ARCHBOLD, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — F&M Bank (“F&M”), an Archbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMAO), today announced a planned transition on its Board of Directors as Andrew J. Briggs concludes seven years of dedicated service and Gregory R. Allen has been elected to join the Board of Directors.
Briggs, who joined F&M’s Board in 2019 and served as Chairman of the Board from 2024 to 2025, will attend his final Board meeting on August 25, 2026. Throughout his tenure, he played an important role in advancing F&M’s strategic vision, strengthening corporate governance, and supporting the Bank’s commitment to relationship banking and the communities it serves.
“Andrew has been an exceptional leader and trusted advisor during an important period in F&M’s history,” said Lars B. Eller, President and CEO of F&M Bank. “His steady leadership, thoughtful counsel, and unwavering commitment to our customers, employees, and shareholders have helped our organization with continued success. We sincerely thank Andrew for his years of dedicated service and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Gregory Allen has been appointed to F&M’s Board and will attend his first Board meeting on September 29, 2026.
Currently serving as Executive Director of the Fostoria Economic Development Corporation, Executive Director of the Fostoria Learning Center, and Executive Director of the Seneca County Land Reutilization Corporation, Allen brings more than four decades of leadership experience spanning community banking, economic development, and community engagement.
Prior to his current roles, Allen built a distinguished banking career, serving in executive leadership positions with WesBanco, previously Premier Bank and First Federal Bank of the Midwest, where he held several Executive Vice President positions overseeing market leadership, commercial lending, and community banking throughout northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana. Earlier in his career, he also held leadership positions with The Ohio Bank and Society Bank & Trust. Allen served in the Ohio National Guard from 1982 to 1992 and has remained deeply committed to community service through leadership on numerous nonprofit, economic development, and civic boards.
“We are pleased to welcome Greg to the F&M Board of Directors,” Eller said. “Greg’s extensive banking background, proven leadership, and lifelong commitment to strengthening the communities we serve make him an outstanding addition to our Board. His experience leading financial institutions, combined with his work in economic development, will provide valuable perspective as we continue executing our long-term strategy and creating value for our customers and shareholders.”
“I am honored to join the F&M Board of Directors,” said Allen. “F&M has built a strong reputation as a community-focused financial institution with a commitment to exceptional customer service and local decision-making. I look forward to working alongside my fellow directors and the leadership team to help build on that legacy and support the Bank’s continued growth.”
Allen’s appointment reflects F&M’s ongoing commitment to thoughtful Board succession planning and maintaining a Board with the experience, expertise, and community leadership necessary to guide the Company’s long-term success.
About F&M Bank
F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Muncie, Indiana, and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.
Safe Harbor Statement
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, deposit flows and pricing, liquidity and access to wholesale funding, interest rate and asset-liability management, credit quality (including commercial real estate exposures), collateral values, inflation and macroeconomic conditions, changes in laws and regulations (including capital and liquidity requirements and the implementation of “Basel III Endgame”), FDIC assessments, stress testing and supervisory expectations, cybersecurity and third-party/vendor risks, competition and technological change, geopolitical events, severe weather and natural disasters, agricultural sector conditions, the accuracy of CECL estimates and other accounting judgments, capital and dividend restrictions, and other risks described in F&M’s filings with the SEC. F&M undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.
| Company Contact: | Investor and Media Contact: |
| Lars B. Eller President and Chief Executive Officer Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (419) 446-2501 [email protected] |
Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger & Company, Inc. (216) 464-6400 [email protected] |
