F&M Bank Welcomes Paul Elkins as Chief Information & Technology Officer

ARCHBOLD, Ohio, Nov. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — F&M Bank (“F&M”), an Archbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMAO), is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Elkins as Senior Vice President, Chief Information & Technology Officer. In this role, Elkins will lead the bank’s technology strategy, infrastructure and operations, supporting continued innovation, operational excellence and an enhanced experience for customers and employees.

Elkins brings more than 15 years of technology leadership experience across financial services, logistics, supply chain and enterprise IT operations. His background includes leadership roles with Rocket Mortgage and DP World, where he most recently served as Director of AI – Americas. In that position, he led the firm’s regional AI strategy, governance and implementation, helping advance technology-enabled business transformation.

Throughout his career, Elkins has led large-scale technology organizations, developed enterprise service delivery operations and supported complex, multi-location business environments. His expertise includes technology strategy, digital transformation, AI and automation, operational resilience, cybersecurity partnership and technology governance.

“Technology continues to play an increasingly important role in how we safely serve our customers, support our employees and position F&M for the future,” said Lars Eller, President and Chief Executive Officer of F&M Bank. “Paul brings a strong combination of technology leadership, strategic thinking and experience with emerging technologies. We’re excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to the perspective and leadership he will bring as we continue to evolve.”

Elkins earned a Bachelor of Arts in Technology Management from Purdue University Global.

About F&M Bank

F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Muncie, Indiana, and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

Safe Harbor Statement

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, deposit flows and pricing, liquidity and access to wholesale funding, interest rate and asset-liability management, credit quality (including commercial real estate exposures), collateral values, inflation and macroeconomic conditions, changes in laws and regulations (including capital and liquidity requirements and the implementation of “Basel III Endgame”), FDIC assessments, stress testing and supervisory expectations, cybersecurity and third-party/vendor risks, competition and technological change, geopolitical events, severe weather and natural disasters, agricultural sector conditions, the accuracy of CECL estimates and other accounting judgments, capital and dividend restrictions, and other risks described in F&M’s filings with the SEC. F&M undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

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Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.