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): October 15, 2013

UNITED COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

OHIO	0-024399	34-1856319
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

275 West Federal Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44503-1203

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (330) 742-0500

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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):

¨ 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))

Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(d) On October 15, 2013, the Board of Directors of United Community Financial Corp. (“UCFC”) elected Zahid Afzal to serve as a director of UCFC and its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Home Savings and Loan Company of Youngstown, Ohio (“Home Savings”). Mr. Afzal has been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Eugenia C. Atkinson for the term expiring in 2016. Mr. Afzal is expected to be appointed to the Audit Committee and the Compliance and Risk Management Committee of the UCFC and Home Savings Boards of Directors. Mr. Afzal’s compensation as a director shall be subject to UCFC’s customary terms of directors’ retainer fees and awards, as described in UCFC’s proxy statement under the section, “Director Compensation.”

A copy of the press release issued to announce the appointment of Zahid Afzal to the Board of UCFC is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.

Section 9 – Financial Statements and Exhibits

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit Number	Description
99	Press Release dated October 21, 2013

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.

UNITED COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CORP.
By:	/s/ Jude J. Nohra
	Jude J. Nohra, General Counsel & Secretary

Date: October 21, 2013

EX-99

Exhibit 99

275 West Federal Street

Youngstown, Ohio 44503-1203

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:	Investor Contact:
Colleen Scott	James R. Reske
Vice President of Marketing	Chief Financial Officer
Home Savings	United Community Financial Corp.
(330) 742-0638	(330) 742-0592
cscott@homesavings.com	jreske@ucfconline.com

United Community Financial Corp. and Home Savings

Announce New Board Member

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (October 21, 2013) – United Community Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: UCFC), holding company of The Home Savings and Loan Company, is pleased to welcome Zahid Afzal as the newest member of both the UCFC and Home Savings Boards of Directors. His appointment was effective October 15, 2013.

Mr. Afzal has more than 26 years of experience as a senior information technology and business executive for some of the top global and regional financial services and progressive technology companies, including Huntington National Bank, Bank of America, Broadslate Networks, Citibank and MCI Telecommunications. Most recently, Mr. Afzal was the Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Huntington National Bank.

During his time at Huntington, Mr. Afzal managed companywide information technology, and he also was responsible for Huntington’s banking business operations and eCommerce functions. Due to his strong background and achievements in information technology, Mr. Afzal was honored as one of ComputerWorld’s Top 100 CIOs.

Patrick Bevack, President and CEO of Home Savings and UCFC, stated that: “Zahid’s broad experience in banking will be an invaluable asset to both Home Savings and United Community. With his extensive knowledge of information technology and risk management, we believe Zahid will have an immediate impact on our goals to further strengthen our enterprise wide risk management program and develop information technology strategies that enable us to efficiently grow our business and improve customer service.”

A graduate of the University of Karachi with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and minors in Physics and Chemistry, Mr. Afzal furthered his studies at Strayer University, Duke University’s Fuqua Business College and The Ohio State University. Currently Mr. Afzal serves as a board member of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, Bowling Green State University’s College of Business, and the Groundwork Group.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of United Community Financial Corp., Home Savings operates 33 full-service banking offices and 9 loan production offices located throughout Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Additional information on UCFC and Home Savings may be found at www.ucfconline.com.

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