ARCHBOLD, Ohio, April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- F&M Bank ("F&M"), an Archbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO), announces the appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO). The move reflects her leadership and supports the Bank's focus on advancing enterprise technology and innovation.

Shalini has been with F&M for nearly six years, most recently serving as Chief Information Officer. She has played a key role in building a strong IT team and developing a secure, reliable technology foundation that supports both operations and customer experience. Throughout her tenure at F&M, Shalini has led core IT functions including infrastructure, support, security, and internal banking systems, while improving efficiency and maintaining a disciplined cybersecurity posture.

"Shalini's appointment reflects her strong leadership, and the critical role technology plays in F&M's long-term strategy," said Lars Eller, President and CEO of F&M Bank. "Over the past six years, she has helped F&M build a resilient and secure technology platform.

As CITO, Shalini will collaborate across the enterprise to help guide F&M's shift toward a more strategic, forward-looking technology approach, aligning technology with business growth, advancing digital initiatives, and strengthening cybersecurity as a key business priority.

About F&M Bank

F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices Muncie, Indiana, and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

Safe harbor statement

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. ("F&M") wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management's expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "seek," "estimate," "project," "target," "goal," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, deposit flows and pricing, liquidity and access to wholesale funding, interest rate and asset-liability management, credit quality (including commercial real estate exposures), collateral values, inflation and macroeconomic conditions, changes in laws and regulations (including capital and liquidity requirements and the implementation of "Basel III Endgame"), FDIC assessments, stress testing and supervisory expectations, cybersecurity and third-party/vendor risks, competition and technological change, geopolitical events, severe weather and natural disasters, agricultural sector conditions, the accuracy of CECL estimates and other accounting judgments, capital and dividend restrictions, and other risks described in F&M's filings with the SEC. F&M undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. For more details, please refer to F&M's SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov or through F&M's website www.fm.bank.

Company Contact:	Investor and Media Contact:
Lars B. Eller President and Chief Executive Officer Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (419) 446-2501 leller@fm.bank	Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger & Company, Inc. (216) 464-6400 andrew@smberger.com

F&M Bank Announces Appointment of Shalini Singhal to Chief Information and Technology Officer