{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"3420","rtpr_id":"nGNX1FnD4n","ticker":"FMAO","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["FMAO"],"title":"F&M Bank Announces Appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer","author":"Globe Newswire","published_at":"2026-04-21T19:18:35.110Z","article_body":"ARCHBOLD, Ohio, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- F&M Bank (“F&M”), an\nArchbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:\nFMAO), announces the appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and\nTechnology Officer (CITO). The move reflects her leadership and supports the\nBank’s focus on advancing enterprise technology and innovation.\n\nShalini has been with F&M for nearly six years, most recently serving as Chief\nInformation Officer. She has played a key role in building a strong IT team\nand developing a secure, reliable technology foundation that supports both\noperations and customer experience. Throughout her tenure at F&M, Shalini has\nled core IT functions including infrastructure, support, security, and\ninternal banking systems, while improving efficiency and maintaining a\ndisciplined cybersecurity posture.\n\n“Shalini’s appointment reflects her strong leadership, and the critical\nrole technology plays in F&M’s long-term strategy,” said Lars Eller,\nPresident and CEO of F&M Bank. “Over the past six years, she has helped F&M\nbuild a resilient and secure technology platform.\n\nAs CITO, Shalini will collaborate across the enterprise to help guide F&M’s\nshift toward a more strategic, forward-looking technology approach, aligning\ntechnology with business growth, advancing digital initiatives, and\nstrengthening cybersecurity as a key business priority.\n\nAbout F&M Bank\n\nF&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its\ncommunities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking\nand other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton,\nDefiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio.\nIn Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay,\nSteuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County,\nand we have Loan Production Offices Muncie, Indiana, and Perrysburg and Bryan,\nOhio.\n\nSafe harbor statement\n\nFarmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the\nSafe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform\nAct of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and\ncomments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking\nstatements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933,\nas amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as\namended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as\n“believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,”\n“seek,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,”\n“will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results could vary\nmaterially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local\nbanking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and\nits subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and\nregulatory decisions, capital market conditions, deposit flows and pricing,\nliquidity and access to wholesale funding, interest rate and asset-liability\nmanagement, credit quality (including commercial real estate exposures),\ncollateral values, inflation and macroeconomic conditions, changes in laws and\nregulations (including capital and liquidity requirements and the\nimplementation of “Basel III Endgame”), FDIC assessments, stress testing\nand supervisory expectations, cybersecurity and third-party/vendor risks,\ncompetition and technological change, geopolitical events, severe weather and\nnatural disasters, agricultural sector conditions, the accuracy of CECL\nestimates and other accounting judgments, capital and dividend restrictions,\nand other risks described in F&M’s filings with the SEC. F&M undertakes no\nobligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of\nnew information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. For\nmore details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent\nAnnual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings\ncan be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s\nwebsite www.fm.bank.\n\n Company Contact:                                                                                                     Investor and Media Contact:                                                                      \n Lars B. Eller President and Chief Executive Officer Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (419) 446-2501 leller@fm.bank  Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger & Company, Inc. (216) 464-6400 andrew@smberger.com  \n\n\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6120e8dd-0c4b-493c-b40b-21a9d9dee3d8)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nGNX1FnD4n","title":"F&M Bank Announces Appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer","author":"Globe Newswire","ticker":"FMAO","created":"2026-04-21T19:18:35.110Z","tickers":["FMAO"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"ARCHBOLD, Ohio, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- F&M Bank (“F&M”), an\nArchbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:\nFMAO), announces the appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and\nTechnology Officer (CITO). The move reflects her leadership and supports the\nBank’s focus on advancing enterprise technology and innovation.\n\nShalini has been with F&M for nearly six years, most recently serving as Chief\nInformation Officer. She has played a key role in building a strong IT team\nand developing a secure, reliable technology foundation that supports both\noperations and customer experience. Throughout her tenure at F&M, Shalini has\nled core IT functions including infrastructure, support, security, and\ninternal banking systems, while improving efficiency and maintaining a\ndisciplined cybersecurity posture.\n\n“Shalini’s appointment reflects her strong leadership, and the critical\nrole technology plays in F&M’s long-term strategy,” said Lars Eller,\nPresident and CEO of F&M Bank. “Over the past six years, she has helped F&M\nbuild a resilient and secure technology platform.\n\nAs CITO, Shalini will collaborate across the enterprise to help guide F&M’s\nshift toward a more strategic, forward-looking technology approach, aligning\ntechnology with business growth, advancing digital initiatives, and\nstrengthening cybersecurity as a key business priority.\n\nAbout F&M Bank\n\nF&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its\ncommunities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking\nand other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton,\nDefiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio.\nIn Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay,\nSteuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County,\nand we have Loan Production Offices Muncie, Indiana, and Perrysburg and Bryan,\nOhio.\n\nSafe harbor statement\n\nFarmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the\nSafe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform\nAct of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and\ncomments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking\nstatements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933,\nas amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as\namended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as\n“believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,”\n“seek,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,”\n“will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results could vary\nmaterially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local\nbanking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and\nits subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and\nregulatory decisions, capital market conditions, deposit flows and pricing,\nliquidity and access to wholesale funding, interest rate and asset-liability\nmanagement, credit quality (including commercial real estate exposures),\ncollateral values, inflation and macroeconomic conditions, changes in laws and\nregulations (including capital and liquidity requirements and the\nimplementation of “Basel III Endgame”), FDIC assessments, stress testing\nand supervisory expectations, cybersecurity and third-party/vendor risks,\ncompetition and technological change, geopolitical events, severe weather and\nnatural disasters, agricultural sector conditions, the accuracy of CECL\nestimates and other accounting judgments, capital and dividend restrictions,\nand other risks described in F&M’s filings with the SEC. F&M undertakes no\nobligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of\nnew information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. For\nmore details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent\nAnnual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings\ncan be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s\nwebsite www.fm.bank.\n\n Company Contact:                                                                                                     Investor and Media Contact:                                                                      \n Lars B. Eller President and Chief Executive Officer Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (419) 446-2501 leller@fm.bank  Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger & Company, Inc. (216) 464-6400 andrew@smberger.com  \n\n\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6120e8dd-0c4b-493c-b40b-21a9d9dee3d8)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026"},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-04-21T19:18:35.148572938Z","server_sent_at_ms":1776799115148},"received_at":"2026-04-21T19:18:35.201Z","source_url":"https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/04/21/3278368/0/en/F-M-Bank-Announces-Appointment-of-Shalini-Singhal-to-Chief-Information-and-Technology-Officer.html"},"analysis":{"id":"2308","press_release_id":"3420","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Banks","sector":"Financials"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"executive_change","narrative":"F&M Bank promoted Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer, elevating her from her prior role as Chief Information Officer after nearly six years with the company.\n\nIn her new role, Singhal will guide the bank’s technology strategy, focusing on digital initiatives, aligning tech with business growth, and strengthening cybersecurity.\n\nCEO Lars Eller noted that the appointment reflects Singhal’s strong leadership and the critical role technology plays in F&M’s long-term strategy.","sentiment":"neutral","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Internal CITO promotion highlights continued strategic focus on digital infrastructure and cybersecurity."},"keyFigures":{},"quotedText":"Shalini’s appointment reflects her strong leadership, and the critical role technology plays in F&M’s long-term strategy","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Shalini Singhal","role":"Chief Information and Technology Officer"},{"name":"Lars Eller","role":"President and CEO"}],"products":[],"companies":[{"name":"F&M Bank","ticker":"FMAO"},{"name":"Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.","ticker":"FMAO"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"Internal promotion of a six-year veteran to the CITO role is a positive governance signal but represents a routine organizational update rather than a material business event."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"FMAO"},"eventTypeSecondary":[]},"event_type":"executive_change","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"neutral","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"F&M Bank promoted Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer, elevating her from her prior role as Chief Information Officer after nearly six years with the company.\n\nIn her new role, Singhal will guide the bank’s technology strategy, focusing on digital initiatives, aligning tech with business growth, and strengthening cybersecurity.\n\nCEO Lars Eller noted that the appointment reflects Singhal’s strong leadership and the critical role technology plays in F&M’s long-term strategy.","key_figures":{},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Shalini Singhal","role":"Chief Information and Technology Officer"},{"name":"Lars Eller","role":"President and CEO"}],"products":[],"companies":[{"name":"F&M Bank","ticker":"FMAO"},{"name":"Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.","ticker":"FMAO"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-4.7","prompt_hash":"sha256:2f2748f0fcc8c4f2","schema_hash":"sha256:ad96b863d7123008","created_at":"2026-04-21T23:01:32.798Z","global_importance":3,"audience_relevance":3,"importance_components":{"method":"backfill-heuristic","signals":{"bodyLong":false,"headlineTier1":false,"tickerCovered":false,"hadSignificance":false},"version":1,"computedAt":"2026-04-27T11:52:53.670Z"}},"durationMs":33390,"modelName":"glm-4.7"}}