8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 31, 2018

FIRST FOUNDATION INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-36461	20-8639702
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification Number)

18101 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 700
Irvine, California	92612
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

(949) 202-4160

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐		Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 7.01   Regulation FD Disclosure

A copy of a slide presentation that First Foundation Inc. (the “Company”) may use for upcoming meetings with investors and other interested parties is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein. Additionally, the Company has posted the slide presentation in the Investor Relations section of its website at http://investor.ff-inc.com/.  Information obtained or linked to the foregoing website shall not be deemed to be included in this Current Report on Form 8-K.  The furnishing of the attached presentation is not an admission as to the materiality of any information therein. The information contained in the slides is summary information that is intended to be considered in the context of more complete information included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and other public announcements that the Company has made and may make from time to time by press release or otherwise. The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update or revise the information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K except to the extent required by applicable law, although the Company may do so from time to time as its management believes is appropriate. Any such updating may be made through the filing of other reports or documents with the SEC, through press releases or through other public disclosures. For important information about forward looking statements, see the slide titled “Safe Harbor Statement” in Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto.

The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section or Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The information contained in this Item 7.01 and in the presentation attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing with the SEC made by the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

Item 9.01	Financial Statements and Exhibits.
Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Company Slide Presentation – February 2018

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	FIRST FOUNDATION INC.
Date: January 31, 2018	By:	/s/ JOHN MICHEL
		John M. Michel Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.1

FEBRUARY 2018 Investor Presentation Exhibit 99.1

This presentation and the accompanying oral commentary contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements express our current assumptions, beliefs, plans and expectations about our future financial performance and achievements and are necessarily based on current information available to us. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not statements of historical facts and can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts, “projects,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those expressions. In particular, forward-looking statements contained in this presentation and the accompanying oral commentary relate to, among other things, our future or assumed financial condition, results of operations, strategic plans and objectives, competitive position and potential growth opportunities. The realization of our future financial performance and the achievement of our plans and objectives, including the achievement of our strategic plans and the realization of our potential growth opportunities, as set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation and the accompanying oral commentary, are subject to substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation or expressed in the accompanying oral commentary. For a discussion of some of these risks, please see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2017, and in the other documents we file with the SEC from time to time. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available to us in the future. Safe Harbor Statement

Selected Financial Information Financial Highlights : As of or for the Year Ended December 31, 2017 Loans $3.8 Billion Revenue: $152.3 Million Deposits $3.4 Billion Net Income: $27.6 Million Total Assets $4.5 Billion ROAA 0.70% AUM $4.3 Billion ROE 8.5% TBV per share $9.46 2 Efficiency Ratio 63.3% 1 Growth / Footprint Loan production: $1.72 billion – 2017; $1.77 billion – 2016 Deposit growth: $1.02 billion - 2017; $905 million – 2016 Revenue growth: 23% - 2017; 43% - 2016 AUM growth: $709 million - 2017; $115 million - 2016 Bank Offices: Southern California (8); Northern California (4); Hawaii and Nevada The efficiency ratio is the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income and noninterest income and excludes one-time items of income or expense. For the year ended December 31, 2017, $2.6 million of acquisition costs were excluded from noninterest expenses for purposes of this computation. Tangible book value (TBV) and tangible assets, are equal to common equity and assets, respectively, less $33.6 million of goodwill and intangible assets as of December 31, 2017. We believe that this information is consistent with the treatment by bank regulatory agencies, which exclude intangible assets from the calculation of capital ratios.

Attractive Revenue Growth and Diverse Revenue Composition Total Revenue ($ in millions) Revenue Composition Q4 2017 29% CAGR 2013 to 2017 Substantial fee-based, recurring revenue

Strong Net Interest Income Net yield impacted by increased on-balance sheet liquidity and rising interest rate environment. Net interest income growth directly related to robust growth in loans and deposits 43% CAGR (2013 to 2017) in loans Conservative, liquidity-focused investment portfolio Net Interest Income and Net Yield on Interest-Earning Assets ($ in millions) Net Interest IncomeNet Yield on Interest-Earning Assets

Loan Growth Driven by Experienced Lending Team Loan growth has been achieved while maintaining credit discipline $102 million of multifamily loans were sold in 2015 $306 million of multifamily loans were sold in 2016 $453 million of multifamily loans were sold in 2017 Gross Loans ($ in millions)

Loan Composition and Credit Quality Multifamily and commercial real estate lending platform $4.2 billion of originations since 2009 No charge-offs in 10 year lending history Cross-selling our lending products to our high-net-worth clients Business banking products for small to moderate-sized businesses and professional firms in our market area Track record of outstanding credit quality across the loan portfolio NPAs/Assets (12/31/17): 0.31% Avg. NCO/Average Loans (2013- 2017): 0.03% ALLL/Gross Loans(12/31/17): 0.54% Q4 2017 Yield on Loans: 3.79% Loans by Type – December 31, 2017 ($ in millions)

Deposit Growth and Composition Q4 2017 Cost of Deposits: 0.60% 44% CAGR (2013 – 2017) Deposits by Type – December 31, 2017 ($ in millions)

Consistent Earnings Growth While Investing in the Future Return on Average Equity1 Performance driven by growth in loans, deposits, and assets under management Scalable business model with significant expense leverage (1) Effective tax rate 17.2% (2013), 43.4% (2014) , 41.4% (2015), 39.2% (2016) and 45.5% (2017) respectively

Serving high net-worth individuals and their families, family businesses, and other affiliated organizations. Founded in 1990 as a fee-based investment advisory company. Bank formed in 2007. Headquartered in Orange County, California. Operates offices in California, Nevada, and Hawaii 25+ CARING FOR THE WEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR CLIENTS Years $4.3 Billion PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT in Assets Under Management $4.5 Billion BUSINESS/PERSONAL BANKING in Assets First Foundation Inc. is headquartered in Irvine, CA with locations serving CA, NV, and HI NASDAQ: FFWM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT WEALTH PLANNING PERSONAL BANKING BUSINESS BANKING TRUST SERVICES INSURANCE SERVICES

Our Competitive Advantage Focus on high net-worth clients Personalized services Strong organic growth Significant referrals from existing clients Private Wealth Management Robust investment management platform Asset class expertise Flexible, open architecture Wealth planning services Trust services (CA, NV, and HI) Life insurance services Philanthropy consulting Banking Multifamily / CRE lending platform Single family residential lending Commercial Lending / Cash Management Business and personal banking Core Offering Complementary Services Service & Growth

Banking Services First Foundation Bank Established in 2007 Acquisition of Desert Commercial Bank in 2012 Acquisition of Pacific Rim Bank in 2015 Two branch acquisition in 2016 Acquisition of Community 1st Bank in 2017 Announced acquisition of Premier Business Bank: expected close in 2018 Q2. Bank, including Trust Department, collaborate with Wealth Management on services provided to clients Offerings include a broad range of banking services Business banking Multifamily and commercial real estate lending platform Single-family residential mortgages (primarily as a service to our high net-worth clients) Relationship-based deposit acquisition strategy California, Nevada, and Hawaii trust powers Total Assets ($ in millions) Trust AUM ($ in millions)

Established, Successful Asset Management Our investment management group emphasizes a valuation discipline with strict risk management SEC-registered investment advisor 27-year track record of managing investments Diversified client base Small Cap Equity International Equity Emerging Markets Equity Emerging Markets Debt Mortgage Backed Securities Proprietary and Open Architecture strategies increase choice Proprietary Large Cap / Dividend / Opportunistic Equity Core Taxable and Tax Exempt Fixed Income Distressed Debt Real Estate Hedge Funds Private Equity High Yield Open Architecture AUM ($ in millions) Subadvisor on Three Mutual Funds Highland Total Return Fund Highland Fixed Income Fund Highland Tax Exempt Fund 13% CAGR

Our Growth Strategy Growing our team of experienced bankers and relationship managers Obtaining new client referrals from key referral sources Marketing our services directly to prospective new clients Cross-promoting our services among our banking and wealth management clients Making opportunistic acquisitions Leveraging existing infrastructure to create economies of scale

Why Invest in First Foundation Management Team with Demonstrated Ability to Grow Strong Credit Culture Diverse Revenue Base Well-Positioned in Strategic Markets with Attractive Demographics Broad Range of Financial Products in Banking and Wealth Management Significant Insider Ownership – Incentives Aligned with Shareholders

Appendix

Profitability Effective tax rate of 17.2% (2013), 43.4% (2014) and 41.4% (2015) 39.2% (2016), and 45.5% (2017), respectively. The efficiency ratio is the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income and noninterest income and excludes one-time items of income or expense. For the year ended December 31, 2017, $2.6 million of acquisition costs were excluded from noninterest expenses for purposes of this computation.

Credit Quality This ratio excludes loans acquired in an acquisition as GAAP requires estimated credit losses for acquired loans to be recorded as discounts to those loans.

Balance Sheet and Capital Tangible common equity (also referred to as tangible book value) and tangible assets, are equal to common equity and assets, respectively, less $33.6 million, $2.2 million and $2.4 million of goodwill and intangible assets as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We believe that this information is consistent with the treatment by bank regulatory agencies, which exclude intangible assets from the calculation of capital ratios.