First Financial Bancorp to Pay Cash Dividend

CINCINNATI, May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Financial Bancorp (Nasdaq:
FFBC) announced today that the board of directors declared a quarterly cash
dividend of 10 cents per share on May 26, 2009. The dividend will be payable
on July 1, 2009 to shareholders of record as of June 5, 2009.

First Financial Bancorp has paid a cash dividend every quarter since the
formation of the holding company in April 1983.

About First Financial Bancorp
Established in 1983, First Financial Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank
holding company with $3.8 billion in assets. Its banking subsidiary, First
Financial Bank, N.A., founded in 1863, provides retail and commercial banking
products and services, and investment and insurance products at 82 retail
banking locations in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. First Financial Wealth
Resource Group, the company's wealth management line of business, has $1.6
billion under management and provides investment management, traditional
trust, private banking, and insurance services. Additional information about
the company, including its products, services, and banking locations, is
available at www.bankatfirst.com.

SOURCE First Financial Bancorp

Investors/Analysts: Patti Forsythe, Vice President, Investor Relations,
+1-513-979-5837, patti.forsythe@bankatfirst.com, or Media, Cheryl Lipp, First
Vice President, Marketing Director, +1-513-979-5797,
cheryl.lipp@bankatfirst.com, both of First Financial Bancorp