. For purposes of broker trading,  the ex-date of the cash dividend is March
4, 2009.

About First Merchants Corporation

First  Merchants  Corporation is a financial  holding company  headquartered  in
Muncie,  Indiana.  Subsidiaries of the Corporation include First Merchants Bank,
N.A.,  First  Merchants Bank of Central  Indiana,  N.A.,  Lafayette Bank & Trust
Company,  N.A.,  Commerce National Bank,  Lincoln Bank and First Merchants Trust
Company,  N.A. The Corporation also operates First Merchants Insurance Services,
a full-service  property  casualty,  personal  lines,  and healthcare  insurance
agency.

First Merchants  Corporation's  common stock is traded  over-the-counter  on the
NASDAQ National  Market System under the symbol FRME.  Quotations are carried in
daily  newspapers  and  can  be  found  on  the  company's   Internet  web  page
(http://www.firstmerchants.com).

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