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         AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MARCH 12, 2001
                                                      REGISTRATION NO. 333-52188

   ===========================================================================
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                  -------------

                          POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.1

                                       ON

                                    FORM S-8

                                       TO

                                    FORM S-4

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                  -------------

                               FIFTH THIRD BANCORP
                              -------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

               OHIO                                              31-0854434
-----------------------------                                  --------------
(State or other jurisdiction of                              (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                               Identification No.)

                               FIFTH THIRD CENTER
                             CINCINNATI, OHIO 45263
                             ----------------------
                         (Address of principal executive
                          offices, including zip code)

  Capital Holdings, Inc. 1988 Incentive Stock Option Plan, 1996 Incentive Stock
 Option Plan, Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan and 1999 Long-Term
                                 Incentive Plan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            (Full title of the plans)
                                                             Copy To:
    PAUL L. REYNOLDS, ESQ.                           RICHARD G. SCHMALZL, ESQ.
    FIFTH THIRD BANCORP                              H. SAMUEL LIND, ESQ.
    38 FOUNTAIN SQUARE PLAZA                         GRAYDON HEAD & RITCHEY LLP
    CINCINNATI, OHIO 45263                           511 WALNUT STREET
    1900 FIFTH THIRD CENTER                          CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202
    (513) 579-5300                                   (513) 621-6464
    (513) 744-6757 (FAX)                             (513) 651-3836 (FAX)
    (Name, address and telephone
    number, including area code,
    of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TITLE OF EACH CLASS                                                    PROPOSED MAXIMUM
   OF SECURITIES          AMOUNT TO BE         PROPOSED MAXIMUM       AGGREGATE OFFERING      AMOUNT OF
  TO BE REGISTERED      REGISTERED(1)(2)   OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE          PRICE        REGISTRATION FEE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              
  COMMON STOCK, NO       573,580 SHARES       N/A                      N/A                 N/A(3)
PAR VALUE PER SHARE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


(1)      This Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form S-8 to Form S-4 covers
         573,580 shares of common stock originally registered on the
         Registration Statement on Form S-4 to which this Amendment relates.
         These 573,580 shares of common stock are issuable pursuant to options
         granted to certain directors, officers and employees of Capital
         Holdings, Inc. assumed by the Registrant. See "Purpose of Amendment."

(2)      In addition, pursuant to Rule 416, this registration statement covers
         such additional shares as may be issued by reason of stock splits,
         stock dividends or similar transactions.

(3)      The Registrant previously paid $71,223.29 upon the initial filing of
         this Registration Statement to register 5,800,000 shares of common
         stock issuable to the shareholders of Capital Holdings, Inc. including
         the 573,580 shares of common stock which may be issued pursuant to
         exercises of the options described above.

  ============================================================================


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                              PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT

         The purpose of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 is to register, on
Form S-8, 573,580 shares of common stock, no par value per share, of Fifth
Third Bancorp previously registered on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-52188) for
issuance pursuant to options granted to certain directors, officers and
employees of Capital Holdings, Inc. under its 1988 Incentive Stock Option Plan,
1996 Incentive Stock Option Plan, Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan and
1999 Long-Term Incentive Plan pursuant to the terms and conditions of an
Affiliation Agreement dated as of October 24, 2000, between Fifth Third and
Capital Holdings, which provided for the merger of Capital Holdings with and
into Fifth Third. The merger was consummated on March 9, 2001.

PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS.

         The documents containing the information required in Part I of the
registration statement will be provided to each option holder as required by
Rule 428(b)(1). Such documents are not being filed with the SEC in accordance
with the instructions to Form S-8, but constitute (along with the documents
incorporated by reference into the registration statement pursuant to Item 3 of
Part II hereof) a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the
Securities Act of 1933.

PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT.

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
        ---------------------------------------

         The following documents, as filed with the Commission, are incorporated
herein by reference:

         (1)  the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
              ended December 31, 1999;

         (2)  the Registrant's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters
              ended March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2000;

         (3)  the Registrant's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on
              June 21, July 17 and November 20, 2000, as amended on January 30,
              2001, March 6, and March 9, 2001; and

         (4)  the description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained in a
              registration statement filed under the Securities and Exchange Act
              of 1934, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose
              of updating such description.

         All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c),
14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, after the date hereof and
prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all such securities
remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to


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be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents.

Item 4.           Description of Securities.
                  -------------------------

                  Not applicable.

Item 5.           Interest of Named Experts and Counsel.
                  -------------------------------------

                  Not applicable.

Item 6.           Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
                  -----------------------------------------

                  Section 1701.13(E) of the Ohio Revised Code provides that a
corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who was or is a
party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending, or
completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative,
or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, by
reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of
the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another
corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability
company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against
expenses, including attorney's fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such
action, suit, or proceeding, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he had
no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any
action, suit, or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction, or
upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a
presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, that he had
reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. Section 1701.13(E)(2)
further specifies that a corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any
person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any
threatened, pending, or completed action or suit by or in the right of the
corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact that he is
or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was
serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer,
employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign,
nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint
venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney's
fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or
settlement of such action or suit, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of (a) any
claim, issue, or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be
liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the
corporation unless, and only to the extent, that the court of common pleas or
the court in which such action or suit was brought determines, upon application,
that, despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the
circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnity for such


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expenses as the court of common pleas or such other court shall deem proper, and
(b) any action or suit in which the only liability asserted against a director
is pursuant to Section 1701.95 of the Ohio Revised Code concerning unlawful
loans, dividends and distribution of assets. In addition, Section 1701.13(E)
requires a corporation to pay any expenses, including attorney's fees, of a
director in defending an action, suit, or proceeding referred to above as they
are incurred, in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit, or
proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director in
which he agrees to both (i) repay such amount if it is proved by clear and
convincing evidence that his action or failure to act involved an act or
omission undertaken with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or
undertaken with reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation and
(ii) reasonably cooperate with the corporation concerning the action, suit, or
proceeding. The indemnification provided by Section 1701.13(E) shall not be
deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may
be entitled under the articles of incorporation or code of regulations of Fifth
Third.

         The code of regulations of Fifth Third provides that Fifth Third shall
indemnify each director and each officer of Fifth Third, and each person
employed by Fifth Third who serves at the written request of the President of
Fifth Third as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, to the full extent
permitted by Ohio law. Fifth Third may indemnify assistant officers, employees
and others by action of the Board of Directors to the extent permitted by Ohio
law.

         Fifth Third carries directors' and officers' liability insurance
coverage which insures its directors and officers and the directors and officers
of its subsidiaries in certain circumstances.

Item 7.           Exemption from Registration Claimed.
                  -----------------------------------

                  Not applicable.

Item 8.           Exhibits.
                  --------

Exhibit           Description of Exhibit
-------           ----------------------
  4.1             Amended Articles of  Incorporation, as amended*
  4.2             Code of Regulations, as amended*
  5.1             Opinion of Counsel employed by Fifth Third Bancorp**
 23.1             Consent of Counsel employed by Fifth Third Bancorp (included
                   in Exhibit 5.1)**
 23.2             Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP
-----             --------------------------------
*        Incorporated by reference.  See Exhibit Index.
**       Previously filed.

Item 9.           Undertakings
                  ------------
A.       INDEMNIFICATION

         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be

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permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant
pursuant to the provisions referred to in Item 6, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

B.       SUBSEQUENT EXCHANGE OF DOCUMENTS

         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in this
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.       OTHER

         The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

              (i)    To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                     the Securities Act of 1933;

              (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                     after the effective date of the registration statement (or
                     the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                     individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                     change in the information set forth in the registration
                     statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or
                     decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total
                     dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that
                     which was registered) and any deviation from the low or
                     high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be
                     reflected in the form of a prospectus filed with Commission
                     pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes
                     in volume and price represented no more than a 20% change
                     in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the
                     "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective
                     registration statement;

              (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
                     plan of distribution

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                     not previously disclosed in the registration statement or
                     any material change to such information in the registration
                     statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs 1(i) and 1(ii) do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the
Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the
registration statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of
the offering.

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                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
the requirements for filing on Form S-8, and has duly caused this Post-Effective
Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement No. 333-52188 to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cincinnati,
State of Ohio, on March 12, 2001.

                                   FIFTH THIRD BANCORP

                                   By: /s/ GEORGE A. SCHAEFER, JR.
                                       ---------------------------
                                       George A. Schaefer, Jr.
                                       President and Chief  Executive Officer

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement No. 333-52188 has been
signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Principal Executive Officer:


/s/ GEORGE A. SCHAEFER, JR.                          Date:    March 12, 2001
---------------------------
George A. Schaefer, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer


Principal Financial Officer:


/s/ NEAL E. ARNOLD                                   Date:    March 12, 2001
------------------
Neal E. Arnold
Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice
President and Treasurer

Principal Accounting Officer:


/s/ ROGER W. DEAN                                    Date:    March 12, 2001
-----------------
Roger W. Dean
Controller

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Directors of the Company:

/s/ DARRYL F. ALLEN*                                 Date:    March 12, 2001
-------------------
Darryl F. Allen

/s/ JOHN F. BARRETT*                                 Date:    March 12, 2001
-------------------
John F. Barrett

/s/ GERALD V. DIRVIN*                                Date:    March 12, 2001
--------------------
Gerald V. Dirvin

/s/ THOMAS B. DONNELL*                               Date:    March 12, 2001
----------------------
Thomas B. Donnell

/s/ RICHARD T. FARMER*                               Date:    March 12, 2001
----------------------
Richard T. Farmer

/s/ JOSEPH H. HEAD, JR.*                             Date:    March 12, 2001
------------------------
Joseph H. Head, Jr.



------------------                                   Date:
Joan R. Herschede

/s/ ALLEN M. HILL*                                   Date:    March 12, 2001
-----------------
Allen M. Hill

/s/ WILLIAM G. KAGLER*                               Date:    March 12, 2001
---------------------
William G. Kagler

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/s/ JAMES D. KIGGEN*                                 Date:    March 12, 2001
-------------------
James D. Kiggen

/s/ ROBERT L. KOCH, II*                              Date:    March 12, 2001
-----------------------
Robert L. Koch, II


/s/ MITCHEL D. LIVINGSTON*                           Date:    March 12, 2001
--------------------------
Mitchel D. Livingston, Ph.D.



/s/ ROBERT B. MORGAN*                                Date:    March 12, 2001
---------------------
Robert B. Morgan

/s/ DAVID E. REESE*                                  Date:    March 12, 2001
------------------
David E. Reese


-----------------                                    Date:
James E. Rogers



/S/ BRIAN H. ROWE*                                   Date:    March 12, 2001
------------------
Brian H. Rowe

/S/ GEORGE A. SCHAEFER, JR.                          Date:    March 12, 2001
---------------------------
George A. Schaefer, Jr.




/S/ JOHN J. SCHIFF, JR.*                             Date:    March 12, 2001
------------------------
John J. Schiff, Jr.


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/S/ DONALD B. SCHACKELFORD*                          Date:    March 12, 2001
---------------------------
Donald B. Schackelford

/S/ DENNIS J. SULLIVAN, JR.*                         Date:    March 12, 2001
----------------------------
Dennis J. Sullivan, Jr.



/S/ DUDLEY S. TAFT*                                  Date:    March 12, 2001
-------------------
Dudley S. Taft

/S/ THOMAS W. TRAYLOR*                               Date:    March 12, 2001
----------------------
Thomas W. Traylor

* By:    /S/ GEORGE A. SCHAEFER, JR.
         ---------------------------
         George A. Schaefer, Jr.
         as attorney-in-fact pursuant to
         a power of attorney previously
         filed

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                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT              Description of Exhibit
-------              ----------------------
 4.1          Amended Articles of Incorporation, as amended (Filed as an Exhibit
              to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
              ended March 31, 2000, and incorporated by reference herein)*

 4.2          Code of Regulations, as amended (Filed as an Exhibit to the
              Registrant's Form S-4, Registration No. 33-63966, and incorporated
              by reference herein)*

 5.1          Opinion of Counsel employed by Fifth Third Bancorp**

23.1          Consent of Counsel employed by Fifth Third Bancorp (included in
              Exhibit 5.1)**

23.2          Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP
-----------------
*        Incorporated by reference.
**       Previously filed.


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