Ownership Submission
FORM 3
 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
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(Print or Type Responses)
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *
  Ritzert Gerald J
 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
12/18/2009		 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. [NWBI]
(Last)
(First)
(Middle)
100 LIBERTY STREET		 4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
_____ Director _____ 10% Owner
__X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below)
Sr. Vice President, Controller
 5. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year)
(Street)

WARREN, PA 16365		 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line)
_X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person
___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
1.Title of Security
(Instr. 4)		 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned
(Instr. 4)		 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 5)		 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 5)
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 4,379.67
D
 
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 665
I
Wife's IRA
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 3,310.04
I
401-K
Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 493.14
I
ESOP

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. SEC 1473 (7-02)
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Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security
(Instr. 4)		 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date
(Month/Day/Year)		 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security
(Instr. 4)		 4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 5. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 5)		 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 5)
Date Exercisable Expiration Date Title Amount or Number of Shares
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 12/15/2004 12/15/2014 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 2,790 $ 11.33 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 01/19/2006 01/19/2015 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 3,937.5 $ 10.19 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 01/18/2007 01/18/2016 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 3,937.5 $ 9.86 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 06/09/2006 08/20/2013 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 1,095.75 $ 11.26 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 01/17/2008 01/17/2017 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 3,937.5 $ 11.51 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 04/25/2007 08/20/2013 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 333 $ 12.29 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 08/22/2007 08/20/2013 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 317.25 $ 12.92 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 01/16/2009 01/16/2018 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 10,125 $ 11.12 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 11/19/2009 11/19/2018 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 10,125 $ 9.79 D  
Stock Options (Right to Buy) 02/18/2010 02/18/2019 Northwest Bancshares, Inc. 10,125 $ 7.48 D  

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address Relationships
Director 10% Owner Officer Other
Ritzert Gerald J
100 LIBERTY STREET
WARREN, PA 16365		       Sr. Vice President, Controller  

Signatures

Gerald J. Ritzert 12/18/2009
**Signature of Reporting Person Date

Explanation of Responses:

* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, See Instruction 6 for procedure.

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