- Business
- Eastern Michigan Financial Corporation (EFIN) is a bank holding company headquartered in Croswell, Michigan, that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary Eastern Michigan Bank to provide a full range of retail and commercial banking services to customers in Sanilac, Huron, and St. Clair counties. Eastern Michigan Bank offers personal banking products and services including checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, mobile banking, mobile deposit, bill pay, personal loans, home equity lines, residential real estate mortgages, and consumer loans; business banking solutions such as cash management, business checking and savings accounts, commercial and industrial loans, agricultural loans, SBA loans, real estate-related loans, and other commercial financing options. The bank maintains 12 branches across its primary market area in eastern Michigan and emphasizes local decision-making, long-term depositor relationships, and a strong core deposit franchise with low funding costs.
In July 2025, Eastern Michigan Financial Corporation entered into a definitive merger agreement with Mercantile Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: MBWM) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $95.8 million, under which EFIN shareholders will receive 0.7116 shares of Mercantile common stock plus $32.32 in cash per EFIN share; the deal, approved by both boards, awaits regulatory approvals, EFIN shareholder approval at a special meeting scheduled for December 19, 2025, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025 or early 2026. Upon completion, the transaction will add Eastern Michigan Bank's 12 branches to Mercantile's network, expand Mercantile's footprint in eastern and southeast Michigan, create a combined entity with $6.7 billion in assets, $4.9 billion in loans, and $5.2 billion in deposits as of June 30, 2025, and integrate Eastern's leadership including CEO William Oldford as Regional Market President, with one EFIN director joining Mercantile's board and an advisory board formed from EFIN directors. The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share payable December 26, 2025, to shareholders of record as of December 19, 2025, consistent with prior payouts.