1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Posey, Steven C.
   McDonald's Office
   1733 S. Breiel
   Middletown, OH 45044
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   First Financial Bancorp (FFBC)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   ###-##-####
4. Statement for Month/Year
   12/2000
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+--------------------------+--------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security          |2. Trans- |2A.Execu- |3. Trans-|4. Securities Acquired (A)|5. Amount of  |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                              |   action |   action |   action|   or Disposed of (D)     |Securities    |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                              |   Date   |   Date   |   Code  |                          |Beneficially  |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                              |          |          |         |                          |Owned         |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                              |  (Month/ |  (Month/ |         |                          |Following     |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                              |   Day/   |   Day/   |         +-----------+---+----------+   Year       |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                              |   Year)  |   Year)  |         |Amount     |A/D|Price     |              |   (I)     |   ship     |
+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+-----------+---+----------+--------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                           
Common Stock                                                                               1594           D
Common Stock                                                                               1716           I           Trust
Common Stock                    11/21/2000 03/05/2003 J 4   665         A   $15.7500   5960           I           IRA
Common Stock                    04/28/2000 03/05/2003 J 4   -500        D   $17.3125   866            I           Children
Common Stock                                                                               53077          I           Trust(TEAZAK
                                                                                                                      LTD)
FFBC (Directors Fee Stock Plan)                                                            988            D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+-------+-------+------+
|1.        |2.      |3.     |3A.    |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.     |10.    |11.   |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Number |Owner- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |of     |ship   |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv- |Form of|      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative  |Deriv- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur- |ative  |Nature|
|          |Conver- |Trans- |Execu- |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities  |Secur- |of    |
|          |sion or |action |tion   |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi-|ity:   |In-   |
|          |Exercise|Date   |Date   |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially |Direct |direct|
|          |Price of|       |       |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned  |(D) or |Bene- |
|Title of  |Deriv-  |(Month/|(Month/|tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |       |In-    |ficial|
|Derivative|ative   |Day/   |Day/   |         +-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|at End |direct |Owner-|
|Security  |Security|Year)  |Year)  |         |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |of Year|(I)    |ship  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                   
1997 (NQ)   $13.148                                                   04/22/2007 Common                      6195    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option
2000 (NQ)   $20.671                                                   04/22/2009 Common                      8663    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option

Explanation of Responses:


Correction of non-reported transaction in indirectly held IRA.

Correction of non-reported transaction in irrevocable trust account established
by grandfather and totally managed by Trust Department.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Terri J. Ziepfel

DATE
03/06/2003