Jeff Jackson, President & CEO, WesBanco, Inc.

Jeff Jackson, CEO and President of WesBanco, spoke with Invest:about the company’s transformative growth, strategic acquisition of Premier Financial Corp. and continued commitment to its clients and communities. “We’re focused on relationships, tailored solutions and growth – building a financial institution that helps people and businesses thrive.”

What are some key highlights and milestones for WesBanco in the last year?

Certainly, the major highlight of 2025 was our acquisition and successful conversion of Premier Financial Corp.—the largest acquisition in our company’s history. With the completion of the acquisition, WesBanco grew to more than $27 billion in assets, with stronger profitability metrics and growth prospects. The acquisition significantly expanded our footprint in Ohio and placed us among the 100 largest insured depository organizations in the country while we retain the community bank feel that is at the heart of our company. And we were thrilled to welcome terrific new team members, customers and community partners. 

As of this interview, we’ve also seen continued momentum in loan, deposit and wealth management growth across our footprint. That’s a testament to the ongoing strength of our teams and strategies.

We’re truly proud of our business and culture and all that we continue to build together. In recent years, we’ve earned numerous national accolades, including Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Regional Banks and its list of Greatest Workplaces for Parents and Families. We’re also extremely proud of our eighth consecutive “Outstanding” FDIC Community Reinvestment Act rating for our excellence in community lending, investment and service. 

With the 2025 acquisition of Premier Financial Corporation, how is the integration progressing and what synergies are you aiming to achieve?

We completed the acquisition of Premier in February 2025 and the conversion of Premier customers and brand in May 2025. One of the biggest advantages was how closely our cultures and missions aligned – it made the entire transition very smooth. We expect the acquisition to achieve significant economies of scale and continue our track record of growth. WesBanco is now the 8th largest bank in Ohio, based on deposit market share, and we serve customers through financial centers and loan production offices in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring WesBanco teams and services to our newest customers and communities. 

How has WesBanco helped serve community development goals?

WesBanco strives to be a leader in community development by positively impacting the communities we serve. We’ve earned eight consecutive CRA Outstanding ratings from the FDIC for our work meeting the credit needs of our communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. Serving our communities is a top priority for us and we do that through a focus on targeted investment, capital deployment, financial education and financial inclusion. We fund many community development projects in the Pittsburgh area and across our footprint for development agencies, nonprofits, local government entities, and private businesses that focused on affordable housing, creating jobs, and improving municipal infrastructure. Importantly, our employees are deeply involved in giving their time and expertise to many community development, financial literacy and other volunteer efforts.

What aspects of Pittsburgh make it an ideal location for WesBanco, and how does the location benefit your members? 

Pittsburgh is one of our largest MSAs in WesBanco’s footprint, providing us ample avenues of growth. It’s also convenient for our headquarters in Wheeling, West Virginia. Pittsburgh is a thriving metro area with a diverse economic background. There are many major employers spanning healthcare, education, finance, energy and technology. This economic diversity positions Pittsburgh as a strategic market for WesBanco to grow its commercial and industrial business. We are building a healthcare vertical with Pittsburgh as a key target market. Our team of bankers bring diverse experience and deep local knowledge, which helps us support businesses of any size and sector. 

What is your overview of the financial industry in Greater Pittsburgh at the moment, and are there any specific trends or market dynamics we should beware of?

Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh are seeing renewed investment thanks to government initiatives and public and private partnerships. We’re also working with developers and coalitions of businesses, on financing projects to spur growth in housing, retail, and other sectors that will help our communities grow. 

How is the bank working with small- and mid-sized businesses to help them grow and navigate financial challenges?

We’ve created a new business banking sector to focus on small- and mid-sized businesses. We work with our financial centers in the area to help businesses understand their financial goals and see what their future looks like to provide products such as commercial loans, depository products, treasury management, and wealth services. We also regularly host regional events to raise awareness about WesBanco’s offerings and to strengthen relationships in the business community. 

What would you consider the biggest challenges facing your clients and the banking industry, and how is WesBanco navigating these challenges?

Economic conditions are always evolving, and business leaders are navigating a range of challenges – from inflation and interest rates to workforce concerns and market shifts. We closely monitor these trends and are proactive in providing timely guidance and tailored solutions. We regularly host educational events and invite business owners to join, talk with us, and hear expert speakers on the economy. We are seeing great returns from those events. We have a robust financial network of branch locations throughout Pittsburgh and the region for clients to seek advice in person. 

How are you managing loan growth and deposit strategies to maintain a healthy net interest margin?

In addition to the acquisition, we grew about $1 billion organically in loans and deposits and increased our net interest margin. We’re focused on attracting new clients and delivering exceptional service across our product offerings to meet our clients’ needs wherever they are in their financial journey. 

The key is having the right set of products and services and knowledgeable, experienced bankers that can help each customer achieve their unique financial goals. Our focus on relationship banking helps to ensure a successful relationship between WesBanco and its clients that, in turn, sustains our loan and deposit growth strategy. We have seen the success of our growth strategies and relationship banking philosophy which has allowed us to organically grow both loans and deposits by several billion dollars the last few years, as well as driving solid profitability and sound credit quality metrics.

How are you leveraging technology and innovation to improve your overall client and customer experience?

Technology is a key investment we make every year, and we are always looking to have the top technology. We invest in digital tools—mobile banking, online platforms, treasury management services—to meet client expectations and make sure they can bank when and where they prefer. The younger generations especially expect to be able to do all their banking digitally. We’re also exploring certain AI solutions to aid in manual processing. Between our digital capabilities and our people’s expertise, we offer one of the best client experiences in the market. 

What is coming next for WesBanco in the next five years, particularly in light of recent economic volatility and regulatory shifts?

It’s all about doing the things that have made us and our customers successful throughout our 155 years. Our geographic and regional economic diversity combined with our diversified revenue streams position us for continued success through varied economic and regulatory cycles. We expect to continue to grow through both organic opportunities and strategic and contiguous M&A. We’re also positioned for continued growth in the commercial and industrial sector by bringing on talented people of different backgrounds in lending, treasury management, and wealth management. We want to become the bank of choice for business owners and their employees, providing them with value-added solutions. Our focus on relationships and fulfilling and advocating for our clients’ needs is our differentiator.