WesBanco Completes Acquisition of Premier Financial Corp.

WesBanco Inc., a multi-state bank holding company, has finalized its acquisition of Premier Financial Corp. Announced recently, this merger led to the integration of Premier's subsidiary, Premier Bank, with WesBanco Bank Inc., a subsidiary of WesBanco. The merger culminates in the creation of a stronger regional entity, projected to efficiently serve customer needs across consumer, commercial, and wealth management sectors. This step also introduces four previous directors of Premier to the WesBanco Board of Directors, namely Zahid Afzal, John L. Bookmyer, Louis M. Altman, and Lee J. Burdman. As a result of this acquisition, WesBanco becomes the 81st largest insured depository in the U.S. with about $27 billion in assets, and the eighth largest in Ohio based on deposit market share. The merger capitalizes on complementary and contiguous geographic footprints, establishing a regionalized commercial and consumer banking model that seeks to balance strategic oversight with strong local leadership. The transition of banking operations under the WesBanco brand name is set to occur in May, subsequent to complete customer and data conversion.