Southern's California's Keller Financial Group is now First Foundation Inc.. In the fall of 2007, Irvine, Calif.-based Keller Financial Group opened First Foundation Bank to cater to business owners, small businesses and "mass-affluent" and high-net-worth individuals. Now Keller Financial has extended "First Foundation" brand to itself and its non-bank affiliates to emphasize the parent company's comprehensive approach to providing investment-management, trust, financial-planning and wealth-consulting services.

"Astute financial decisions in a time of declining wealth are best made in concert," says Keller Financial's CEO Ulrich Keller. "Your banker, your financial planner and your wealth advisor should work together to manage your assets and strengthen your portfolio to establish a safe foundation in an uncertain market."

Basics

The re-branding is also a nod to First Foundation's success in earning the trust of southern Californians as a result of its strong balance sheet and client-centric approach, according to Keller Financial.

"First Foundation Bank has flourished over the past 15 months, despite one of the worst banking crises this country has experienced in decades," says the bank's CEO Scott Kavanaugh. "We initially projected a total of $69 million in deposits by the end of 2008 -- yet we ended the year with more than $91 million, and unlike many banks, we are making loans."

So Keller Financial will soon be First Foundation Inc.

Keller Group Investment Management -- which provides investment advisory and financial planning services to high net worth families, trusts and business entities with a minimum investment of $500,000 -- will change its name to First Foundation Investment Management.

The firm's investment advisory First Foundation Advisors, meanwhile, offers an array of wealth-consulting services that includes estate planning, hybrid investment consultancy around proprietary and outside products and advice on philanthropy for families worth at least $10 million.

Ulrich Keller founded Keller Financial in 1990. The group manages more than $1 billion for more than 1,000 clients. -FWR

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