What's at stake: First Merchants in Muncie Indiana has agreed to pay $241 million in stock for First Savings Financial Group in Jeffersonville. Key insight: Acquiring the$2.4 billion-asset First Savings extends First Merchants' footprint to Louisville, Kentucky.Expert quote: The deal is "100% understandable if you want to make a go at a critical metro market in your footprint," Hovde Analyst Brendan Nosal wrote Friday. First Merchants Corp. in Muncie, Indiana, agreed Thursday to pay $241 million in stock f ...