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): September 5, 2024

FINWARD BANCORP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Indiana	001-40999	35-1927981
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

9204 Columbia Avenue

Munster, Indiana 46321

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(219) 836-4400

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K 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))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, no par value	FNWD	The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company         ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.         ☐

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

Finward Bancorp (the “Bancorp”) will present financial and other information to investors at the 2024 Raymond James U.S. Bank Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The slides for the presentation are attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this report and are incorporated by reference into this Item 7.01. This information is furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. The filing of this report shall not be deemed an admission as to the materiality of any information in the report that is required to be disclosed solely by reason of Regulation FD.

Forward-Looking Statements

This presentation may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Finward Bancorp (“FNWD”). For these statements, FNWD claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this communication should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about FNWD, including the information in the filings FNWD makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.

Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the ability of Peoples Bank (the "Bank") to demonstrate compliance with the terms of the previously disclosed consent order and memorandum of understanding entered into between the Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") and the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions ("DFI"), or to demonstrate compliance to the satisfaction of the FDIC and/or DFI within prescribed time frames; the Bank's agreement under the memorandum of understanding to refrain from paying cash dividends without prior regulatory approval; changes in interest rates, market liquidity, and capital markets, as well as the magnitude of such changes, which may reduce net interest margins; continuing effects of inflation; current financial conditions within the banking industry, liquidity levels, concentrations in certain loan products or categories, net interest margin compression, and responses by the Federal Reserve Board, Department of the Treasury, and the FDIC to address these issues; changes in asset quality and credit risk; the inability to sustain revenue and earnings growth; customer acceptance of FNWD’s products and services; customer borrowing, repayment, investment, and deposit practices; customer disintermediation; the introduction, withdrawal, success, and timing of business initiatives; competitive conditions; the inability to realize cost savings or revenues or to implement integration plans and other consequences associated with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; economic conditions; and the impact, extent, and timing of technological changes, capital management activities, and other actions of the Federal Reserve Board and legislative and regulatory actions and reforms. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are discussed in FNWD’s reports (such as the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s Internet website (www.sec.gov). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning matters attributable to FNWD or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Except as required by law, FNWD does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statement is made.

In addition to the above factors, we also caution that the actual amounts and timing of any future common stock dividends or share repurchases will be subject to various factors, including our capital position, financial performance, capital impacts of strategic initiatives, market conditions, and regulatory and accounting considerations, as well as any other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will repurchase shares or pay any dividends to the holders of our common stock, or as to the amount of any such repurchases or dividends.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

99.1	Slide presentation for the Raymond James Banking Conference on September 5, 2024.
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURE

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.

Date: September 5, 2024

By:              /s/ Benjamin L. Schmitt    

Name:        Benjamin L. Schmitt

Title:           Senior Vice President, Chief 

 Financial Officer and Treasurer