Three years ago, the city of Akron said it provided financial incentives to keep FirstMerit and its 2,000 corporate jobs in Akron. Because Huntington is sensitive to the economic impact in FirstMerit's headquarters city, the bank is promising that, since it says FirstMerit employs 1,200 in Akron now, it will also employ 1,200 in the future. That number could dip in the interim. "Huntington is committed to maintaining a stable employment level within the city," bank spokesman Brent Wilder said Friday. "To that end, Steve (Steinour) has gone on record noting that Huntington may ask some workers (in other cities) to locate in Akron, although there are no formal plans at this very early stage. "Our commitment is to maintain stable employment levels in Akron and we will strive to minimize job loss for current FirstMerit nonbranch employees by offering priority job access at Huntington," he added. "That does not mean they will have the same jobs at conversion."