First Merit Bank Headquarters Information

First Merit Bank was the banking division of FirstMerit Corporation, a diversified financial services company. The company was based in Akron Ohio.

By the end of June in 2016, the company’s assets were valued at $26.2 billion. The bank had more than 350 banking locations and also had 400 ATMs. These were located in five states:

• Ohio
• Wisconsin
• Pennsylvania
• Michigan
• Illinois

In August 2016, FirstMerit Corporation and its entity FirstMerit Bank, N.A. were acquired by Huntington Bancshares.

Thanks to this deal, Huntington became Ohio’s largest bank. 13 of the FirstMerit’s branches were however sold to First Commonwealth Bank after the Justice Department raised anti-trust concerns. Another 107 branches that were in close proximity to each other or other Huntington branches were also shut down.

History of FirstMerit Bank

Some of the predecessors of FirstMerit Bank had histories that went as far back as 1845. A 1981 merger of Old Phoenix National Bank of Medina and First National Bank of Ohio resulted in the creation of First Bancorporation of Ohio which was also known as First Ohio.

One year later, First Ohio bought Twinsburg Banking Company. The bank would also acquire Exchange Bank in Canal Fulton. In the nine years that followed, First Ohio continued its expansion, buying many bank branches within Ohio.

First Bancorporation, the bank holding company, changed its name to FirstMerit Corporation in 1995 after purchasing the Canton, Ohio based CIVISTA Corporation.

In 1997, FirstMerit would add a life insurance and financial consulting firm to its books when it acquired Abell & Associates. Around the same time, the bank would purchase 32 other branches in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In the years that followed, FirstMerit would continue its expansion by making a number of significant acquisitions including:

• First Bank (St. Louis)
• George Washington Savings Bank (Chicago)
• Midwest Bank and Trust (Chicago)
• Citizens Republic Bancorp

Headquarters of FirstMerit Bank

The last headquarters of FirstMerit Bank and the current headquarters of Huntington Corporation which acquired FirstMerit is Huntington Tower in Akron Ohio. The building goes by other names including:

• First Merit Tower
• First National Bank Building
• First Central Trust Building

Huntington Tower is relatively old with construction having been completed in 1931. However, it still remains the tallest building in the city to date.

The art deco-style building sits at the corner of East Mill Street and King James Way. It’s covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta.

The building has 27 stories to the top and its total height, including the antenna reach 442 feet. There is a TV broadcast tower at the top of the building.

The building is located in the Cascade Plaza at the former site of the Hamilton building which was completed in 1900.

The building underwent major renovations just before the year 2000. The renovations are estimated to have cost $2.5 million. Much of this money went into restoring the brick, limestone and terra-cotta used in the building’s construction.

Around 450 blocks were removed, cleaned and reassembled while 1,100 pieces received on-site repairs. Another restoration was carried out in 2007.

First Merit Bank Headquarters Address

106 King James Way, Akron, Ohio, United States

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