fnwd20230508

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 5, 2023

Finward Bancorp
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Indiana	001-40999	35-1927981
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

9204 Columbia Avenue Munster, Indiana	46321
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(219) 836-4400
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

	☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

	☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

	☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

	☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, no par value	FNWD	The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

On May 5, 2023, Finward Bancorp (the “Bancorp”) held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”), as a virtual-only meeting, pursuant to due notice. Only holders of record of the Bancorp’s common stock at the close of business on March 3, 2023 (the “Record Date”) were entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. On the Record Date, there were 4,304,916 shares of the Bancorp’s common stock issued and outstanding. Holders of a total of 3,259,611 shares of common stock were present virtually or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, constituting a quorum.

The Bancorp’s shareholders voted on three proposals at the Annual Meeting. The proposals are described in detail in the Bancorp’s definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2023. The final results of the vote regarding the proposals are set forth below.

Proposal 1: Election of Directors. The Bancorp’s shareholders elected four directors to serve three-year terms expiring in 2026. The votes regarding this proposal were as follows:

Director	Expiration of Term	Votes For	Votes Withheld	Broker Non- Votes
Benjamin J. Bochnowski	2026	2,611,720	77,015	0
Donald P. Fesko, O.D., FACHE	2026	2,394,003	294,732	0
Danette Garza, J.D., CPA	2026	2,616,306	72,429	0
Robert E. Johnson, III	2026	2,623,434	65,301	0

Proposal 2: Ratification of Auditors. The proposal described below, having received a vote virtually or by proxy of more favorable votes than votes cast against the proposal, was declared to be duly adopted by the shareholders of the Bancorp. The votes regarding this proposal were as follows:

		For		Against		Abstain		Broker Non- Votes
Ratification of the appointment of FORVIS, LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.		3,233,340		25,516		755		0

Proposal 3: Advisory Vote on Compensation. The proposal described below, having received an advisory vote virtually or by proxy of more favorable votes than votes cast against the proposal, was declared to be duly adopted by the shareholders of the Bancorp. The votes regarding this proposal were as follows:

		For		Against		Abstain		Broker Non- Votes
Approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the executive compensation of the named executive officers included in the proxy statement for the Annual Meeting.		2,545,328		101,909		41,498		570,876

No other matters were considered or voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Finward Bancorp
Date: May 9, 2023

	By:	/s/ Peymon S. Torabi
		Printed Name: Peymon S. Torabi
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer