EXPANDING MARKETS COMMERCE NATIONAL BANK…OUR FIRST OHIO AFFILIATE The acquisition of Commerce National Bank (CNB) was completed effective March 1, 2003 and provides First Merchants with its first banking foray outside Indiana. CNB was an entrepreneurial effort started in 1991 in Columbus, Ohio and has grown to an asset size of $320 million. CNB operates in the economically vibrant Franklin County, which has the lowest unemployment rate in Ohio and also below the national rates. Over 200,000  new jobs  have been created in the Columbus MSA since 1990. 38.7% of all Franklin County households had income of over $50,000 and the median household income is in excess of $42,000. 11.6% of households have an annual income of more than $100,000. Columbus is the capital of Ohio as well as home to The Ohio State University. A vibrant and diverse area, more than 1.06 million people live in Columbus and Franklin County. Columbus is ranked as the #11 Best City to Live and Work ( Employment Review /June 2003, the #1 City in the US for African American Families (Black Entertainment Network {BET}/October 2002, and the #1 City in the Midwest for Entrepreneurs ( Entrepreneur/ October 2002) among accolades constantly received. CNB brings a unique business model to First Merchants. CNB began with the vision to serve the banking needs of privately owned businesses and their owners involved in small to mid-size operations. CNB has earned its reputation as “the Bank for Business” through its focused business banking strategy and high-touch approach to its clients. CNB delivers its services through a single location and the use of mobile branches, private bankers, and web-based technology. High-touch services also include offering seminars to its corporate and private clients that cover current business issues, an outstanding approach to two economic publications,  Business Climate Outlook  and  Financial Forecasts,  that keep its clients on the forefront of current economic conditions, and a series of updates on financial fraud published on the web. 24 the cnb mobile banking team