UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
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 9, 2025 (
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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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:
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).
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 1.01 | ENTRY INTO A MATERIAL DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT. |
On October 5, 2025, Comerica Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (“Comerica”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Fifth Third Bancorp, an Ohio corporation (“Fifth Third”), Fifth Third Financial Corporation, an Ohio corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third, (“Fifth Third Intermediary”), and Comerica Holdings Incorporated, a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Comerica (“Comerica Holdings”).
The Merger Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, (i) Comerica will merge with and into Fifth Third Intermediary (the “Merger”), with Fifth Third Intermediary continuing as the surviving corporation in the Merger, and (ii) immediately thereafter, Comerica Holdings will merge with and into Fifth Third Intermediary, with Fifth Third Intermediary continuing as the surviving corporation (the “Second Step Merger”, and together with the Merger, the “Mergers”). Following the completion of the Mergers, at a time determined by Fifth Third, each of Comerica Bank, a Texas banking association and wholly owned subsidiary of Comerica, and Comerica Bank & Trust, National Association, a national bank and wholly owned subsidiary of Comerica Holdings, will each merge with and into Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a national banking association and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Intermediary (each, a “Bank Merger” and collectively, the “Bank Mergers”), with Fifth Third Bank, National Association continuing as the surviving bank in each of the Bank Mergers. The Merger Agreement was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of each of Fifth Third and Comerica.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each share of common stock, par value $5.00 per share, of Comerica (“Comerica Common Stock”) outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, other than shares held by Comerica or Fifth Third, will be converted into the right to receive 1.8663 shares (the “Exchange Ratio”) of common stock, without par value, of Fifth Third (“Fifth Third Common Stock”). Holders of Comerica Common Stock will receive cash in lieu of fractional shares. In addition, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, each share of 6.875% Fixed-Rate Reset Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B, no par value, of Comerica (the “Comerica Preferred Stock”), outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, will be automatically converted into the right to receive a share of a newly created series of preferred stock of Fifth Third having terms that are not materially less favorable than the terms of the Comerica Preferred Stock (all shares of such newly created series, collectively, the “New Fifth Third Preferred Stock”).
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, (i) each outstanding and unexercised Comerica stock option will convert into a corresponding option with respect to Fifth Third Common Stock, with the numbers of shares and exercise price underlying such option adjusted based on the Exchange Ratio, (ii) each outstanding Comerica restricted stock unit award will convert into a corresponding award in respect of Fifth Third Common Stock, with the numbers of shares underlying such award adjusted based on the Exchange Ratio, (iii) each outstanding Comerica performance stock unit award will be converted into a Fifth Third restricted stock unit award, with the number of shares underlying such award (x) deemed to be earned based on the greater of target and actual performance measured through the latest practicable date prior to the Effective Time and (y) adjusted based on the Exchange Ratio, and (iv) each outstanding Comerica deferred stock unit award will vest and convert into a corresponding award with respect to Fifth Third Common Stock, with the numbers of shares underlying such award adjusted based on the Exchange Ratio. Each such converted Fifth Third award will otherwise continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as applied to the corresponding Comerica award (excluding any performance-based vesting requirements) in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time.
The Merger Agreement also provides that, as of the Effective Time, the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors of Fifth Third will be increased by three, and three directors of Comerica, determined by mutual agreement of Fifth Third and Comerica, will be appointed to the Board of Directors of Fifth Third.
The Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of both Fifth Third and Comerica, and each party has agreed to customary covenants, including, among others, covenants relating to (i) the conduct of its business during the interim period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the Effective Time, (ii) its obligations to call a meeting of its shareholders to, in the case of Fifth Third, approve the issuance of shares of Fifth Third Common Stock in the Merger pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement (the “Requisite Fifth Third Vote”) and, in the case of Comerica, adopt the Merger Agreement (the “Requisite Comerica Vote”), and, subject to certain exceptions, for the board of directors of each of Comerica and Fifth Third to recommend that its shareholders vote in favor of such approvals, and (iii) its non-solicitation obligations relating to alternative acquisition proposals. Fifth Third and Comerica have also agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to obtain all necessary permits, consents, approvals and authorizations for consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.
The completion of the Merger is subject to customary conditions, including (1) receipt of the Requisite Fifth Third Vote and the Requisite Comerica Vote, (2) authorization for listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market of the shares of Fifth Third Common Stock and depositary shares in respect of the New Fifth Third Preferred Stock to be issued in the Merger, subject to official notice of issuance, (3) receipt of required regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Texas Department of Banking, (4) the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4 for the shares of Fifth Third Common Stock and depositary shares in respect of the New Fifth Third Preferred Stock to be issued in the Merger, and (5) the absence of any order, injunction, decree or other legal restraint preventing the completion of the Mergers, the Bank Mergers or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement or making the completion of the Mergers, the Bank Mergers or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement illegal. Each party’s obligation to complete the Merger is also subject to certain additional customary conditions, including (i) subject to certain exceptions, the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party, (ii) performance in all material respects by the other party of its obligations under the Merger Agreement and (iii) receipt by such party of an opinion from its counsel to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
The Merger Agreement provides certain termination rights for both Comerica and Fifth Third and further provides that a termination fee of $500,000,000 will be payable by either Comerica or Fifth Third, as applicable, in the event of a termination of the Merger Agreement under certain circumstances.
The representations, warranties and covenants of each party set forth in the Merger Agreement have been made only for purposes of, and were and are solely for the benefit of the parties to, the Merger Agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Accordingly, the representations and warranties may not describe the actual state of affairs at the date they were made or at any other time, and investors should not rely on them as statements of fact. In addition, such representations and warranties (1) will not survive consummation of the Mergers and (2) were made only as of the date of the Merger Agreement or such other date as is specified in the Merger Agreement. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in the parties’ public disclosures. Accordingly, the Merger Agreement is included with this filing only to provide investors with information regarding the terms of the Merger Agreement, and not to provide investors with any other factual information regarding Fifth Third, Comerica, their respective affiliates or their respective businesses. The Merger Agreement should not be read alone, but should instead be read in conjunction with the other information regarding Fifth Third, Comerica, their respective affiliates or their respective businesses, the Merger Agreement, the Mergers, and the Bank Mergers that will be contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement on Form S-4 that will include a joint proxy statement of Fifth Third and Comerica and a prospectus of Fifth Third, as well as in the Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings that each of Fifth Third and Comerica makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
| ITEM 9.01 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS. |
(d) Exhibits
| 2.1* | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 5, 2025, by and among Fifth Third Bancorp, Fifth Third Financial Corporation, Comerica Incorporated and Comerica Holdings Incorporated. | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). | |
| * | Schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request; provided, however, that the parties may request confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for any document so furnished. |
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “achieve,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “could,” “deliver,” “drive,” “enhance,” “estimate,” “expect,” “focus,” “future,” “goal,” “grow,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “position,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “opportunity,” “outlook,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “trajectory,” “trend,” “will,” “would,” and other similar words and expressions or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our business strategy, goals and objectives, projected financial and operating results, including outlook for future growth, and future common share dividends, common share repurchases and other uses of capital. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent our beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of our control.
Comerica Incorporated’s (“Comerica”) and Fifth Third Bancorp’s (“Fifth Third”) actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause Comerica’s and Fifth Third’s actual results, financial condition and predictions to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include, in addition to those set forth in our and Fifth Third’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”): (1) the risk that the cost savings and synergies from the merger of Comerica with Fifth Third (the “Transaction”) may not be fully realized or may take longer than anticipated to be realized; (2) the failure of the closing conditions in the merger agreement between Comerica and Fifth Third providing for the Transaction to be satisfied, or any unexpected delay in closing the Transaction or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances, including the impact and timing of any government shutdown, that could delay the Transaction or could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (3) the outcome of any legal or regulatory proceedings or governmental inquiries or investigations that may be currently pending or later instituted against Comerica, Fifth Third or the combined company; (4) the possibility that the Transaction does not close when expected or at all because required regulatory, stockholder or other approvals and other conditions to closing are not received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all (and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed Transaction); (5) the risk that the benefits from the Transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected, including as a result of changes in, or problems arising from, general economic and market conditions, interest and exchange rates, monetary policy, laws and regulations and their enforcement, and the degree of competition in the geographic and business areas in which Comerica and Fifth Third operate; (6) disruption to the parties’ businesses as a result of the announcement and pendency of the Transaction; (7) the costs associated with the anticipated length of time of the pendency of the Transaction, including the restrictions contained in the definitive merger agreement on the ability of Comerica or Fifth Third to operate its business outside the ordinary course during the pendency of the Transaction; (8) risks related to management and oversight of the expanded business and operations of the combined company following the closing of the proposed Transaction; (9) the risk that the integration of each party’s operations will be materially delayed or will be more costly or difficult than expected or that the parties are otherwise unable to successfully integrate each party’s businesses into the other’s businesses; (10) the possibility that the Transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; (11) reputational risk and potential adverse reactions of Comerica or Fifth Third customers, employees, vendors, contractors or other business partners, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the Transaction; (12) the dilution caused by Fifth Third’s issuance of additional shares of its common stock in connection with the Transaction; (13) a material adverse change in the condition of Comerica or Fifth Third; (14) the extent to which Comerica’s or Fifth Third’s businesses perform consistent with management’s expectations; (15) Comerica’s and Fifth Third’s ability to take advantage of growth opportunities and implement targeted initiatives in the timeframe and on the terms currently expected; (16) the inability to sustain revenue and earnings growth; (17) the execution and efficacy of recent strategic investments; (18) the timing and impact of Comerica’s Direct Express transition; (19) the impact of macroeconomic factors, such as changes in general economic conditions and monetary and fiscal policy, particularly on interest rates; (20) changes in customer behavior; (21) unfavorable developments concerning credit quality; (22) declines in the businesses or industries of Comerica’s or Fifth Third’s customers; (23) the possibility that the combined company is subject to additional regulatory requirements as a result of the proposed Transaction or expansion of the combined company’s business operations following the proposed Transaction; (24) general competitive, political and market conditions and other factors that may affect future results of Comerica and Fifth Third including changes in asset quality and credit risk; (25) security risks, including cybersecurity and data privacy risks, and capital markets; (26) inflation; (27) the impact, extent and timing of technological changes; (28) capital management activities; (29) competitive product and pricing pressures; (30) the outcomes of legal and regulatory proceedings and related financial services industry matters; and (31) compliance with regulatory requirements. Any forward-looking statement made in this communication is based solely on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. These and other important factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” in Comerica’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (available at: https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000028412/000002841225000108/cma-20241231.htm), and in Fifth Third’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (available at: https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000035527/000003552725000079/fitb-20241231.htm), as well as Comerica’s and Fifth Third’s subsequent filings with the SEC, may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date they were first issued, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Comerica and Fifth Third disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND WHERE TO FIND IT
Fifth Third intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC to register the shares of Fifth Third common stock that will be issued to Comerica stockholders in connection with the proposed Transaction. The registration statement will include a joint proxy statement of Comerica and Fifth Third that also constitutes a prospectus of Fifth Third. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to the stockholders of Comerica and shareholders of Fifth Third in connection with the proposed Transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS INCLUDED WITHIN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING COMERICA, FIFTH THIRD, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS.
Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents and other documents filed with the SEC by Comerica or Fifth Third through the website maintained by the SEC at https://www.sec.gov or by contacting the investor relations department of Comerica or Fifth Third at:
| Comerica Inc. | Fifth Third Bancorp | |
| Comerica Bank Tower 1717 Main Street, MC 6404 |
38 Fountain Square Plaza MD 1090FV | |
| Dallas, TX 75201 | Cincinnati, OH 45263 | |
| Attention: Investor Relations | Attention: Investor Relations | |
| [email protected] (833) 571-0486 |
[email protected] (866) 670-0468 |
Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of Comerica and Fifth Third are urged to read carefully the entire registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus when they become available, including any amendments thereto, because they will contain important information about the proposed Transaction. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION
Comerica, Fifth Third and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Comerica and shareholders of Fifth Third in connection with the Transaction under the rules of the SEC. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of each of Comerica and Fifth Third is set forth in (i) Comerica’s definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including under the headings entitled “Information about Nominees and Other Directors”, “Director Independence”, “Transactions with Related Persons”, “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation”, “Compensation of Directors”, “Proposal 3 Submitted for your Vote – Non-Binding, Advisory Proposal Approving Executive Compensation”, “Pay Versus Performance”, “Pay Ratio Disclosure” and “Security Ownership of Management”, which was filed with the SEC on March 17, 2025 and is available
at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000028412/000002841225000135/cma-20250313.htm, and (ii) Fifth Third’s definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including under the headings entitled “Board of Directors Compensation”, “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”, “Human Capital and Compensation Committee Report”, “Compensation of Named Executive Officers”, “CEO Pay Ratio”, “Pay vs Performance”, “Company Proposal No. 2: Advisory Vote on Compensation of Named Executive Officers (Item 3 on Proxy Card)” and “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation”, which was filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025 and is available
at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000035527/000119312525045653/d901598ddef14a.htm. To the extent holdings of each of Comerica’s or Fifth Third’s securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in Comerica’s or Fifth Third’s definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC, which are available at https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=35527&owner=exclude, and at https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=28412&owner=exclude.
Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available. You may obtain free copies of these documents through the website maintained by the SEC at https://www.sec.gov.
NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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.
| COMERICA INCORPORATED | ||||||
| Date: October 9, 2025 | /s/ Von E. Hays | |||||
| Von E. Hays | ||||||
| Senior Executive Vice President and | ||||||
| Chief Legal Officer | ||||||