First Financial posts results of annual giving, volunteerism

First Financial Bank and its associates donated more than $241,000 and 900 volunteer hours in Columbus and Bartholomew County last year, according to the Cincinnati-based company.

The bank is announcing that across the four states it serves, the company and its associates donated $4.4 million and more than 14,000 volunteer hours to local organizations.

That represents a 17 percent increase in volunteer hours over 2022. First Financial allows full-time associates to use up to 8 hours of paid time off to purse volunteer activities during work hours.

First Financial has initiated a new Community Benefits Agreement lasting through 2028, which includes a goal of $18 million in philanthropy. Those efforts will include an emphasis on supporting the creation and preservation of affordable housing, workforce development and groups that provide housing counseling and promote financial and economic inclusion.

The bank has also committed to $2.4 billion in lending and investments to low- and moderate-income clients and census tracts.

The bank operates more than 130 banking centers across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.