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/Year
   10/2002
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- |3. Trans-    |4. Securities Acquired (A)   |5. Amount of    |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                                 |   action |   action    |   or Disposed of (D)        |   Securities   |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                                 |   Date   |   Code      |                             |   Beneficially |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                                 |          |             |                             |   Owned at     |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                                 |  (Month/ |             |                             |   End of       |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                                 |   Day/   +-------+-----+-----------+------+----------+   Month        |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                                 |   Year)  |Code   |V    |Amount     |A/D   |Price     |                |   (I)     |   ship     |
+---------------------------------+----------+-------+-----+-----------+------+----------+----------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                            
Common Stock                                                                              24410            D
Common Stock                                                                              12128.9356       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)    10/07/2002 P             140         A      $18.2500   2102             D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
|1.           |2.      |3.        |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- |          |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities   |Secur- |of     |
|             |sion or |          |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi- |ity:   |In-    |
|             |Exercise|          |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially  |Direct |direct |
|             |Price of|Transac-  |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned   |(D) or |Bene-  |
|Title of     |Deriv-  |tion Date |tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |at End  |In-    |ficial |
|Derivative   |ative   |(Month/   +------+--+-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|of      |direct |Owner- |
|Security     |Security|Day/Year) |Code  |V |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |Month   |(I)    |ship   |
+-------------+--------+----------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
                                                                                  
1999 (NQ)      $20.671                                              04/27/2009 Common                      8663     D
Stock Option                                                                   Stock
1996 (NQ)      $10.8941                                             04/23/2006 Common                      6195     D
Stock Option                                                                   Stock
2002 (NQ)      $18.84                                               04/23/2012 Common                      8663     D
Stock Option                                                                   Stock

Explanation of Responses:


SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Terri J. Ziepfel

DATE
10/07/2002