FirstMerit Appoints Leissring President and CEO, FirstMerit Wisconsin

AKRON, Ohio, March 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstMerit Corporation (Nasdaq: FMER) announces the appointment of Kevin M. Leissring as President and CEO, FirstMerit Wisconsin. Leissring will have responsibility for and oversight of FirstMerit's commercial banking operations in the state of Wisconsin, pending the closing of FirstMerit's announced acquisition of Citizens Republic Bancorp. He will report to David G. Goodall, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Banking Officer.

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Prior to joining FirstMerit, Leissring served as Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Commercial Lending for Town Bank, a Wintrust Community Bank, and was responsible for the commercial banking team assisting middle-market Wisconsin companies. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President and Market Executive of commercial banking for Bank of America. He began his banking career in 1977 at Midland Bank Milwaukee and has held business and commercial banking positions at American National Bank, Bank One and JPMorgan Chase.

"I am pleased that Kevin has joined FirstMerit as head of our commercial banking efforts in Wisconsin, a state I know well from my time as President and CEO of Bank One Wisconsin," said Paul G. Greig, Chairman, President and CEO of FirstMerit Corporation. "I've known Kevin since we both worked at American National Bank in the early 1990s and we continued working together as American National became Bank One and Chase. I welcome working with him again and look forward to his leadership in his home state."

Leissring is a life-long resident of Wisconsin and will continue to reside in Mequon, Wisconsin.

"Kevin's deep ties to Wisconsin and its businesses give FirstMerit a strong advantage as we expand our commercial banking franchise," said Goodall. "As we prepare for our anticipated acquisition of Citizens Republic Bancorp and its operations throughout Wisconsin early in the second quarter of this year, we look to Kevin and his leadership to give us instant recognition and appeal among the business community."

Leissring earned his MBA from Indiana State University and his Bachelor's degree in Business from Valparaiso University.  He is active in his community and is a member of the Milwaukee Rotary Club and serves on the Diversity Scholars advisory board. Past community associations include Children's Hospital Foundation and the Digestive Disease Center Board of Wisconsin Medical College.

About FirstMerit
FirstMerit Corporation is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with assets of $14.9 billion as of December 31, 2012 and 196 banking offices and 203 ATM locations in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and Chicago areas. FirstMerit provides a complete range of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through its core operations. Principal affiliates include: FirstMerit Bank, N.A., FirstMerit Mortgage Corporation, FirstMerit Title Agency, Ltd., and FirstMerit Community Development Corporation.

FirstMerit Corporation
Media Contact: Rob Townsend
Phone: 330.384.7075
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE FirstMerit Corporation

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