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): July 22, 2019

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))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock	FFWM	NASDAQ Global Market

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 4.01 Changes in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

On July 22, 2019, Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Company (“VTD”) resigned as the independent registered public accounting firm of First Foundation, Inc., (the “Company”). VTD recently entered into an agreement with Eide Bailly LLP (“Eide Bailly”), pursuant to which Eide Bailly acquired the operations of VTD, and certain of the professional staff and partners of VTD joined Eide Bailly either as employees or partners of Eide Bailly and will continue to practice as members of Eide Bailly. Concurrent with the resignation of VTD, the Company, through and with the approval of its Audit Committee, engaged Eide Bailly as its independent registered public accounting firm.

Prior to engaging Eide Bailly, the Company did not consult with Eide Bailly regarding the application of accounting principles to a specific completed or contemplated transaction or regarding the type of audit opinions that might be rendered by Eide Bailly on the Company’s financial statements, and Eide Bailly did not provide any written or oral advice that was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to any such accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue.

The reports of VTD regarding the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, and during the period from December 31, 2018 through July 22, 2019, the date of resignation, there were no disagreements with VTD on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of VTD would have caused it to make reference to such disagreement in its reports.

The Company provided VTD with a copy of this Current Report on Form 8-K prior to its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and requested that VTD furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission stating whether it agrees with above statements and, if it does not agree, the respects in which it does not agree. A copy of the letter, dated July 22, 2019, is filed as Exhibit 16.1 (which is incorporated by reference herein) to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

Item 9.01	Financial Statements and Exhibits.
Exhibit No.	Description
16.1	Letter from Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Company dated July 22, 2019

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: July 23, 2019	By:	/s/ JOHN MICHEL
		John M. Michel Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer