FNWD

EX-99.1

2 fnwd-2026930xexx991er.htm

EX-99.1

FNWD-2026.9.30-EX-99.1 ER

1

Exhibit 99.1

October 27, 2026

Finward Bancorp Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results

Munster, Indiana - Finward Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNWD) (the “Bancorp”), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the

“Bank”), today announced that net income available to common stockholders was $1.4 million, or $0.31 per diluted share,

for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, as compared to $2.1 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, for the quarter ended

June 30, 2026. Selected performance metrics are as follows for the periods presented:

Performance Ratios

Quarter ended

9/30/2026

6/30/2026

3/31/2026

12/31/2025

9/30/2025

Return on equity

3.10%

4.74%

5.00%

4.66%

8.96%

Return on assets

0.27%

0.42%

0.44%

0.39%

0.68%

Net interest margin, tax-equivalent  (non-GAAP)

3.51%

3.37%

3.35%

3.32%

3.18%

Non-interest income/average assets

0.52%

0.48%

0.48%

0.29%

0.57%

Non-interest expense/average assets

3.35%

2.95%

2.93%

2.90%

2.74%

Efficiency ratio (non-GAAP)

91.32%

84.52%

84.45%

89.50%

81.22%

"The third quarter was impacted by merger-related expenses related to our pending merger with First Financial, announced

earlier in the quarter.  The quarter included additional expenses in the areas of compensation and benefits, and third-party

costs associated with the merger," said Benjamin Bochnowski, Chief Executive Officer. "Credit quality remained stable, as

did our core banking business and customer base. The rapid increase in interest rates contributed positively to loan yields

and margin, although it also resulted in higher unrealized losses in the bond portfolio. We continue to make progress

toward closing our merger with First Financial, and we believe the combination of our companies will have benefits for our

shareholders, customers, communities, and employees. Throughout this process, our commitment to our customers and

communities grounds the team, and our team is working diligently to ensure a seamless transition that maximizes the

promise of the merger.”

Highlights of the current period include:

•Net Interest Margin - The net interest margin for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 was 3.39% compared to

3.25% for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. Net interest margin on a tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure) for

the quarter ended September 30, 2026 was 3.51%, as compared to 3.37% for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. Net

interest margin increased from the prior quarter primarily due to continued repricing and maturity of the existing loan

portfolio, as well as full quarterly loan yield results from new loan origination strength during the second quarter.

•Funding - As of September 30, 2026, deposits totaled $1.76 billion, an increase of $25.9 million, or 1.5% compared

with June 30, 2026 balances, which totaled $1.73 billion. As of September 30, 2026, non-interest-bearing deposits

totaled $281.5 million, an increase of $10.8 million. Core deposits totaled $1.3 billion at September 30, 2026 and $1.2

billion at June 30, 2026. Core deposits include checking, savings, and money market accounts and represented 71.9%

of the Bancorp’s total deposits at September 30, 2026. As of September 30, 2026, balances for certificates of deposit

totaled $493.3 million, compared to $497.4 million on June 30, 2026, a decrease of $4.1 million or 0.8%. The increase

in total portfolio deposits is primarily related to cyclical flows and continued adjustments to deposit pricing. In

addition, as of September 30, 2026, borrowings, federal funds purchased and repurchase agreements totaled $59.8

million, a decrease of $35.5 million or 37.2%, compared to June 30, 2026. The decrease in borrowings was primarily

attributable to a reduction in FHLB advances resulting from deposit balance strength.

As of September 30, 2026, 71.7% of our deposits are fully FDIC insured, and another 8.3% are further backed by the

Indiana Public Deposit Insurance Fund. The Bancorp’s liquidity position remains strong with solid core deposit

customer relationships, excess cash, debt securities, contractual loan repayments, and access to diversified borrowing

2

Exhibit 99.1

sources. As of September 30, 2026, the Bancorp had available liquidity of $623 million including borrowing capacity

from the FHLB and Federal Reserve facilities.

•Securities Portfolio - Securities available for sale balances decreased by $30.3 million to $279.9 million as of

September 30, 2026, compared to $310.2 million as of June 30, 2026. The yield on the securities portfolio increased to

2.33% for the three months ended September 30, 2026 from 2.27% for the three months ended June 30, 2026. The

decrease in securities available for sale was primarily attributable to an increase in the negative fair value adjustment

to securities. The Bank did not sell any securities during the quarter.

•Lending - The Bank’s aggregate loan portfolio totaled $1.50 billion on Septembe

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EX-99.1

2 fnwd-2026331xexx991er.htm

EX-99.1

FNWD-2026.3.31-EX-99.1 ER

1

Exhibit 99.1

April 28, 2026

Finward Bancorp Announces First Quarter 2026 Results

Munster, Indiana - Finward Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNWD) (the “Bancorp”), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the

“Bank”), today announced that net income available to common stockholders was $2.2 million, or $0.52 per diluted share,

for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, as compared to $2.0 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, for the quarter ended

December 31, 2025. Selected performance metrics are as follows for the periods presented:

Performance Ratios

Quarter ended

3/31/2026

12/31/2025

9/30/2025

6/30/2025

3/31/2025

Return on equity

5.00%

4.66%

8.96%

5.66%

1.17%

Return on assets

0.44%

0.39%

0.68%

0.42%

0.09%

Net interest margin, tax-equivalent  (non-GAAP)

3.35%

3.32%

3.18%

3.11%

2.95%

Non-interest income/average assets

0.48%

0.29%

0.57%

0.53%

0.43%

Non-interest expense/average assets

2.93%

2.90%

2.74%

2.90%

2.81%

Efficiency ratio

84.45%

89.50%

81.22%

88.92%

93.11%

“Results for the quarter reflect continued progress in our efforts to improve profitability, and confirm expected

improvement to our core earnings trajectory. Our focus on loan originations has built a solid loan pipeline, and along with

the repricing of existing loans, is expected to drive net interest margin expansion and further earnings improvement in the

coming quarters.” said Benjamin Bochnowski, Chief Executive Officer. “Actions taken over recent quarters are starting to

translate into stronger operating performance, and this has allowed for a renewed focus on customer growth and service as

the year progresses."

"As part of our efficiency efforts, we announced the planned closure of two branch locations expected to occur early in the

second quarter. Credit quality remains healthy, reserves are appropriate, and the organization remains well positioned to

continue on our path in the current operating environment.”

Highlights of the current period include:

•Net Interest Margin - The net interest margin for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 was 3.23% compared to 3.18%

for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Net interest margin on a tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure) for the

quarter ended March 31, 2026 was 3.35%, as compared to 3.32% for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Net

interest margin increased from the prior quarter primarily due to a favorable reduction in funding costs.

•Funding - As of March 31, 2026, deposits totaled $1.72 billion, a decrease of $7.9 million, or 0.5% compared with

December 31, 2025 balances, which totaled $1.73 billion. As of March 31, 2026, non-interest-bearing deposits totaled

$278.7 million, an increase of $11.3 million. Core deposits totaled $1.2 billion at both March 31, 2026 and

December 31, 2025. Core deposits include checking, savings, and money market accounts and represented 71.6% of

the Bancorp’s total deposits at March 31, 2026. As of March 31, 2026, balances for certificates of deposit totaled

$488.8 million, compared to $499.6 million on December 31, 2025, a decrease of $10.8 million or 2.2%. The decrease

in total portfolio deposits is primarily related to cyclical flows and continued adjustments to deposit pricing. In

addition, as of March 31, 2026, borrowings, federal funds purchased and repurchase agreements totaled $90.8 million,

an increase of $6.1 million or 7.2%, compared to December 31, 2025. The increase in borrowings was primarily

attributable to new FHLB advances during the quarter.

As of March 31, 2026, 72.0% of our deposits are fully FDIC insured, and another 7.5% are further backed by the

Indiana Public Deposit Insurance Fund. The Bancorp’s liquidity position remains strong with solid core deposit

customer relationships, excess cash, debt securities, contractual loan repayments, and access to diversified borrowing

sources. As of March 31, 2026, the Bancorp had available liquidity of $555 million including borrowing capacity from

the FHLB and Federal Reserve facilities.

2

Exhibit 99.1

•Securities Portfolio - Securities available for sale balances decreased by $8.5 million to $307.7 million as of

March 31, 2026, compared to $316.2 million as of December 31, 2025. The yield on the securities portfolio decreased

to 2.22% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 from 2.29% for the three months ended December 31, 2025. The

decrease in securities available for sale was primarily attributable to an increase in the negative fair value adjustment

to securities, as well as maturity of certain securities.  The Bank did not sell any securities during the quarter.

•Lending - The Bank’s aggregate loan portfolio totaled $1.45 billion on both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025.

During the three months ended March 31, 2026, the Bank originated $37.4 million in new commercial loans,

compared to $45.8 million during the three months ended December 31, 2025, l