First Foundation Bank Expands Commercial Banking Team in Los Angeles

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–First Foundation Inc. (NASDAQ: FFWM) (“First Foundation”), a financial services company with two wholly owned operating subsidiaries, First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank, announced the expansion of their Commercial Banking team in Los Angeles county with the appointment of Matthew Ashworth as SVP, Director of Commercial Banking, Leeza Jinian as SVP, Commercial Banking Manager, and Yenee Mesfin as SVP, Commercial Banker.

First Foundation Bank recently promoted Michael Berry to Commercial Banking Executive to lead all the bank’s Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, Small Business, and Public Finance teams (https://www.firstfoundationinc.com/news-insights/first-foundation-bank-promotes-michael-berry-director-commercial-banking). With the bank’s growing emphasis on commercial banking, the appointments of this Los Angeles-based team help increase the reach of the team and ensure the bank continues to provide the exceptional level of client service clients have come to expect.

Matthew Ashworth will be responsible for leading the newly formed Los Angeles team of Commercial Bankers by helping them grow their portfolio while still building relationships with new and existing clients. Leeza Jinian will be responsible for generating new commercial banking connections within the community as well as maintaining the bank’s credit quality. Yenee Mesfin will be responsible for cultivating new client relationships within Los Angeles county and expanding the reach of First Foundation Bank’s commercial banking offering.

“We are excited to continue growing our Commercial Banking team, especially across the LA region,” said Michael Berry, Commercial Banking Executive of First Foundation Bank. “Matthew, Leeza, and Yenee each bring decades of experience in commercial banking in LA county, and as the bank continues to diversify our offering, this team is a perfect fit to help serve clients in one of our core markets.”

Ashworth brings over twenty years of experience in the commercial banking industry, most recently he served as Senior Vice President, Los Angeles Regional Manager at Pacific Mercantile Bank. Jinian has served the Los Angeles county for over twenty years and previously was a Senior Vice President, Market Manager for Banc of California in Los Angeles. Mesfin has been working in business banking for fifteen years and served as a Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager for Banc of California.

First Foundation Bank serves the greater LA region with six branch office locations. For a list of all of our locations, please visit: https://www.firstfoundationinc.com/find-location.

About First Foundation

First Foundation Inc. (NASDAQ: FFWM) and its subsidiaries offer personal banking, business banking, and private wealth management services, including investment, trust, insurance, and philanthropy services. This comprehensive platform of financial services is designed to help clients at any stage in their financial journey. First Foundation is comprised of an extraordinary team of financial professionals united around a single cause: to enable growth-minded individuals and businesses to boldly live the life they imagined and preserve the legacy they’ve worked so hard to build. The broad range of financial products and services offered by First Foundation are more consistent with those offered by larger financial institutions, while its high level of personalized service, accessibility, and responsiveness to clients is more aligned with community banks and boutique wealth management firms. This combination of an integrated platform of comprehensive financial services and the products along with personalized service differentiates First Foundation from many of its competitors and has contributed to the growth of its client base and business. Services are offered through bank and/or wealth management branch offices in California, Texas, Nevada, and Hawaii. Learn more at firstfoundationinc.com, or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.