** MutualFirst Financial's shares  MFSF.O  rise 19.8% to
$39.40, their highest in over a year
    ** Northwest Bancshares  NWBI.O  to acquire MFSF in an
all-stock deal valued at $39.89/share or about $346 mln 
    ** As part of merger, one MutualFirst director will be added
to Northwest's bank and holding company boards  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nPn2PCW8Ca
    ** NWBI shares currently trading down 2.81% at $16.91
    ** Including sessions gains, MFSF has risen 48.1% this year

 (Reporting by Ashwini Raj in Bengaluru)
 ((Ashwini.Raj@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780,
outside U.S. +91 80 6749 8878;))