fˈɜːst mˈɜːtʃənts wʌz ˈɔːlsoʊ ɹˈeɪɾᵻd æz wˈʌn ʌvðə tˈɑːp bˈɪɡ bˈæŋks ɪnðə jˌuːˌɛsˈeɪ baɪ nˈuːzwiːk mˌæɡɐzˈiːn ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛnti tˈuː ænd wˈʌn ʌvðə tˈɑːp twˈɛnti bˈæŋks ɪnðə jˌuːˌɛsˈeɪ baɪ ˈɛs ænd pˈiː ɡlˈoʊbəl mˈɑːɹkɪt ɪntˈɛlɪdʒəns ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛnti tˈuː.
First Merchants was also rated as one of the top big banks in the USA by Newsweek magazine in 2022 and one of the top 20 banks in the USA by S&P Global Market Intelligence in 2022.