S-8

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

S-8 1 d339910ds8.htm S-8 S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2026

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

NORTHWEST BANCSHARES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland

27-0950358

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

3 Easton Oval, Suite 500

Columbus, OH 43219

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

NORTHWEST BANCSHARES, INC.

2026 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

(Full title of the plan)

Erin F. Siegfried

Chief Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Northwest Bancshares, Inc.

3 Easton Oval, Suite 500

Columbus, OH 43219

(814) 726-2140

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies of Correspondence to:

Richard J. Helmreich

Greg M. Daugherty

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

41 S. High St., Suite 2800

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 227-2000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The document(s) containing the information concerning the Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 2026 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) specified in Part I of Form S-8, will be sent or given to Plan participants either as part of this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b). These documents and the documents incorporated by reference pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this registration statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and are not required to be, and are not, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) either as part of this registration statement or as a prospectus or as a prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents By Reference.

The following documents previously filed by Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) with the SEC are incorporated by reference:

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed on February 25, 2026;

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed on May 7, 2026;

Current Report on Form 8-K, filed May 26, 2026; and

The description of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, which is registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), in our Form 8-A filed with the SEC on December 14, 2009, including any subsequently filed amendments and reports updating such description.

In addition, all documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than those documents or portion of those documents that may be “furnished” and not filed with the SEC), subsequent to the effective date of this registration statement, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement that indicates that all securities offered have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement modifies or supersedes the statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Company’s Articles of Incorporation provide as follows:

ARTICLE 10. Indemnification, etc. of Directors and Officers.

A. Indemnification. The Corporation shall indemnify (1) its current and former directors and officers, whether serving the Corporation or at its request any other entity, to the fullest extent required or permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) now or hereafter in force, including the advancement of expenses under the procedures and to the fullest extent permitted by law, and (2) other employees and agents to such extent as shall be authorized by the Board of Directors and permitted by law; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section B of this Article 10 with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

B. Procedure. If a claim under Section A of this Article 10 is not paid in full by the Corporation within sixty (60) days after a written claim has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be twenty (20) days, the indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall also be entitled to be reimbursed the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. It shall be a defense to any action for advancement of expenses that the Corporation has not received both (i) an undertaking as required by law to repay such advances in the event it shall ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct has not been met and (ii) a written affirmation by the indemnitee of his good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Corporation has been met. In (i) any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) any suit by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final adjudication that, the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the MGCL. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the MGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article 10 or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.

C. Non-Exclusivity. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in this Article 10 shall not be exclusive of any other right that any Person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, these Articles, the Corporation’s Bylaws, any agreement, any vote of stockholders or the Board of Directors, or otherwise.

D. Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to insure itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such Person against such expense, liability or loss under the MGCL.

E. Miscellaneous. The Corporation shall not be liable for any payment under this Article 10 in connection with a claim made by any indemnitee to the extent such indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment under any insurance policy, agreement, or otherwise, of the amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in Sections A and B of this Article 10 shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators.

F. Limitations Imposed by Federal Law. Notwithstanding any other provision set forth in this Article 10, in no event shall any payments made by the Corporation pursuant to this Article 10 exceed the amount permissible under applicable federal law, including, without limitation, Section 18(k) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. Any repeal or modification of this Article 10 shall not in any way diminish any rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses of such director or officer or the obligations of the Corporation arising hereunder with respect to events occurring, or claims made, while this Article 10 is in force.

ARTICLE 11. Limitation of Liability. An officer or director of the Corporation, as such, shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for money damages, except (A) to the extent that it is proved that the Person actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services, for the amount of the benefit or profit in money, property or services actually received; or (B) to the extent that a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the Person is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the Person’s action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding; or (C) to the extent otherwise provided by the MGCL. If the MGCL is amended to further eliminate or limit the personal liability of officers and directors, then the liability of officers and directors of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the MGCL, as so amended.

Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director or officer of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.


Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description

4.1		Articles of Incorporation of Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-161805), filed with the SEC on September 9, 2009).

4.2		Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation of Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-161805), filed with the SEC on September 9, 2009).

4.3		Amended and Restated Bylaws of Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-34582), filed with the SEC on February 25, 2025).

4.4		Form of Common Stock Certificate (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-161805), filed with the SEC on September 9, 2009).

4.5		Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 2026 Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Appendix B to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 9, 2026).

5.1*		Opinion of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP.


23.1*		Consent of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2*		Consent of KPMG LLP.

24.1*		Power of Attorney (set forth on the signature pages to this registration statement).

107*		Filing Fee Table.

*	Filed herewith.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed or furnished by us pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any actions, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Columbus, State of Ohio, on May 29, 2026.


NORTHWEST BANCSHARES, INC.

By:		/s/ Louis J. Torchio
		Louis J. Torchio,
		President and Chief Executive Officer

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Louis J. Torchio and Erin F. Siegfried, or each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done or by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Signature	Title	Date

/s/ Louis J. Torchio	Director, President and Chief Executive Officer	May 29, 2026
Louis J. Torchio	(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Douglas M. Schosser	Chief Financial Officer	May 29, 2026
Douglas M. Schosser	(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Joseph D. Canfield, Jr.	Chief Accounting Officer	May 29, 2026
Joseph D. Canfield, Jr.	(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Timothy M. Hunter	Director, Chairman	May 29, 2026
Timothy M. Hunter

/s/ Robert M. Campana	Director	May 29, 2026
Robert M. Campana

/s/ Deborah J. Chadsey	Director	May 29, 2026
Deborah J. Chadsey

/s/ Wilbur R. Davis	Director	May 29, 2026
Wilbur R. Davis

/s/ Charles E. Kranich, II	Director	May 29, 2026
Charles E. Kranich, II


/s/ John P. Meegan	Director	May 29, 2026
John P. Meegan

/s/ Mark A. Paup	Director	May 29, 2026
Mark A. Paup

/s/ David M. Tullio	Director	May 29, 2026
David M. Tullio

/s/ Amber L. Williams	Director	May 29, 2026
Amber L. Williams

SEC Form S-8 filed by Northwest Bancshares Inc.