Domicile is a statute, not a brand
South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, and Delaware publish different directed-trust, dynasty, privacy, and self-settled-trust rules. Naming a trustee in the wrong state does not move situs.
Comparison directory · not a referral desk
Charter domicile is the product. The trustee is the operating system.
A directed trust only works if the corporate trustee is actually chartered in the state whose statute you are using — and if the appointment splits investment, distribution, and administration the way that statute allows. The Trust File lists state-chartered trust companies that do that work. We omit unsourced AUM, ITA-style individual trustees, and 1031 qualified intermediaries.
Directed means unbundled duties
The corporate trustee keeps records, tax lots, and legal title. An adviser or committee directs investments or distributions. If the firm also sells the book, write that conflict into the file.
Public charter, public list
Every name here appears on a state banking or financial-institutions list, or on a regulator-adjacent filing we cite. If we cannot source a figure, we leave the cell empty.
| Company | Domicile | Public / private | Directed-trust focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Trust Companyalso Alliance Trust Company of NevadaIndependent Reno retail charter that tells advisors it is not owned by a bank, broker, or insurer. | Nevada | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Alta Trust CompanyFamily-founded Sioux Falls public charter that publishes a directed administrative seat beside investment and distribution trustee roles — and also markets CITs and private funds. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed / mixed |
| Amicorp Trustees (South Dakota), LLCSioux Falls public charter of Amicorp Group that markets institutional, directed, and co-trustee seats beside a separate SEC RIA affiliate. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Arden Trust CompanyWilmington limited-purpose charter under Kestra that publishes an explicit directed administrative-trustee fee track for advisors. | Delaware | Private | Directed trustee |
| Axiom Trust Company LLCalso Axiom TrustNewer Las Vegas retail charter that markets an Independent Trustee directed-admin seat and an AI platform — thin operating history. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Biltmore Trust CompanyIndependent Sioux Falls public charter with a published directed-admin option beside fully managed and delegated seats — and a dual SD/OH license. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed / mixed |
| Brandywine Trust Company, LLCHockessin Delaware non-deposit charter for a limited UHNW book, with affiliated investment managers inside the same group. | Delaware | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Bridgeford Trust Company, LLCIndependent Pierre / Sioux Falls public charter that markets itself as South Dakota’s oldest independently owned trust company and a pure directed administrative trustee. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Bridger Trust CompanyIndependent Wyoming boutique for complex business-asset trusts; admin/IM unbundled, directed product page thinner. | Wyoming | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Bridges Trust Company of South DakotaSioux Falls public charter of the Omaha Bridges Trust group — directed-trust language on the SD page, full trustee marketing at the parent. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| BTC Trust Company of South DakotaSioux Falls public charter of Des Moines Bankers Trust that publishes itself as the administrative trustee in a three-role directed structure. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Capital First Trust Company, Inc.Independent Sioux Falls public charter that markets Advisor Directed / Advisor Friendly trusts so the advisor keeps the book. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| CISA Trust Company (South Dakota), LLCalso CISA TrustSioux Falls public charter of the international CISA group — SDCL 55-1B directed trusts on a full administration menu, not a directed-only boutique. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Clermont Trust USA, LLCNewly chartered Sioux Falls public company (April 2025) under ACR Group — Pro-Advisor directed/delegated admin, thin operating history. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Commonwealth Trust CompanyIndependent Wilmington non-deposit charter whose entire public offering is Delaware directed trusteeship. | Delaware | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Corient Trust Company LLCalso Corient Trust Company of South DakotaSioux Falls public charter under Corient that leads with a directed-trust model so the wealth advisor keeps asset oversight. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Crawford Trust Company LLCalso Crawford TrustDayton retail boutique that markets a single Administrative Trustee seat — write the same-address Sierra Nevada Wealth Management adjacency into the file. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Creative Planning Trust Company, LLCNevada-domiciled retail charter under Creative Planning that publishes an explicit directed-trust track for advisors who keep the investment book. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Cresset Trust Company, LLCSioux Falls public charter inside Cresset’s family-office stack with an explicit directed-trustee role alongside full and delegated options. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Dorsey & Whitney Trust Company LLCLaw-firm-owned Sioux Falls public charter. Built for counsel who want a corporate trustee that will not take the client. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Dunham Trust Companyalso Dunham TrustReno retail charter that publishes an explicit directed-trustee track while sitting next to a Dunham investment platform. | Nevada (+ Wyoming) | Private | Directed trustee |
| Dynasty Trust Companyalso Dynasty Trust Company LLCNevada retail charter that leads with directed-trustee administration while GetDynasty handles sales and trust creation. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Eleutherian Trust Company, LLCalso Eleutherian Trust CompanySmall Wilmington limited-purpose charter that sells trust administration and custody only. Directed and administrative trustee, no investment products. | Delaware | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Expedition Trust CompanyIndependent Pierre public charter that markets open-architecture administration so preferred advisors stay in place. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Extraordinary Trust LLCalso Extraordinary TrustSioux Falls public charter, formerly Fieldpoint — directed and delegated advisor seat beside a mixed family-office / wealth-design platform. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| First Covenant Trust and Advisors, LLCalso First Covenant Trust & AdvisorsSioux Falls public charter that publishes a directed-trust explainer while also serving as trustee or co-trustee of many trust types. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| First State Trust Companyalso First State TrustWilmington limited-purpose charter built around advisor partnerships, including Delaware directed trusts. | Delaware | Private | Directed trustee |
| First Trust Company, LLCRapid City independent public charter. Strong on ILITs and existing-advisor collaboration; thinner public directed-trust documentation. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed / mixed |
| Great Plains Trust Company of South DakotaSioux Falls public charter of a Kansas trust company, used for South Dakota dynasty and APT access beside a Kansas / KCM investment overlay. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Greenleaf Trust DelawareGreenville limited-purpose charter with an explicit Preferred RIA directed-trustee track inside the Greenleaf wealth platform. | Delaware | Private | Directed / mixed |
| IconTrust, LLCalso IconTrustNewer Las Vegas retail charter that refuses the investment book and markets directed / delegated trusts with flat trustee fees. | Nevada | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Independent Trust Company, LLCalso ITCRapid City independent public charter that markets conflict-free, unbundled administration so the existing advisor keeps the investment book. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| IQ EQ Trust Company U.S., LLCRapid City public charter of IQ-EQ that markets itself as a pure directed trustee with no investment-management book. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Jackson Hole Trust CompanyFamily-owned Wyoming charter that publicly leads with directed trusteeship and administrative precision. | Wyoming | Private | Directed trustee |
| JTC South Dakota Trust Companyalso South Dakota Trust Company LLCThe former South Dakota Trust Company, now under JTC, still markets itself as a product-free directed administrative trustee. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| JTC Trust Company (Delaware) LimitedJTC’s Wilmington non-deposit charter. Directed administrative trusteeship with the family’s own advisors, on the same platform as JTC South Dakota and Wyoming. | Delaware | Independent | Directed trustee |
| JTC Wyoming Trust Company LimitedNewer Jackson public charter on JTC’s three-state US platform. Directed trusts and PTC work, thin operating history. | Wyoming | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Keel Point Trust Company, LLCalso KPTCNewer Sioux Falls public charter of the Keel Point wealth platform — directed and delegated trusts listed beside fully managed trusts. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| KENDRIS TRUSTEES (USA) LLCSioux Falls public charter of Zürich-based KENDRIS — directed and delegated admin, no asset-management seat. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Lapistone Trust LLCalso Lapistone TrustPierre public charter that markets South Dakota directed-trust flexibility to Chinese and international families — confirm Lapistone Trust LLC on the appointment. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Legacies Trust Company LLCalso LegaciesSioux Falls public charter, formerly Dougherty — Directed Trusts on the menu beside a Legacies Wealth RIA affiliate. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Life Insurance Trust Company, LLCalso LITCOSioux Falls public ILIT specialist — successor/corporate trustee for life-insurance trusts, with a published directed co-trustee seat beside outside advisors. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed / mixed |
| Lineage Trust CompanyIndependent Reno retail charter that unbundles administration and distribution and says it has no internal investment book. | Nevada | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Mariner Trust Company, LLCalso MTCSioux Falls public charter inside Mariner that discloses administrative trust services rather than a standalone directed-trustee boutique. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| More Than Money Trust Company, Inc.also MTM Trust CompanySioux Falls public charter, formerly Argonne — values-based directed admin that says the trustee does not make the decisions. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| National Advisors Trust of South Dakota, Inc.also NATSDSioux Falls public charter of National Advisors Holdings — directed, unbundled admin for RIA-founded NATC, not the national charter. | South Dakota | Private | Directed trustee |
| Nevada Trust CompanyLas Vegas retail charter that leads with advisor-led Nevada situs and a dedicated directed-trustee product page. | Nevada | Independent | Directed trustee |
| North Point Trust Company, LLCRapid City independent public charter that publishes directed investment execution and a preference that the family or advisor keeps the investment book. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Peak Trust Company-NValso Peak Trust CompanyAlaska-rooted independent brand with a separate Nevada retail charter and an explicit directed-trustee offering. | Nevada (+ Alaska) | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Premier Trust, Inc.Independent Nevada retail charter that leads with “we do not manage investments.” | Nevada | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Preservation Trust Company, Inc.also Preservation Trust CompanyLas Vegas retail boutique that refuses the investment book, administers only in Nevada, and often takes discretionary distributions beside a directed investment seat. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Sepio Trust CompanyJackson Wyoming charter with explicit directed / delegated / discretionary options beside multifamily-office affiliate Sepio Capital. | Wyoming | Private | Directed trustee |
| Sterling Trustees LLCSioux Falls public charter that markets pure independent trusteeship — no investment book of its own. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Teton Trust CompanyJackson Hole independent charter. Directed trusts and PTC work for a largely international book. | Wyoming | Independent | Directed trustee |
| TFO Trust Company, LLCSioux Falls public charter of the TFO family-office / wealth platform — trustee, co-trustee, or directed admin while the family team keeps investment and distribution. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc.International fiduciary group’s Sioux Falls public charter, explicit about directed and delegated appointments. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Two Ocean TrustWyoming public charter with explicit directed-trustee roles plus a documented digital-asset custody / qualified-custodian story. | Wyoming | Private | Directed trustee |
| Wealth Advisors Trust CompanyRapid City independent public charter that markets itself as the trust company created for wealth advisors, with explicit directed and delegated tracks. | South Dakota | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Wealth Enhancement Trust Services, Inc.also WETSSioux Falls public charter of Wealth Enhancement — directed trustee beside traditional trustee, with an Inc. versus LLC name to confirm on the appointment. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Wealthgate Trust Company LLCNevada FID-listed boutique that sells Nevada situs control — including directed trusts — to a select UHNW client set. | Nevada | Private | Directed trustee |
| Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc.also Whittier TrustReno charter of a privately held wealth manager. Directed trusts are offered; investment management is part of the house. | Nevada | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Willow Street Trust Company of Wyoming, LLCalso Willow StreetJackson public charter (Pathstone affiliate) with a clear directed / administrative-trustee product page for Wyoming and Nevada structures. | Wyoming | Private | Directed trustee |
| Wilmington Trust Companyalso Wilmington TrustThe incumbent Delaware bank trustee. Directed-trust capable, publicly owned, not a boutique administrative shop. | Delaware | Public | Directed trustee |
| Zedra Trust Company (SD) Limitedalso ZEDRASioux Falls public charter of an international fiduciary group — full SD administration menu, directed not the lead hook. | South Dakota | Private | Directed / mixed |
| No listed companies match that domicile filter. | |||
Ownership labels are used only when a regulator list or the firm states public, private, or independent status. “Directed trustee” means the firm publishes a directed or administrative trustee offering. “Directed / mixed” means the charter can take the role but the public site also sells full discretion or in-house investment management. Seehow to read a listing.
Read before you appoint
64 sourced listings. Use the guides to read them. A listing is not a recommendation to hire.
Primary explainer
How to choose a trust company
Confirm the charter, the legal entity, the directed vs discretionary seat, and where administration actually happens. Marketing pages are not the appointment.
Structure comparison
Directed trustee vs corporate trustee
Definitions from SD, NV, WY, and DE directed-trust statutes. Corporate trustee is the legal person; directed is a duty allocation in the instrument.
Interview
Questions to ask a trust company
Spoken versions of the diligence file — legal entity, role, situs, custody, unique assets, fees, and successor — to send before the appointment.
Process flags
Trust company red flags
Process flags for charter, entity, directed-role, custody, and affiliate-conflict answers. Unknown after a written ask is the finding.
Printable
Trust company due-diligence checklist
A printable ten-box file for counsel and advisors. Unknown stays unchecked. No invented fees, AUM, or bonding.
Field key
How to read a trust company listing
What each directory column and listing field means, what we refuse to invent, and how to use directed-trust pills without treating them as a statute package.
Failure modes
What happens if a trust company fails
Receivership and successor-trustee mechanics from published statutes and one public Nevada petition. Not a horror page and not a solvency rating of listed firms.
Compare
Side-by-side sourced tables. No winner. Open the compare index for every pair.
Company comparison
Bridgeford Trust vs Sterling Trustees
Two independent South Dakota public charters that refuse the investment book — Bridgeford as oldest independently owned directed-admin shop vs Sterling as independent corporate trustee. Not a ranking.
Company comparison
Premier Trust vs IconTrust
Two independent Nevada retail (NRS 669) no-IM trustees — Premier (founded 2001, divided-duty language) vs IconTrust (founded 2020, directed and delegated pages). No winner, no fee dollars.
Company comparison
Alta Trust vs Capital First Trust
Two independent South Dakota public charters with advisor-retention stories — Alta as directed / mixed (plus CIT / private-fund platform) vs Capital First as directed / delegated, not bank-affiliated. Not a ranking.
Company comparison
Preservation Trust vs Crawford Trust
Two Nevada retail boutiques — Preservation as Nevada-only admin with a directed investment seat beside discretionary distributions vs Crawford as a single Administrative Trustee seat with disclosed SNWM address adjacency. No winner.
Company comparison
KENDRIS Trustees vs Sterling Trustees
Two Sioux Falls public charters without an investment book — KENDRIS (Zürich group subsidiary, directed and delegated admin) vs Sterling (privately held independent corporate trustee). No winner, no fee dollars.
Company comparison
Commonwealth Trust vs Arden Trust
Two Wilmington directed administrative trustees — Commonwealth (independent non-deposit charter) vs Arden (Kestra-owned limited-purpose charter with a discretionary track too). No winner, no fee dollars.
Company comparison
JTC South Dakota Trust vs Trident Trust (South Dakota)
Two group-owned Sioux Falls public charters — JTC South Dakota (formerly SDTC, product-free directed admin) vs Trident South Dakota (directed, delegated, and discretionary). No winner, no fee dollars, no size scoring.
Company comparison
Peak Trust Company-NV vs Premier Trust
Two independent Nevada retail (NRS 669) trustees — Peak-NV (Alaska-rooted brand, full, directed, or delegated) vs Premier (Henderson, does not manage investments, divided-duty roles). No winner, no fee dollars.
Role landings
Attribute landing
South Dakota directed trustees
What a South Dakota directed trustee is under SDCL 55-1B, then the Trust File listings whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed — generated from the company collection at build time.
Attribute landing
Nevada directed trustees
What a Nevada directed trustee is under NRS 163.553–163.556, then the Trust File listings on the FID retail list whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed — generated from the company collection at build time.
Attribute landing
Delaware directed trustees
What a Delaware directed trustee is under 12 Del. C. § 3313, then the Trust File listings on the OSBC list dated 9 October 2026 whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed — generated from the company collection at build time.
Attribute landing
Wyoming directed trustees
What a Wyoming directed trustee is under W.S. 4-10-718, then the Trust File listings on the Division of Banking trust-companies roster whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed — generated from the company collection at build time.
State files
SD
South Dakota trust companies
Public vs private charters under 51A-6A, directed trusts under 55-1B, and the Division of Banking roster. Capital figures only as the Division currently publishes them.
NV
Nevada trust companies
NRS 669 retail charters, 669A family companies, directed fiduciaries in NRS 163, and the FID retail list dated 26 January 2026.
WY
Wyoming trust companies
W.S. 13-5 public-trust-company chartering, family-company articles, directed trusts under 4-10-718, and the Division of Banking roster.
DE
Delaware trust companies
Title 5 Chapter 7 chartering, limited-purpose trust companies, 12 Del. C. § 3313 advisers, and the OSBC institutions list dated 9 October 2026.