FirstMerit Chairman, President and CEO Paul Greig Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 Northeast Ohio Award Winner

AKRON, Ohio, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstMerit Corporation (Nasdaq: FMER) today announced that Paul Greig, chairman, president and CEO,  received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 Northeast Ohio Award in the Financial Services and Banking category. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Mr. Greig was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Playhouse Square on June 16, 2011.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070920/CLTU138LOGO )

Under Mr. Greig's leadership, FirstMerit is one of the nation's strongest and most stable banks. It has been a profitable and stable source of financial strength for its customers, employees, shareholders and the communities it serves.

"I am honored to be recognized for the high level of performance and innovation FirstMerit brings to the marketplace," said Mr. Grieg. "At all levels of the company, everyone strives to bring the best possible experience to our customers and we are all grateful for this validation by the independent judges."

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Past award winners have included Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Arthur M. Blank of AMB Group, LLC (Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons), Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., Ruth Fertel of Ruth's Chris Steak House, Inc., Maxine Clark of Build-a-Bear Workshop, Tom Adams of Rosetta Stone Inc., Matt Szulik of Red Hat, Inc., and last year's national winner, Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Capital Partners, Inc.

As a Northeast Ohio award winner, Mr. Greig is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 National Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year National Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 12, 2011. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies, which will be held November 9–13, 2011.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as a national sponsor.

In Northeast Ohio, sponsors include Charter One, McDonald Hopkins Investments and SmartBusiness Network. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About FirstMerit

FirstMerit Corporation is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with assets of $14.5 billion as of March 31, 2011 and 207 banking offices and 220 ATMs in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and the Chicago area. FirstMerit Corporation provides a complete range of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through its core operations. FirstMerit ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in the North Central Region in a Tie" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study(SM). Principal wholly-owned subsidiaries include: FirstMerit Bank, N.A., FirstMerit Mortgage Corporation, FirstMerit Title Agency, Ltd., and FirstMerit Community Development Corporation.

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 141,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

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

SOURCE FirstMerit Corporation

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