Daniel Ast, CFA

Dan, the senior member of our investment team, brings 30 plus years of investment and portfolio management experience to his role as Senior Portfolio Manager. Dan has served as analyst for the firm's healthcare, industrial and discretionary retail sectors. He also co-managed the First Choice family of mutual funds.

Currently, Dan manages institutional and trust assets for our clients. As a senior portfolio manager, Dan works closely with his clients to understand their unique goals, cash flow needs, risk tolerance and tax situation to tailor a portfolio specific to each of his client's investment objective. Dan is committed to being accessible to his clients through in-person investment meetings and telephone calls to discuss portfolio activities, economic conditions and investment options. Dan is a member of the Asset/Liability Committee, which provides oversight of the bank's investment portfolio.

Prior to joining First American Trust in 1996, Dan worked as an equity research analyst for RNC Capital Management. From there he went to the Auto Club of Southern California to manage $600 million in pension, corporate and insurance portfolios. He also managed about $200 million in institutional portfolios at First Interstate Capital Management. Former duties at First American include working as a mutual fund manager for the First Choice Equity Fund, Treasury Fund and Cash Reserve Fund, and as a securities analyst with various sectors, such as health care, consumer discretionary, industrials and computer software.  

Dan received an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Dan is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) since 1988, and a member of the CFA Society of Orange County and the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts.