Ffb Bancorp Stock Price, News & Analysis

FFB Bancorp (FFBB) is a bank holding company in the commercial banking industry, operating in the finance and insurance sector. According to company disclosures, FFB Bancorp is the parent company of FFB Bank, a bank founded in 2005 in Fresno, California. The holding company itself was established in 2014 and was formerly known as Communities First Financial Corporation before adopting the FFB Bancorp name. The Company’s common stock trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol FFBB.

FFB Bank is described as a leading SBA lender in California’s Central Valley and one of the few direct acquiring banks in the United States. The bank offers clients personal and business checking accounts, payment processes, and loan programs, as stated in its public communications. These activities position the Company in both traditional community banking and payments-related services.

Business model and core activities

Based on the Company’s earnings releases, FFB Bancorp generates revenue through a combination of net interest income from its loan and investment portfolios and non-interest income, which includes merchant services revenue, deposit fee income, and gains or losses on the sale of loans and investment securities. Management frequently highlights the contribution of loan portfolio growth and higher asset yields to net interest income, and the role of merchant services and deposit fee income in non-interest revenue.

The Company reports a loan portfolio that includes commercial real estate, commercial and industrial (C&I), agriculture, and government-guaranteed loans such as SBA and USDA. Public disclosures note that commercial real estate loans represent a significant portion of total loans, with multi-family and short-term bridge loans forming a meaningful subset. The bank also reports construction and land development loans and residential 1–4 family loans as smaller components of the portfolio.

On the funding side, FFB Bancorp emphasizes its core deposit franchise, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits and interest-bearing accounts. Company commentary repeatedly notes that non-interest-bearing deposits represent a substantial share of total deposits and are an important factor in its cost of funds and net interest margin performance.

Payments and merchant services

A distinctive feature of FFB Bancorp’s business, as described in its news releases, is its focus on the payment ecosystem. The Company operates a merchant services platform that includes:

• ISO Partner Sponsorship – sponsorship of Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) that bring merchant processing volume to the bank.
• FFB Payments – the Company’s own organic ISO, which works with both sub-ISO merchants and direct merchants.

Merchant services income is reported as a key component of non-interest income. The Company provides detailed tables of ISO processing volumes and revenues, distinguishing ISO partner sponsorship from FFB Payments sub-ISO and direct merchant activity. Management commentary links changes in merchant services revenue to volume trends across these lines, seasonal patterns, and specific merchant or ISO relationships.

FFB Bancorp also reports that it is working to give customers and partners access to multiple payment rails. Public statements describe initiatives to support current and future payment rails and to remain agnostic to the rails customers want to use, with a focus on providing a simple connection to those rails. The Company has also referenced launching a cross-border payment rail developed by Visa, with the stated goal of improving pricing and creating a new revenue stream by controlling foreign exchange margins.

Community banking and geographic focus

The Company identifies FFB Bank as a community bank founded in Fresno, California, and notes its role as an SBA lender in California’s Central Valley. Management commentary refers to regional expansion initiatives within California, including Northern and Southern California, and describes the bank’s strategy as leveraging both regional banking relationships and a national payments franchise.

Recognition and rankings

FFB Bancorp’s public communications highlight several third-party recognitions. The Company states that FFB Bank was ranked #4 on American Banker’s list of the Top 200 Publicly Traded Banks under $2 Billion in Assets for 2022. It also reports that S&P Global ranked the bank as the #18 best performing community bank under $3 billion in assets for 2022. In addition, the Company notes that it has been recognized as part of the OTCQX Best 50 Companies for 2019, 2023, and 2024.

In a later earnings release, management also notes that FFB Bank was recognized by American Banker as #1 in top-performing public banks with under $2 billion in assets and by S&P Global as #34 in its ranking of 100 best-performing U.S. community banks under $3 billion in assets, referencing those rankings as evidence of consistent performance.

Capital, growth, and stock repurchase programs

FFB Bancorp’s earnings releases provide recurring information on capital ratios, book value per share, and shareholder equity, though these figures change over time. Management emphasizes tangible common equity, regulatory leverage capital ratios, and total risk-based capital ratios at both the Company and bank levels. The Company has reported growth in total assets, total loans, total deposits, and shareholder equity over multiple periods.

The Board of Directors has authorized stock repurchase programs on more than one occasion. In May 2024, FFB Bancorp announced a plan to utilize up to $7.5 million of capital to repurchase shares of its common stock through October 25, 2024, subject to various conditions. In January 2025, the Company announced a separate authorization to utilize up to $15.0 million of capital for share repurchases through December 31, 2025. Subsequent quarterly releases describe the number of shares repurchased, the average repurchase price, and the proportion of shareholders’ equity represented by those repurchases.

Risk management, compliance, and consent order

In a release covering the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, FFB Bancorp disclosed that FFB Bank entered into a Consent Order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (CDFPI). The Order addresses matters relating principally to the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering / Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) program issues at the bank and in connection with its merchant payment business and relationships with ISOs and sub-ISOs.

The Company outlines numerous required actions under the Order, including developing an enhanced AML/CFT program, increasing board oversight of AML/CFT compliance, correcting BSA violations, strengthening internal controls and customer due diligence, enhancing oversight and contractual provisions for ISOs and sub-ISOs, conducting a lookback review of high-risk accounts and transactions, and providing training and independent testing. The bank also notes that it may not add new ISOs until certain conditions are met and that compliance with the Order will be determined solely by the FDIC and CDFPI.

Management commentary links elevated legal, audit, technology, and compliance costs to efforts to address the Consent Order and to enhance AML/CFT, compliance, and merchant services programs. The Company also notes that it is revisiting ISO and sub-ISO relationships and, in some cases, exiting certain partners to align with the Order and its risk appetite.

Strategic focus and investments

Across multiple earnings releases, FFB Bancorp describes a strategy that includes:

• Growing its loan portfolio, particularly in commercial real estate, C&I, and other targeted segments.
• Expanding its deposit base through regional banking relationships and payment-related channels.
• Building out its payment ecosystem through ISO sponsorships and FFB Payments.
• Investing in people and technology, including data engineers, treasury management and product development personnel, compliance and risk staff, and other key roles.
• Implementing CFT/AML/fraud monitoring systems covering core banking and merchant processing flows, with plans for additional phases and real-time transaction monitoring.

Management commentary frequently notes that these investments are intended to support scalable growth, product development, regional expansion, and risk management, while acknowledging that they increase operating expenses.

Stock information and investor considerations

FFB Bancorp’s common stock is quoted on the OTCQX market under the ticker FFBB. The Company regularly publishes unaudited quarterly results, including net income, earnings per share, net interest margin, operating revenue, non-interest income, and efficiency ratios. It also provides detailed breakdowns of merchant services volumes and revenues, loan sales, investment portfolio activity, and operating expenses.

Investors reviewing FFBB stock may consider the Company’s dual emphasis on community banking in California and payments-related merchant services, its historical growth in loans and deposits, its use of stock repurchase programs, and its ongoing work to address regulatory requirements related to AML/CFT and BSA compliance. All such information is drawn from the Company’s own public news releases and may evolve over time.

Frequently asked questions about FFB Bancorp