Farmers & Merchants Bank

What Farmers & Merchants Bank does

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL) is a California state-chartered community bank founded in 1907, operating as a subsidiary of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. The bank operates 27 physical branches spanning San Clemente to Santa Barbara on the California coast, supplemented by an online banking platform. It serves three primary customer segments — commercial banking (lending, deposits, treasury management), small business banking (loans, checking, credit), and consumer retail banking (checking, savings, mortgages, consumer loans) — through a relationship-led, sales-driven go-to-market model anchored in local presence.

The bank's revenue model is fundamentally spread-based: net interest income is the dominant stream, with Q1 2026 NII of $77.7 million (up 21% year-over-year) supplemented by non-interest banking fee income from deposit accounts, wire transfers, and related retail services. Capital strength is a defining operating feature, with a 21.94% total risk-based capital ratio well above regulatory 'well-capitalized' thresholds, $11.86 billion in total assets, $6.34 billion in gross loans, and a 2.71% net interest margin (up from 2.28% the prior year). The bank has declared 537 consecutive quarterly dividends since 1916, with the quarterly dividend value having never decreased.

Recent strategic activity includes a $200 million non-voting Series A Preferred Stock investment from a large (undisclosed) financial services company in October 2025, advisory-supported by Piper Sandler & Co. and Paul Hastings LLP. The bank has invested in technology and brand leadership through a new Chief Information and Technology Officer role and a Chief Marketing & Experience Officer appointment, and earned external recognition on Forbes America's Best Banks 2026 and Newsweek/Plant-A Insights America's Best Regional Banks & Credit Unions 2026.

Name

Farmers & Merchants Bank

Legal name

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach

Website

https://fmb.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach is a California state-chartered community bank founded in 1907, operating 27 branches from San Clemente to Santa Barbara. It provides commercial, small business, and consumer retail banking services — lending, deposits, treasury management, mortgages, and online banking — to businesses and individuals across coastal Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Citrus (except Orange) Groves (11132), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Apple Orchards (111331), Tree Nut Farming (111335), Fruit and Tree Nut Combination Farming (111336), Citrus (except Orange) Groves (111320), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

Branch & In-Person Banking (Teller/ATM Networks) (FSABAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Small Business Banking (Microbusiness/Sole Proprietor) (FSABAAAI)

Keywords

• Community banking services
• Commercial lending
• Consumer banking products
• Small business banking
• Online banking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Timberville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 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. Net Interest Income: Core banking revenue generated from the spread between interest earned on loans and interest paid on deposits. Q1 2026 net interest income reached $77.7 million, a 21% increase year-over-year, driven by growth in the loan portfolio and favorable interest rate environment.
2. Banking Fee Income: Non-interest income from banking services including deposit accounts, wire transfers, and other retail banking services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Farmers & Merchants Bank is a California state-chartered community bank operating 27 branches from San Clemente to Santa Barbara. It provides commercial lending, deposit accounts, treasury management services to businesses, small business banking products, and personal banking including checking, savings, mortgages, and consumer loans. The bank also offers an online banking platform for digital account access and transactions.

Product overview

Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M Bank) is a California state-chartered community bank founded in 1907, operating 27 branches from San Clemente to Santa Barbara. The bank operates as a single unified banking platform offering three core product lines: Commercial Banking (serving business clients with lending, deposits, and treasury management), Small Business Banking (tailored products for small enterprises), and Consumer Retail Banking (personal accounts, loans, and mortgages). The bank also provides Online Banking as a digital channel for all customer segments to access accounts and conduct transactions. Additionally, the bank maintains operations in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan through its parent company Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Q1 2026 net income of $21.9 million, up 30% year-over-year from $16.8 million
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CVB Financial (Citizens Business Bank): California-based commercial bank with a comparable mix of commercial, small business, and retail customers, often used as a community-bank benchmark for California-focused franchises.
• Westamerica Bancorp: Northern California community bank with a similar branch-based commercial and consumer banking model, comparable in size and product scope to F&M.
• East West Bank: California-based commercial bank with similar branch-based community banking model targeting commercial, small business, and consumer customers in California and the broader western U.S.
• Pacific Premier Bancorp: California-based commercial bank with similar community banking footprint and product mix, serving small-to-medium businesses and retail customers on the West Coast.
• Mechanics Bank: California-focused community bank offering commercial, small business, and consumer banking services across multiple California metros, closely comparable in product set and target customer segments.
• Heritage Commerce Corp: Bay Area-based community bank offering commercial, small business, and consumer banking services; comparable to F&M in product mix and California focus.
• Bank of California (Banc of California): California-headquartered community/commercial bank operating branches across the state with commercial, small business, and consumer banking products directly overlapping F&M's offerings.
• TriCo Bancshares: California community bank operating commercial, small business, and consumer banking branches in the western U.S., with similar customer profile and product set to F&M.
• Cathay General Bancorp: California-headquartered commercial bank serving commercial, small business, and consumer customers across the western U.S. Closely comparable to F&M in geography, customer mix, and product set; explicitly benchmarked in F&M's own ownership data.

Regional players

• Bank of Hawaii: Pacific-region community bank with a comparable branch-based relationship banking model and product mix; serves a different primary geography but is a useful regional banking benchmark for F&M's profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fmbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Farmers & Merchants Bank