First Foundation

What First Foundation does

First Foundation Inc. was a publicly traded (Nasdaq: FFWM, formerly NYSE), Texas-incorporated financial services holding company headquartered in Irvine, California, that operated two core subsidiaries: First Foundation Bank, an FDIC-insured depository institution, and First Foundation Advisors, an SEC registered investment adviser. The company offered an integrated suite of personal banking (checking, savings, money market, CDs, consumer credit cards, online and mobile banking), business banking (business checking and savings, treasury management, SBA lending, business credit cards, lines of credit, term loans, owner-occupied real estate financing), and income property lending (multifamily and commercial real estate), alongside a private wealth management platform encompassing investment management, wealth planning, trust services (including Nevada-domiciled trust structures), and philanthropy services such as donor advised funds and foundation administration.

The underlying technology stack was primarily a digital banking platform with online and mobile banking capabilities, complemented by separate login surfaces for personal banking, business banking, commercial banking, credit cards, wealth management (Orion Advisor login), and trust services; no proprietary AI, API, or SDK surface is documented in the available material. The business model combined net interest income from lending and deposit gathering with recurring fee income from investment management and wealth advisory, distributed through a sales-led, relationship-driven model across a physical branch network spanning California, Nevada, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas, supplemented by community engagement, professional referral networks, and content marketing. Customer segments were diversified across high-net-worth individuals and families (primary), small to medium businesses (primary), commercial and real estate clients, and foundations/nonprofits, with $7 billion in assets under management and approximately $13.6 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2024.

First Foundation pursued a multi-year inorganic and capital-raising strategy, completing the $295 million acquisition of TGR Financial in 2021 (entering Florida), pricing $150 million of subordinated debt in January 2022, and closing a $228 million equity investment led by Fortress Investment Group and Canyon Partners in July 2024 to strengthen its balance sheet. The company's independent trajectory ended on April 1, 2026, when it completed an all-stock merger with FirstSun Capital Bancorp valued at approximately $785 million, with First Foundation Bank merging into Sunflower Bank, N.A. and First Foundation Inc. delisting from public markets; the combined organization operates approximately $20.4 billion in assets across ten states under the Sunflower Bank, N.A. brand.

Name

First Foundation

Legal name

First Foundation Inc.

Website

https://firstfoundationinc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

First Foundation was a publicly traded, Irvine, California-based financial services holding company offering integrated personal banking, business banking, multifamily and commercial lending, and SEC-registered private wealth management to high-net-worth individuals, small to medium businesses, and commercial clients across the Western US; it was acquired by FirstSun Capital Bancorp in April 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Banking Services: Traditional banking services including deposits, lending (commercial, multifamily, SBA, personal), and treasury management
2. Wealth Management and Advisory: Investment management, wealth planning, and trust services through First Foundation Advisors, an SEC registered investment adviser
3. Philanthropy Services: Charitable giving advisory, donor advised funds, and foundation administration services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

First Foundation delivers personal and business banking through its FDIC-insured subsidiary First Foundation Bank, offering deposit accounts, consumer and commercial credit cards, treasury management, and specialized lending including SBA, multifamily, commercial real estate, and small business loans. Through its SEC-registered investment adviser First Foundation Advisors, the company provides investment management, wealth planning, trust services, and philanthropy advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and foundations.

Product overview

First Foundation offers a unified platform of financial services through two primary channels: First Foundation Bank (deposit-taking, FDIC-insured banking subsidiary) and First Foundation Advisors (SEC registered investment adviser). The banking platform encompasses personal and business deposit accounts, consumer and commercial credit products, SBA and multifamily lending, and treasury management services. The wealth management platform includes investment management, wealth planning, trust services, and philanthropy services. These products are designed to work together as an integrated financial ecosystem serving individuals, families, business owners, and commercial clients across California, Nevada, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas. The company operates as a relationship-focused community bank combined with sophisticated wealth advisory capabilities typically found at larger institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Banking

Quantifiable outcome

• 133 years of combined serving customers (FirstSun merger)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• FirstSun Capital BancorpmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025FirstSun Capital Bancorp and First Foundation Inc. combined in an all-stock merger valued at approximately $785 million. The merger created a combined entity with approximately $20.4 billion in assets, expanding FirstSun's presence across Southern California, the Southwest, and Florida. The transaction closed on April 1, 2026.
• TGR Financial, Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2021First Foundation acquired TGR Financial, Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $295 million. The merger expanded First Foundation's banking and trust services in Florida and increased total bank assets to approximately $9.4 billion. TGR's subsidiary, First Florida Integrity Bank, was merged into First Foundation Bank.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CVB Financial Corp: Ontario, California-based bank holding company for Citizens Business Bank, a comparable asset-size California regional bank with community/commercial banking and treasury management focus; highly comparable deposit-gathering and CRE lending model.
• FirstSun Capital Bancorp: Parent and merger partner of First Foundation Inc.; a Denver-based bank holding company operating Sunflower Bank, N.A., with similar community/commercial banking focus in the Western and Southwestern US. Now the surviving parent entity post-April 2026 merger.
• East West Bank: Pasadena-based regional bank with comparable asset size, West Coast branch network, and a focus on commercial lending, treasury management, and wealth services to business owners and professionals—a closely aligned model.
• Focus Financial Partners: National partnership platform for wealth management firms serving HNW clients—comparable in serving the same HNW advisory customer segment that First Foundation Advisors targets, though structured as a multi-firm roll-up rather than bank-owned RIA.
• Bank of Hawaii Corporation: Honolulu-based regional bank with a significant Hawaii branch presence that overlaps directly with First Foundation's Honolulu private wealth office; offers similar commercial banking, wealth, and trust services in the same island market.
• Pacific Premier Bancorp: California-headquartered regional bank holding company of similar asset size with a comparable commercial banking, CRE, and small-business lending franchise; closely overlapping Western US footprint and target customer profile.
• Cathay General Bancorp: Los Angeles-based bank holding company operating Cathay Bank, with a similar California-anchored commercial banking franchise and CRE/commercial lending focus; comparable asset range and customer base to First Foundation.
• Banner Corporation: Walla Walla, Washington-based bank holding company with a Pacific Northwest and Western US community banking franchise plus wealth management via Banner Bank Wealth Management—closely mirrors First Foundation's integrated bank + wealth model.

Broad incumbents

• UMB Financial Corporation: Kansas City-based diversified bank holding company with institutional asset management, family wealth, and traditional banking businesses; comparable integrated wealth + commercial banking model at larger scale.
• Western Alliance Bancorporation: Larger Phoenix-based regional bank operating several banking divisions across the Western US with a wealth management arm; broader portfolio but overlaps significantly with First Foundation's target segments and geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SunflowerBank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-foundation-inc.
• Xx.com/FirstFoundInc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Foundation