Husch Blackwell served as counsel to First Citizens National Bancshares, Inc. in its all‑stock merger with Park National Corporation. The transaction, which closed on February 1, 2026, unites two well‑established, community‑focused bank subsidiaries—Park National Bank and First Citizens National Bank—to form a combined institution with approximately $12.6 billion in assets and expands Park’s presence into the state of Tennessee.
First Citizens National Bank merged into Park National Bank and will do business as a division of Park National Bank until conversion activities are completed later this year. Park now has more than 100 branches in Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Led by partner Bruce Toppin, the Husch Blackwell team also included Steven Barrett, David Eckhardt, Michael Dana, Art Coren, Scott LeBlanc, Brian Wetzstein, Rey Rodriguez, Shelby Lomax, Tommy Benson, Brandi Maiorino, Quinn Stigers, Ashley Inbau, and Lauren Ybarra.