Exhibit 99.1

For Immediate Release

FIRST DEFIANCE FINANCIAL CORP. ANNOUNCES

2016 FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS

DEFIANCE, OHIO (April 18, 2016) – First Defiance Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FDEF) announced today that earnings for the first quarter of 2016 were $7.1 million, or $0.78 per diluted common share compared to $6.6 million, or $0.69 per diluted common share for the first quarter of 2015.

“Our first quarter financial performance results are very solid,” said Donald P. Hileman, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Defiance Financial Corp. “Earnings are strong, and we are especially pleased that the very positive momentum in our loan and deposit growth has carried forward from 2015. Attracting new customers and expanding relationships are key drivers of our revenue growth and profitability.”

Net interest income up compared to first quarter 2015

Net interest income of $19.2 million in the first quarter of 2016 was up from $18.2 million in the first quarter of 2015. Net interest income grew $1.0 million over the prior year’s first quarter despite interest recoveries of $264,000 in the first quarter last year that were mainly due to loan payoffs versus none in the first quarter this year. Net interest margin was 3.80% for the first quarter of 2016, up from 3.77% in the fourth quarter of 2015, but down from 3.88% in the first quarter of 2015. Yield on interest earning assets decreased by 2 basis points to 4.18% in the first quarter of 2016 from 4.20% in the first quarter of 2015. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased by 7 basis points in the first quarter of 2016 to 0.49% from 0.42% in the first quarter of 2015.

“Our first quarter net interest margin improved over the fourth quarter and continues to benefit from a profitable earning asset mix and balanced risk position,” said Hileman. “These strengths combined with our overall balance sheet growth generated a net interest income increase of 5.5% over the first quarter last year.”

Non-interest income up from first quarter 2015

First Defiance’s non-interest income for the first quarter of 2016 was $8.6 million compared with $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2015. The first quarter 2016 included net securities gains of $131,000 and net gains on the sale of OREO of $317,000 while the first quarter 2015 included no gain or loss on the sale of securities and $67,000 of net gains on the sale of other real estate owned (“OREO”).

Mortgage banking income decreased to $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2016, down from $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2015, mostly due to lower mortgage volumes this year compared to a year ago. Gains from the sale of mortgage loans decreased in the first quarter of 2016 to $1.0 million from $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2015. Mortgage loan servicing revenue was $877,000 in the first quarter of 2016, basically even with $875,000 in the first quarter of 2015. First Defiance had a negative change in the valuation adjustment in mortgage servicing assets of $21,000 in the first quarter of 2016 compared with a positive adjustment of $26,000 in the first quarter of 2015.

For the first quarter 2016, service fees and other charges were $2.6 million, up slightly from $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2015; and commissions from the sale of insurance products were $3.1 million, level with the first quarter of 2015. The first quarter typically includes contingent revenues, bonuses paid by insurance carriers when the Company achieves certain loss ratios or growth targets. In the first quarter of 2016, First Defiance’s insurance subsidiary, First Insurance Group, earned $799,000 of contingent income, compared to $967,000 during the first quarter of 2015. Trust income was $427,000 in the first quarter of 2016, up from $357,000 in the first quarter of 2015.

“First quarter total non-interest income was up 4.3% versus a year ago,” said Hileman. “The increase included growth in service fees and trust income, in addition to gains on securities and OREO sales. While mortgage banking revenues were down from last year, our mortgage business is expected to make important contributions to our profitability over the rest of the year.”

Non-interest expenses up from first quarter 2015

Total non-interest expense was $17.3 million in the first quarter of 2016, up from $16.9 million in the first quarter of 2015. Compensation and benefits increased to $10.2 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared to $8.9 million in the first quarter of 2015. The increase in compensation and benefits from a year ago is mainly due to higher health benefit costs, merit increases and staff additions for growth. Occupancy expense was $1.8 million in the first quarter 2016, up only $21,000 from the first quarter 2015. Data processing cost was $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2016, down $63,000 from the first quarter of 2015. Other non-interest expense of $2.9 million in the first quarter of 2016, decreased from $3.6 million in the first quarter of 2015 primarily due to OREO write-downs of $522,000 in the first quarter 2015 versus only $53,000 in the first quarter 2016.

Credit quality

Non-performing loans totaled $17.7 million at March 31, 2016, a decrease from $18.7 million at March 31, 2015. In addition, First Defiance had $1.1 million of OREO at March 31, 2016 compared to $6.4 million at March 31, 2015. Accruing troubled debt restructured loans were $11.3 million at March 31, 2016 compared with $19.6 million at March 31, 2015. For the first quarter of 2016, First Defiance recorded net charge-offs of $78,000, compared to net recoveries of $416,000 in the first quarter of 2015. The allowance for loan loss as a percentage of total loans was 1.41% at March 31, 2016 compared with 1.50% at March 31, 2015.

The first quarter of 2016 results include a provision for loan losses of $364,000 compared with $120,000 for the same period in 2015.

“For the first quarter, asset quality continues to reflect significant improvement from a year ago,” said Hileman. “Total non-performing assets, including troubled debt restructurings, were down $14.6 million, or 33%, from the prior year; and we remain focused on additional reductions going forward.”

Total assets at $2.4 billion

Total assets at March 31, 2016 were $2.36 billion compared to $2.30 billion at December 31, 2015 and $2.20 billion at March 31, 2015. Net loans receivable (excluding loans held for sale) were $1.80 billion at March 31, 2016 compared to $1.78 billion at December 31, 2015 and $1.66 billion at March 31, 2015. Total cash and cash equivalents were $123.8 million at March 31, 2016 compared with $79.8 at December 31, 2015 and $81.5 million at March 31, 2015. Also, at March 31, 2016, goodwill and other intangible assets totaled $63.5 million compared to $63.7 million at December 31, 2015 and March 31, 2015.

Total deposits at March 31, 2016 were $1.87 billion compared with $1.84 billion at December 31, 2015 and $1.77 billion at March 31, 2015. Non-interest bearing deposits at March 31, 2016 were $426.1 million compared to $420.7 million at December 31, 2015 and $371.0 million at March 31, 2015. Total stockholders’ equity was $280.4 million at March 31, 2016 compared to $280.2 million at December 31, 2015 and $273.1 million at March 31, 2015.

Dividend to be paid May 27

The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.22 per common share payable May 27, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 20, 2016. The dividend represents an annual dividend of 2.28 percent based on the First Defiance common stock closing price on April 15, 2016. First Defiance has approximately 8,961,358 common shares outstanding.

Conference call

First Defiance Financial Corp. will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 to discuss the earnings results and business trends. The conference call may be accessed by calling 1-877-444-1726. In addition, a live webcast may be accessed at http://services.choruscall.com/links/fdef160419.

Audio replay of the Internet Webcast will be available at www.fdef.com until April 19, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

First Defiance Financial Corp.

First Defiance Financial Corp., headquartered in Defiance, Ohio, is the holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest and First Insurance Group. First Federal operates 34 full-service branches and 41 ATM locations in northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and northeast Indiana and a loan production office in Columbus, Ohio. First Insurance Group is a full-service insurance agency with six offices throughout northwest Ohio.

For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.fdef.com.

Financial Statements and Highlights Follow-

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21 B of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be safe harbors created thereby. Those statements may include, but are not limited to, all statements regarding intent, beliefs, expectations, projections, forecasts and plans of First Defiance Financial Corp. and its management, and specifically include statements regarding: changes in economic conditions, the nature, extent and timing of governmental actions and reforms, future movements of interest rates, the production levels of mortgage loan generation, the ability to continue to grow loans and deposits, the ability to benefit from a changing interest rate environment, the ability to sustain credit quality ratios at current or improved levels, the ability to sell real estate owned properties, continued strength in the market area for First Federal Bank of the Midwest, and the ability to grow in existing and adjacent markets. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including those inherent in general and local banking, insurance and mortgage conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which First Defiance and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions or capital market conditions and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. One or more of these factors have affected or could in the future affect First Defiance's business and financial results in future periods and could cause actual results to differ materially from plans and projections. Therefore, there can be no assurances that the forward-looking statements included in this news release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by First Defiance or any other persons, that our objectives and plans will be achieved. All forward-looking statements made in this news release are based on information presently available to the management of First Defiance. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

As required by U.S. GAAP, First Defiance will evaluate the impact of subsequent events through the issuance date of its March 31, 2016 consolidated financial statements as part of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the SEC. Accordingly, subsequent events could occur that may cause First Defiance to update its critical accounting estimates and to revise its financial information from that which is contained in this news release.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

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Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)

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Financial Summary and Comparison (Unaudited)

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NM Percentage change not meaningful

Income from Mortgage Banking

Revenue from sales and servicing of mortgage loans consisted of the following:

Yield Analysis

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Selected Quarterly Information

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Selected Quarterly Information

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Loan Delinquency Information

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