Delaware · Public trust company

Wilmington Trust Company

Also used as Wilmington Trust.

Charter / domicile
DelawareState non-deposit trust company
Regulator
Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Delaware
Public / private
PublicWholly owned subsidiary of M&T Bank (Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company), itself a subsidiary of M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB). The firm’s disclosures state Wilmington Trust Company operates in Delaware only.Parent: M&T Bank / M&T Bank Corporation
Directed-trust focus
Directed trusteeWilmington Trust publishes a Delaware directed-trust explainer describing administrative trusteeship when investment, distribution, and protector decisions sit with appointed advisers. The brand also offers investment management through other M&T / Wilmington Trust affiliates.
Headquarters
1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890
Founded / charter
Founded 1901Charter year 1901
Published AUM / AUA
Not published — omitted
Website
www.wilmingtontrust.com

Services offered

Who it is for

Sourced facts

Notes

Wilmington Trust Company is the Delaware state non-deposit trust company behind the Wilmington Trust brand. The Office of the State Bank Commissioner lists it at Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street. M&T’s disclosures and a 2026 Trust Indenture Act exhibit trace the charter to 2 March 1901 (originally Delaware Guarantee and Trust Company) and to a 2011 amendment that made the company a nondepository trust company.

The firm’s own directed-trust article is a clear operator’s map of Delaware bifurcation: an adviser directs investments or distributions; the trustee becomes an administrative trustee. The same brand sells investment management through affiliates. That is a feature for families who want a bank balance sheet. It is a conflict to price if the RIA is supposed to stay outside the house.

What to verify next

Use the legal name Wilmington Trust Company, not the “Wilmington Trust” brand, on the appointment — the brand covers several M&T affiliates, including a national bank. Confirm that WTC, operating in Delaware only, is the trustee, and whether investment management will sit at Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors or with an outside adviser. If the point is a product-free directed trustee, this is a heavier platform than Commonwealth; underwrite conflicts, committee process, and unique-asset appetite before you assume boutique flexibility.

Sources

  1. Delaware Financial Institutions List
    Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Delaware · dated August 2026 list · accessed 2026-09-05
  2. The Flexibility and Freedom of a Delaware Directed Trust
    Wilmington Trust / M&T · dated 2026-04-08 · accessed 2026-09-05
  3. M&T Bank Corporation Form 10-K excerpt (Wilmington Trust Company charter history)
    M&T Bank Corporation · accessed 2026-09-05
  4. Trust Indenture Act Statement of Eligibility — Wilmington Trust Company
    SEC EDGAR · dated 2026-02-23 · accessed 2026-09-05

Last reviewed 2026-09-05.