# Farmers & Merchants Trust Company

Farmers & Merchants Trust Company is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Long Beach, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust
- **Headquarters:** Long Beach, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Long Beach, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 1920
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** fmtc.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/farmers-&-merchants-trust-company

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Farmers & Merchants Trust Company extends the legacy of its parent bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach, founded in 1907 by C.J. Walker. The bank is notable among California financial institutions for maintaining conservative underwriting standards that allowed it to post a profit in every year of the Great Depression, a stability narrative the trust company carries into its client relationships. The trust division acts as a fiduciary, settling estates, administering trusts, and managing investment portfolios for high-net-worth individuals and families concentrated on the West Coast. Investment management at the trust company is rooted in a conservative, income-oriented philosophy. Portfolios typically span taxable and tax-exempt fixed-income, large-cap domestic equities, and real estate, often through direct ownership of commercial property rather than REITs. The firm acts as a named trustee and co-trustee on bespoke family structures, operating under California trust law. Its approach avoids commingled fund structures, favoring separately managed accounts that give clients transparency into every holding. The trust company functions within the bank's broader wealth division, leveraging a shared balance sheet and in-house tax, estate planning, and lending capabilities. While exact trust assets under management are not publicly segmented from the bank's reported financials, the parent company, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, held total assets of roughly $17 billion as reported in its 2024 annual filing. The bank operates additional branches across Orange and Santa Barbara counties, extending the trust team's physical reach without requiring a separate office footprint. What separates Farmers & Merchants Trust Company from the typical bank trust department is its independence. The bank has been controlled by the Walker family for over a century, a multi-generational ownership structure unmatched among California banks of comparable size. This governance allows the trust company to avoid short-term earnings pressure when managing generational wealth for other families, aligning its own corporate structure with the multi-decade time horizon required of a true fiduciary.

## Questions

### Which types of clients does Farmers & Merchants Trust Company serve?

The firm serves high-net-worth individuals, families, and foundations, predominantly based in Southern California. Relationships often span multiple generations, with the trust company acting as a named trustee or co-trustee on family trusts. Institutional clients include non-profit endowments and pension plans seeking a conservative fiduciary manager.

### Is Farmers & Merchants Trust Company focused on any specific sectors or asset classes?

The firm's fixed-income portfolios concentrate on high-grade municipal and corporate bonds, while equity allocations center on large-cap, dividend-paying U.S. stocks. Real estate exposure is often achieved through direct ownership of commercial properties, a legacy of the bank's pre-REIT era trust administration. The firm does not pursue venture capital, private equity, or hedge fund allocations within its core fiduciary mandate.

## Related profiles

- [Farmers & Merchants Bank](https://altss.com/profile/farmers-merchants-bank)
- [Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa](https://altss.com/profile/farmers-mutual-hail-insurance-company-of-iowa)

---

Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/farmers-merchants-trust-company

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology