Huntington Bank Acquires FirstMerit, Cleveland Convention Center to be Renamed

Among other, more urgent, changes coming with the Columbus-based Huntington Bank's landmark acquisition of Akron's FirstMerit, the Cleveland Convention Center will be renamed.

Huntington has agreed to honor FirstMerit's 10-year, $20-million naming rights deal, and the Convention Center will now be known as the Huntington Cleveland Convention Center.

It will surely be stocked with the region's most omnipresent pens. 

FirstMerit Tower, downtown Akron's tallest and most recognizable building, will also likely be re-dubbed. Huntington has said it intends to retain its presence there. 

The Plain Dealer reported that the acquisition could mean the closure of dozens of FirstMerit branches, but Huntington chairman and CEO Steve Steinour said that, though some job loss could be expected, all FirstMerit branch employees will be offered jobs. 

After the $3.4 billion acquisition of FirstMerit, Huntington becomes one of Ohio's largest banks, larger even than Cleveland-based KeyCorp. (Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, is still bigger, but Huntington will have a large market share in the state).