Farmers and Merchants Trust Company has provided professional trust and investment management services since 1920, making it the oldest continuously operating, state-chartered trust company in California.

The company was founded by C.J. Walker, a highly regarded Long Beach businessman and founder of Farmers and Merchants Trust Company in 1920. Walker was known for establishing conservative business practices that have stood the test of time and for his unfaltering commitment to his family and to the community.

With the City of Long Beach in the midst of a rapid growth phase, C.J. Walker astutely realized that even though customers’ banking needs were being met, they did not have access to services that protected future generations. This led to the establishment of Farmers and Merchants Trust Company, an organization that would provide trust services to customers with the bank’s trademark brand of service and integrity.

During its formative years, Farmers and Merchants Trust Company provided protection of clients’ assets through astute investment management and trustee services despite the Great Depression and global uncertainty due to a looming World War. The company grew and cultivated a reputation for providing reliable financial services that fueled the dreams of the local citizens and boosted the local economy during the most critical of times.

C.J. Walker once noted, “It is a privilege to be entrusted with the safekeeping of wealth from generation to generation. Therefore, we must ensure security, stability and peace of mind.” It is this vision that continues to guide Farmers and Merchants Trust Company nearly a century later.