Premier Financial: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

DEFIANCE, Ohio (AP) _ Premier Financial Corp. (PFC) on Tuesday reported first-quarter net income of $26.4 million.The Defiance, Ohio-based bank said it had earnings of 73 cents per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 69 cents per share.The holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest posted revenue of $77.7 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $74.8 million, also beating Street forecasts.