This is an editorial by The Flint Journal editorial board.

After nearly a century and a half, Citizens Republic Bancorp Inc. is no more.

The Flint-based bank and Akron, Ohio-based FirstMerit Corp. have entered into a definitive agreement under which FirstMerit will acquire the 142-year-old Citizens in a stock-for-stock transaction with a total value of approximately $912 million.

So ends our community’s long and storied relationship with the giant lender.

Even as we thank Citizens and its workers for their long-time support of our community, and downtown Flint in particular, it’s impossible not to mourn the loss and not to be anxious about what the future holds.

The boards of directors of both companies unanimously agreed to the plan, which will give shareholders a fixed 1.37 shares of FirstMerit common stock for each share of Citizens’ common stock.

As part of the deal, FirstMerit also is expected to repay the $345 million Citizens owes on a 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program loan from the federal government.

Bank mergers and acquisitions are nothing new, but this one is keenly felt. Not only is the bank a key fixture in downtown Flint, it’s one of Genesee County’s largest taxpayers.

Indeed, after banks were gobbled up nationwide, Citizens remained as the largest Michigan-based financial institution. It employs nearly 2,000 people at its 220 branches.

So, what does the future hold once its sale is complete in mid-2013?

Will all of the people in our community who now work at Citizens branches still have a job? Will the new bank keep a branch in downtown Flint? For that matter, what will happen to the iconic weather ball that sits atop the downtown building?

Answers will be coming. Changes are inevitable.

But we hope FirstMerit, which employs 2,800 people and counts 205 branches in Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Chicago area, will want to maintain the strong local ties to our community that Citizens has cultivated here.