1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Marcum, Stephen S.
   P.O. Box 747
   Hamilton, OH 45012
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   First Financial Bancorp (FFBC)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   275-42-1219
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year
   04/08/2003
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
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                                                                               24410          D
Common Stock                    04/08/2003            J         525.0644    A   $0.0000    12654          I           Spouse
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Son1
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Son2-custodia
                                                                                                                      n
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Son2-direct
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Daughter1
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Daughter2
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           Trustee
Common Stock                                                                               11395          I           Son(R.J.)
Common Stock                                                                               9853           I           Son(S.M.)
Common Stock                                                                               9853           I           Daughter(E.M.
                                                                                                                      )
Common Stock                                                                               9726           I           Daughter(M.A.
                                                                                                                      )
Common Stock                                                                               36894          I           Trustee/Fdn
FFBC (Directors Fee Stock Plan) 04/08/2003            P         193         A   $16.4725   2440           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  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                
1999 (NQ)   $20.671                                                   04/27/2009 Common                      8663    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option
1996 (NQ)   $10.8941                                                  04/23/2006 Common                      6195    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option
2002 (NQ)   $18.84                                                    04/23/2012 Common                      8663    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Option

Explanation of Responses:


Transfer of shares in dividend reinvestment account to certificate form.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Terri J. Ziepfel

DATE
04/09/2003