UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 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 6, 2017
 
 
Horizon Bancorp
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
 
     
Indiana
000-10792
35-1562417
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
 
(Commission File Number)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
   
515 Franklin Square, Michigan City, Indiana
46360
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Zip Code)
 
 
(219) 879-0211
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
 
 
 
(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):

 
S
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 7.01   Regulation FD Disclosure.
Mark E. Secor, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Horizon Bancorp (“Horizon”), and James D. Neff, the Executive Vice President – Consumer and Mortgage Banking of Horizon Bank, Horizon’s commercial bank subsidiary, will be speaking with and presenting to investors at the Raymond James U.S. Bank Conference on September 6, 2017. The presentation materials they will be using are attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and also are available on our website at www.horizonbank.com. Horizon undertakes no obligation to update, supplement or amend the materials attached as Exhibit 99.1.
The information disclosed under this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1 hereto, is being furnished and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing made under the Securities Act of 1933, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Forward Looking Statements
 This Current Report and the presentation materials may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon. For these statements, Horizon claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in the presentation materials should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make 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. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements 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 risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other SEC, including those described in Horizon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Certain information set forth in the presentation materials attached as Exhibit 99.1 refers to financial measures determined by methods other than in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have included non-GAAP financial measures of net income and diluted earnings per share. Horizon believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are helpful to investors and provide a greater understanding of our business without giving effect to the purchase accounting impacts of acquisitions and other excluded matters. A non-GAAP measure is not necessarily comparable to similar measures that may be presented by other companies, and it should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measure. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measure to its GAAP counterpart is included in Exhibit 99.1.

Additional Information
In connection with the proposed merger with Wolverine Bancorp, Inc. (“Wolverine Bancorp”), Horizon has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that includes a proxy statement of Wolverine Bancorp and a prospectus of Horizon, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. Shareholders and investors are urged to read the Registration Statement and the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the merger and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information. A free copy of the proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Horizon and Wolverine Bancorp, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from Horizon at www.horizonbank.com under the tab “About Us – Investor Relations – Documents – SEC Filings,” or from Wolverine Bancorp at www.wolverinebank.com under the tab “Investor Information – SEC Filings.” The information available through Horizon’s and Wolverine Bancorp’s websites is not and shall not be deemed part of this document or incorporated by reference into other filings Horizon or Wolverine Bancorp make with the SEC.
Horizon and Wolverine Bancorp and certain of their directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Wolverine Bancorp in connection with the proposed merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of Horizon is set forth in Horizon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2017, and in the proxy statement for Horizon’s 2017 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on March 17, 2017.  Information about the directors and executive officers of Wolverine Bancorp is set forth in Wolverine Bancorp’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2017, and in the proxy statement for Wolverine Bancorp’s 2017 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on April 17, 2017.  Additional information regarding the interests of those participants and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the Wolverine Bancorp merger. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph.
Item 8.01  Other Events
Horizon is filing the slide presentation for the Raymond James U.S. Bank Conference with the SEC pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with the proposed merger transaction between Horizon and Wolverine Bancorp.
Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d)  Exhibits
 
Exhibit No.
 
Description
 
 
99.1
 
 
Presentation materials for Raymond James U.S. Bank Conference on September 6, 2017

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 hereto duly authorized.
Date:  September 6, 2017
HORIZON BANCORP
     
 
By:
/s/ Mark E. Secor
   
Mark E. Secor
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.
 
Description
 
Location
         
99.1
 
 
Presentation materials for Raymond James U.S. Bank Conference on September 6, 2017
 
 
Attached