WesBanco, Inc. Consummates Merger with Oak Hill Financial, Inc.
November 30 2007 - 2:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
WHEELING, W.Va., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WesBanco, Inc.
("WesBanco") (NASDAQ:WSBC), a multi-state bank holding company
headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia and Oak Hill Financial,
Inc. ("Oak Hill") (NASDAQ:OAKF), headquartered in Jackson, Ohio,
jointly announced today the consummation of WesBanco's acquisition
of Oak Hill. James C. Gardill, Chairman of the Board, and Paul M.
Limbert, President & CEO, of WesBanco and John D. Kidd,
Chairman of the Board, and Ralph E. Coffman, Jr., President &
CEO, of Oak Hill, made the joint announcement. The merger, which
was previously announced on July 20, 2007 and approved by the
appropriate regulatory agencies, was approved on November 16, 2007
by the shareholders of each company. Under the terms of the
Agreement and Plan of Merger, WesBanco will exchange a combination
of its common stock and cash for Oak Hill common stock. As a result
of the merger, WesBanco will add four individuals to its board from
the board of Oak Hill. Joining the WesBanco Board of Directors will
be: John D. Kidd, Donald P. Wood, D. Bruce Knox and Neil S.
Strawser. Mr. Kidd will serve as Vice Chairman of the WesBanco
Board. In addition, each member of the Oak Hill board of directors
at the effective time of the merger will be appointed to a newly
created advisory board for WesBanco in the Jackson, Ohio market.
"Continuity in service and leadership are areas of particular
emphasis as we prepare to offer a wider variety of products and
services to Oak Hill's customers in our expanded Ohio market. In
that regard, we are pleased to announce that Ralph E. Coffman, Jr.
will serve as President of WesBanco Bank West and that we will
retain an Advisory Board in the Jackson market. We are pleased to
join in the long-term success that the Oak Hill franchise has been
able to achieve. Oak Hill employees have provided excellent service
to their customers and we intend to build upon their tradition of
excellence," Mr. Gardill said. "As WesBanco has grown through
acquisitions over the past twenty-three years, we have stressed the
importance of retaining key employees and maintaining community
ties to effect a smooth transition in terms of customer retention.
Through the Oak Hill transaction, we have acquired a quality
financial institution that enhances our existing Ohio markets and
provides a bridge of expansion into new markets. We are pleased
with the prospect of competing for business across a larger market
in the State of Ohio," said Mr. Limbert. It is anticipated that Oak
Hill's name will be changed to WesBanco in the spring of 2008 in
conjunction with the expected data processing conversion.
Subsequent to the conversion date, Oak Hill customers will continue
to conduct their regular banking transactions at Oak Hill's banking
locations. WesBanco also provides service through a network of 111
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), and through an agreement with
Cleveland-based KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY), provides its customers with
surcharge-free access to Key's network of more than 550 additional
ATMs in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. It is anticipated that Oak Hill
customers will be provided with this increased ATM access in early
December, 2007. WesBanco's merger with Oak Hill creates a
multi-state bank holding company of $5.4 billion in total assets
providing banking services through 117 locations and 152 ATM's in
West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The transaction expands
WesBanco's franchise along the Interstate 71 and Interstate 75
corridors from Dayton, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio and opens new
markets in south and central Ohio. Prior to the merger with
WesBanco, Oak Hill operated 36 banking offices and one loan
production office located in sixteen counties distributed primarily
in southern, central and western Ohio. WesBanco's banking
subsidiary is WesBanco Bank, Inc., headquartered in Wheeling, West
Virginia. In addition, WesBanco operates an insurance company,
WesBanco Insurance Services, Inc., and a full service
broker/dealer, WesBanco Securities, Inc. Forward-looking Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements,
including certain plans, expectations, goals, and projections, and
including statements about the benefits of the merger between
WesBanco and Oak Hill, which are subject to numerous assumptions,
risks, and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially
from those contained or implied by such statements for a variety of
factors including: the businesses of WesBanco and Oak Hill may not
be integrated successfully or such integration may take longer to
accomplish than expected; the expected cost savings and any revenue
synergies from the merger may not be fully realized within the
expected timeframes; disruption from the merger may make it more
difficult to maintain relationships with clients, associates, or
suppliers; changes in economic conditions; movements in interest
rates; competitive pressures on product pricing and services;
success and timing of other business strategies; the nature,
extent, and timing of governmental actions and reforms; and
extended disruption of vital infrastructure; and other factors
described in WesBanco's 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Oak Hill's
2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and documents subsequently filed
by WesBanco and Oak Hill with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including both companies' Form 10-Q's as of September
30, 2007. All forward-looking statements included in this news
release are based on information available at the time of the
release. Neither WesBanco nor Oak Hill assumes any obligation to
update any forward-looking statement. DATASOURCE: WesBanco Inc.
CONTACT: Paul M. Limbert, President & CEO of WesBanco, Inc.,
+1-304-234-9206; or John D. Kidd, Chairman of Oak Hill Financial,
Inc., +1-740-286-3283 Web site: http://www.wesbanco.com/
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