About Farmers & Merchants Bank: C.J. Walker founded Farmers & Merchants Bank in Long Beach in 1907. Celebrating more than 100 years of community service and strength, the bank currently has a staff of nearly 600 employees throughout Southern California. In addition to being a full service bank, F&M specializes in commercial and small business banking along with various business loan programs. Farmers & Merchants continues to be one of the strongest banks in the country as measured by a variety of industry standards. (source: FMB.com)