January 29, 2010 (FinancialWire) — First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) said that it has entered into an underwriting agreement for the sale of 5,614,200 of its common shares at a price of $15.14 per share.

The company said it expects to see net proceeds of around $80.3 million. First Financial has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 757,917 common shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The offering is scheduled to close, subject to customary conditions, on February 2, 2010.

Ohio-based First Financial Bancorp is a state based bank holding company. Its banking subsidiary, First Financial Bank, N.A. operates 127 banking centers.

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