8-K

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): November 2, 2006

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland	0-2525	31-0724920
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)
41 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio		43287
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 614-480-8300

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On November 2, 2006, Huntington issued a press release announcing it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Unified Fund Services, Inc., an Indianapolis-based provider of fund accounting, administration, distribution and transfer agent services to mutual funds. Unified will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Huntington. The all cash transaction is scheduled to close at the end of the year. A copy of the news release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) through (c) Not applicable.

(d) Exhibits:

Exhibit No. - Description
99.1 - News Release of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated, dated November 2, 2006

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Huntington Bancshares Incorporated
November 2, 2006	By:	/s/ Richard A. Cheap
		Name: Richard A. Cheap
		Title: Secretary

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	News Release of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated, dated November 2, 2006

EX-99.1

NEWSRELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2006

Contacts:
Analysts		Media
Jay Gould Susan Stuart	(614) 480-4060 (614) 480-3878	Jeri Grier-Ball Maureen Brown	(614) 480-5413 (614) 480-4588

HUNTINGTON SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE
UNIFIED FUND SERVICES, INC.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBAN) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Unified Fund Services, Inc., an Indianapolis-based provider of fund accounting, administration, distribution and transfer agent services to mutual funds. Unified will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Huntington. The all cash transaction is scheduled to close at the end of the year. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Unified was founded in 1952 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unified Financial Services, Inc. In 1963 Unified formed the first Indiana-based mutual fund and began transfer agency operations. In 1984, Unified expanded its offerings to include fund accounting, fund administration and transfer agency services to third parties. Unified currently serves 45 clients representing over 169,000 shareholders and $9 billion in assets. In terms of the number of accounts serviced, the company ranks 14^th in the fund accounting business and 9^th in the transfer agency business. 2006 revenues are expected to exceed $7 million.

According to Huntington Senior Executive Vice President, Daniel B. Benhase, “This acquisition creates a complete one-stop-shop for mutual fund servicing and strategically fits with our custody and other asset servicing businesses.”

“By joining with Unified, we will be able to increase our growth in this line of business and in one of the fastest growing segments of the market: new fund start-ups and mid-size funds that outsource their back-rooms,” said Huntington Executive Vice President, Nancy V. Kelly. “They have been a successful niche player whose business model is based on high-touch, personal service and represent an excellent cultural fit for us.”

“We look forward to taking advantage of Huntington’s scale and resources to help us accelerate our growth and strengthen the service we provide to our customers”, says Unified’s President, Anthony Ghoston. “We will be in a better position to build and acquire the technical systems that allow us to offer our clients the best service experience.”

The transaction is subject to standard closing conditions.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $36 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has more than 140 years of serving the financial needs of its customers. Huntington provides innovative retail and commercial financial products and services through more than 375 regional banking offices in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Huntington also offers retail and commercial financial services online at huntington.com; through its technologically advanced, 24-hour telephone bank; and through its network of almost 1,000 ATMs. Selected financial service activities are also conducted in other states including: Dealer Sales offices in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee; Private Financial and Capital Markets Group offices in Florida; and Mortgage Banking offices in Maryland and New Jersey. International banking services are made available through the headquarters office in Columbus and an office located in the Cayman Islands and an office located in Hong Kong.

###