First Financial Bancorp — which recently announced plans to acquire Liberty Savings Bank and boost its Dayton presence — said Friday it ended its second quarter with a profit.

For the period ended June 30, the Cincinnati-based bank said it earned $16 million, or 27 cents per share, compared with $17.8 million, or earnings per diluted share of 30 cents.

For the first half, First Financial posted net income available to common shareholders of $33.2 million, or 57 cents per share, compared to net income available to common shareholders of $27.5 million, or 48 cents per diluted share, the company said.

First Financial’s deal with Liberty will include 16 Ohio branches and $346.2 million in deposits. The acquisition, which requires regulatory approval, would make First Financial the seventh largest bank in the Dayton metro area, with $430 million in deposits.