Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ: FNWD) sets $0.12 dividend for March 31
Filing Impact
Filing Sentiment
Form Type
8-K
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Finward Bancorp, the holding company for Peoples Bank, announced that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable on March 31, 2026 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 16, 2026.
The company reiterates extensive risk factors and notes a previously disclosed memorandum of understanding between Peoples Bank, the FDIC, and the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions, under which the Bank agreed to refrain from paying cash dividends without prior regulatory approval. Finward also cautions that any future dividends or share repurchases will depend on capital position, financial performance, market conditions, regulatory and accounting considerations, and other factors, so there is no assurance of future dividends or buybacks.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
8-K Event Classification
2 items: 8.01, 9.01
2 items
Item 8.01
Other Events
Other
Voluntary disclosure of events the company deems important to shareholders but not covered by other items.
Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
______________________________________________________________
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 2, 2026
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | ||||||
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(219 ) 836-4400
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Item 8.01. Other Events
On March 2, 2026, the Board of Directors for Finward Bancorp (“Finward”), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the “Bank”), declared a dividend of $0.12 per share on Finward’s common stock payable on March 31, 2026 to shareholders of record on March 16, 2026.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth, and operating strategies of Finward. For these statements, Finward claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this communication should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Finward, including the information in the filings Finward makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the Bank’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the terms of the previously disclosed memorandum of understanding entered into between the Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”), or to demonstrate compliance to the satisfaction of the FDIC and/or DFI within prescribed time frames; the Bank’s agreement under the memorandum of understanding to refrain from paying cash dividends without prior regulatory approval; changes in asset quality and credit risk; the inability to sustain revenue and earnings growth; changes in interest rates and capital markets; inflation; customer acceptance of Finward’s products and services; customer borrowing, repayment, investment, and deposit practices; customer disintermediation; the introduction, withdrawal, success, and timing of business initiatives; competitive conditions; the inability to realize cost savings or revenues or to implement integration plans and other consequences associated with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; economic conditions; and the impact, extent, and timing of technological changes, capital management activities, and other actions of the Federal Reserve Board and legislative and regulatory actions and reforms. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are discussed in Finward’s reports (such as the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s Internet website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Finward or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Except as required by law, Finward does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statement is made.
In addition to the above factors, we also caution that the actual amounts and timing of any future common stock dividends or share repurchases will be subject to various factors, including our capital position, financial performance, capital impacts of strategic initiatives, market conditions, and regulatory and accounting considerations, as well as any other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will repurchase shares or pay any dividends to the holders of our common stock, or as to the amount of any such repurchases or dividends.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d)Exhibits.
The following exhibits are being furnished with this Current Report on Form 8-K.
| Exhibit No. | Description | ||||||||||||||||
| 99.1 | Dividend Press Release dated March 2, 2026. | ||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | ||||
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 2, 2026
| FINWARD BANCORP | |||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Benjamin L. Schmitt | ||||||||||
| Name: Benjamin L. Schmitt | |||||||||||
| Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | |||||||||||
Exhibit 99.1
 |  | ||||
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FOR FURTHER INFORMATION | ||||
March 2, 2026 | CONTACT INVESTOR RELATIONS | ||||
(219) 853-7575 | |||||
FINWARD BANCORP ANNOUNCES DIVIDEND
Munster, Indiana – Finward Bancorp (Nasdaq: FNWD) (the “Bancorp” or “Finward”), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the “Bank”), today announced that on March 2, 2026 the Board of Directors of Finward declared a dividend of $0.12 per share on Finward’s common stock payable on March 31, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2026.
About Finward Bancorp
Finward Bancorp is a locally managed and independent financial holding company headquartered in Munster, Indiana, whose activities are primarily limited to holding the stock of Peoples Bank. Peoples Bank provides a wide range of personal, business, electronic and wealth management financial services from its 26 locations in Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area. Finward Bancorp’s common stock is quoted on The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC under the symbol FNWD. The website ibankpeoples.com provides information on Peoples Bank’s products and services, and Finward Bancorp’s investor relations.
Forward Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth, and operating strategies of Finward. For these statements, Finward claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this communication should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Finward, including the information in the filings Finward makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the Bank’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the terms of the previously disclosed memorandum of understanding entered into between the Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”), or to demonstrate compliance to the satisfaction of the FDIC and/or DFI within prescribed time frames; the Bank’s agreement under the memorandum of
Exhibit 99.1
understanding to refrain from paying cash dividends without prior regulatory approval; changes in asset quality and credit risk; the inability to sustain revenue and earnings growth; changes in interest rates and capital markets; inflation; customer acceptance of Finward’s products and services; customer borrowing, repayment, investment, and deposit practices; customer disintermediation; the introduction, withdrawal, success, and timing of business initiatives; competitive conditions; the inability to realize cost savings or revenues or to implement integration plans and other consequences associated with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; economic conditions; and the impact, extent, and timing of technological changes, capital management activities, and other actions of the Federal Reserve Board and legislative and regulatory actions and reforms. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are discussed in Finward’s reports (such as the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s Internet website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Finward or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Except as required by law, Finward does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statement is made.
In addition to the above factors, we also caution that the actual amounts and timing of any future common stock dividends or share repurchases will be subject to various factors, including our capital position, financial performance, capital impacts of strategic initiatives, market conditions, and regulatory and accounting considerations, as well as any other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will repurchase shares or pay any dividends to the holders of our common stock, or as to the amount of any such repurchases or dividends.
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FAQ
What dividend did Finward Bancorp (FNWD) declare in this 8-K?
Finward Bancorp declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share on its common stock. The payment reflects the Board’s decision to return some capital to shareholders, while emphasizing that future dividends remain subject to performance, capital needs, and regulatory considerations.
When will Finward Bancorp (FNWD) pay the $0.12 dividend and what is the record date?
The $0.12 per share dividend will be paid on March 31, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2026. Investors must hold shares on the record date to receive this dividend payment.
How do regulatory agreements affect Finward Bancorp and Peoples Bank dividends?
Peoples Bank is operating under a previously disclosed memorandum of understanding with the FDIC and Indiana DFI, under which it agreed to refrain from paying cash dividends without prior regulatory approval. This creates an additional layer of oversight around dividend decisions at the bank level.
What risks and uncertainties does Finward Bancorp highlight alongside the dividend announcement?
Finward cites risks including asset quality and credit risk, the ability to sustain revenue and earnings growth, interest rate and capital market changes, inflation, competitive conditions, merger integration challenges, economic conditions, and the impact of regulatory and Federal Reserve actions on its operations and capital management.
What is Finward Bancorp’s business focus and where does Peoples Bank operate?
Finward Bancorp is a locally managed financial holding company whose primary activity is holding the stock of Peoples Bank. Peoples Bank provides personal, business, electronic, and wealth management services from 26 locations in Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area.