1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Posey, Steven C.
   McDonald's Office
   1733 S. Breiel
   Middletown, OH 45044
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   First Financial Bancorp (FFBC)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   289-42-9794
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year
   01/29/2003 R1
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
   01/29/2003
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+--------------------------+--------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security          |2. Trans- |2A.Execu- |3. Trans-|4. Securities Acquired (A)|5. Amount of  |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                              |   action |   action |   action|   or Disposed of (D)     |Securities    |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                              |   Date   |   Date   |   Code  |                          |Beneficially  |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                              |          |          |         |                          |Owned         |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                              |  (Month/ |  (Month/ |         |                          |Following     |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                              |   Day/   |   Day/   +-----+---+-----------+---+----------+Reported      |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                              |   Year)  |   Year)  |Code |V  |Amount     |A/D|Price     |Transaction(s)|   (I)     |   ship     |
+------------------------------+----------+----------+-----+---+-----------+---+----------+--------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                        
Common Stock                    01/29/2003 03/05/2003 J         -1463       D   $0.0000    131            D
                                                      
Common Stock                    01/29/2003 03/05/2003 J         1464        A   $0.0000    3180           I           Trust
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               6668           I           IRA
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Children
Common Stock                    01/29/2003            S         -10000      D   $15.8000   38077          I           Trust(TEAZAK
                                                                                                                      LTD)
FFBC (Directors Fee Stock Plan)                                                            2247           D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+-------+-------+------+
|1.        |2.      |3.     |3A.    |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.     |10.    |11.   |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Number |Owner- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |of     |ship   |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv- |Form of|      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative  |Deriv- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur- |ative  |Nature|
|          |Conver- |Trans- |Execu- |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities  |Secur- |of    |
|          |sion or |action |tion   |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi-|ity:   |In-   |
|          |Exercise|Date   |Date   |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially |Direct |direct|
|          |Price of|       |       |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned  |(D) or |Bene- |
|Title of  |Deriv-  |(Month/|(Month/|tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |       |In-    |ficial|
|Derivative|ative   | Day/  | Day/  +------+--+-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|       |direct |Owner-|
|Security  |Security|Year)  |Year)  |Code  |V |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |       |(I)    |ship  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                
1997 (NQ)   $13.148                                                   04/22/2007 Common                      6195    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option
2000 (NQ)   $20.671                                                   04/22/2009 Common                      8663    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option
2002 (NQ)   $18.84                                                    04/23/2012 Common                      8663    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option

Explanation of Responses:


Correction in breakdown of shares held directly and indirectly (Trust).

Correction of breakdown of shares held directly and indirectly (Trust).
(Difference in disposition/acqusition of 1 share due to fractional adjustment of
shares held in Trust.)



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Terri J. Ziepfel

DATE
03/06/2003