First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend and Stock Repurchase Program

RENTON, Wash., May 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest ("Bank"), today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share on the Company's outstanding common stock. The cash dividend will be payable on June 14, 2013 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 31, 2013.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Announces Lifting of Company MOU

RENTON, Wash., April 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. ("Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest ("Bank"), today announced that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("Federal Reserve") has lifted the Company's Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") dated April 14, 2010, with the termination of the four remaining conditions. The termination of the MOU is effective immediately. The Company previously announced on April 5, 2013 that the Federal Reserve had lifted the other operating restrictions contained in the MOU. This latest action by the Federal Reserve will allow the Company to consider, among other things, future repurchases of its common stock and the payment of cash dividends to its shareholders.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Reports Net Income of $1.6 Million or $0.09 Per Share for the First Quarter of 2013

RENTON, Wash., April 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest (the "Bank"), today reported net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 of $1.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.5 million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2012 and net income of $622,000, or $0.04 per diluted share for the comparable quarter in 2012.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Announces Lifting of Bank MOU and Other Regulatory Restrictions

RENTON, Wash., April 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. ("Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest ("Bank"), today announced the termination of the Bank's Memorandum of Understanding dated March 27, 2012, by and between the Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") and the Washington Department of Financial Institutions ("DFI"). The Company also announced that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ("Federal Reserve") had lifted two conditions of the Company's Memorandum of Understanding ("Company MOU") dated April 10, 2010, by and between the Company and its former regulator, the Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS"), which is now enforced by the Federal Reserve as the successor to the OTS. The termination of these conditions is effective immediately.  The Company continues to be subject to the other restrictions included in the Company MOU, and is still required to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve prior to the repurchase of its common stock and for the payment of any cash dividends. The FDIC, DFI and Federal Reserve also have terminated the Bank's and the Company's troubled condition status effective immediately.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Announces Appointment of Kevin D. Padrick as Director, Resignation and Appointment of Chairman of the Board and Resignation of Director M. Scott Gaspard

RENTON, Wash., March 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. ("Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest ("Bank"), today announced that it had received all bank regulatory approvals for the appointment of Kevin D. Padrick to the Company's and the Bank's respective Boards of Directors. Mr. Padrick's appointment as a director is effective as of March 14, 2013, the date the Company received the last required approval. Mr. Padrick will attend the Company's Board of Directors' meeting on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 and at that time will be appointed to serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Padrick's appointment as a director was made pursuant to the settlement agreement ("Settlement Agreement") entered into by the Company with Joseph Stilwell and his affiliated entities as a result of last year's contested director election.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. and the Stilwell Group Announce Agreement to Extend Time to Complete Settlement

RENTON, Wash., Feb. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW) and the Stilwell Group announced that they have entered into a second amendment to the agreement to settle the litigation in which the Stilwell Group challenged the counting of votes in a contested director election at the Company's 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Reports Net Income for the Fourth Quarter of $1.5 Million or $0.09 Per Share and $2.7 Million or $0.15 Per Share for the Year Ended December 31, 2012

RENTON, Wash., Jan. 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), the holding company for First Savings Bank Northwest (the "Bank"), today reported net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2012 of $1.5 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $791,000, or $0.04 per diluted share for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 and net income of $927,000, or $0.05 per diluted share for the comparable quarter in 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income was $2.7 million or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to $4.2 million, or $0.24 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2011.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. and the Stilwell Group Announce Amendment to Litigation Settlement

RENTON, Wash., Jan. 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW) and the Stilwell Group announced that they have amended the agreement that was entered into to settle the litigation in which the Stilwell Group challenged the counting of votes in a contested director election at the Company's 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. Announces Departure of Director Gerald Edlund and Appointment of Joseph W. Kiley, III as Director

RENTON, Wash., Dec. 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. ("Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW), today announced that Director Gerald Edlund had retired from the Company's Board of Directors and that Joseph W. Kiley III had been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. In connection with his retirement from the Company's Board of Directors, Mr. Edlund is also retiring from the Board of Directors of First Savings Bank Northwest ("Bank"), the Company's financial institution subsidiary. Mr. Edlund's retirement is effective December 31, 2012 after serving as a director of the Company since its formation in 2007 and as a director of the Bank since 1985.

First Financial Northwest

First Financial Northwest, Inc. and the Stilwell Group Announce Settlement of Litigation

RENTON, Wash., Dec. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:FFNW) and the Stilwell Group announced that they have settled the litigation in which the Stilwell Group challenged the counting of votes in a contested director election at the Company's 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. In that election, the Stilwell Group's candidate, Spencer L. Schneider, ran against the Company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Victor Karpiak. In accord with the election results certified by an independent Inspector of Election, the Company announced that Mr. Karpiak was the winner of the election, but the Stilwell Group contested the result on the ground that proxies and votes submitted by them had not been counted.