First Financial Bank, a Cincinnati-based community bank that got its start in 1863, announced the hiring of Brooke Balcom to its specialty banking leadership team. Balcom was recently named the Director of First Financial Business Capital, a division of First Financial Bank.

“Brooke brings a wealth of experience to First Financial and we are excited to have her join our leadership team in specialty banking, which has been an area of growth for our company,” said Brad Ringwald, First Financial’s President of Specialty Banking.

Balcom, as Director of First Financial Business Capital, will be responsible in leading a team of specialty lenders who will support the company’s efforts in its metro and community markets for asset-based loans and cash-flow transactions, as well as cover select financial sponsors pursuing similarly structured transactions east of the Rockies.

Prior to joining First Financial, Balcom spent the majority of her career at Fifth Third Bank. In her more than 15 years at Fifth Third, she served as an investment portfolio analyst in treasury, then as a relationship manager focused on growing the bank’s Large Corporate relationships in New England and spent the last eight years as a Senior Relationship Manager providing asset-based and cash-flow lending with a focus on developing private equity relationships.

“I’m excited to join First Financial to bring highly-structured products to small and middle market businesses in our communities,” Balcom said. “First Financial is able to provide solutions for complex transactions while maintaining its focus on relationship banking. The combination of addressing uncommon financing needs from buying out a competitor to financing expansion plans or funding succession plans with a personal touch is what makes First Financial unique.”

First Financial Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company.  As of March 31, 2016, the Company had $8.2 billion in assets, $5.5 billion in loans, $6.2 billion in deposits and $826.6 million in shareholders’ equity. The Company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, N.A., founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its five lines of business: commercial, consumer, wealth management, specialty finance and mortgage.