Attribute landing
Delaware directed trustees
A Delaware directed trustee is a trust company acting as a directed fiduciary under an instrument that uses 12 Del. C. § 3313 to give an adviser authority over investment, distribution, or other decisions. A Wilmington charter alone is not a directed trust.
Editorial only. Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Statutes and licensee lists change — read the primary source and the date on each citation.
This landing currently includes 8 Delaware listings with a directed-trust field of directed trustee (6) or directed / mixed (2). The count is the size of that filtered collection, not an AUM figure and not a recommendation.
The role, not the charter class
Delaware charters trust companies under 5 Del. C. Chapter 7, either as state non-deposit trust companies or as limited purpose trust companies. Directed-trust mechanics live in a different title: 12 Del. C. § 3313. A person the instrument authorizes to direct, consent to, or disapprove investment, distribution, or other decisions is an adviser, and a fiduciary that follows the direction is generally not liable for the resulting loss except for its own wilful misconduct — if the governing instrument creates the adviser and the directed role.
The Delaware state file is the statute map. This landing is the role: companies already listed in The Trust File whose directedTrustFocus field is directed trustee or directed / mixed. The homepage domicile filter still shows every Delaware listing. Use both.
Regulator and list
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Delaware charters and lists these companies. The official name list is the PDF Delaware Financial Institutions, as of 9 October 2026. Each Delaware listing in the table below cites that PDF and the heading it sits under.
The list is mostly not independent boutiques. Its 8 state non-deposit and 29 state limited purpose trust companies include many trust affiliates of banks, brokerages, and wealth managers. Read the heading and the parent before you read the brochure.
Non-deposit vs limited purpose
Both OSBC headings appear in the table. A limited purpose trust company is formed under Subchapter V of Chapter 7; as the state file notes, the published application language includes operating so as not to attract customers from the general public in Delaware to the substantial detriment of existing Delaware banks or trust companies. Neither heading tells you whether the company will accept a directed seat. The instrument and the engagement letter do.
What the table below is
Every row is generated at build time from the company collection: primary domicile Delaware, and directed-trust focus yes or partial. Names are not hardcoded. If a listing’s field changes, this page changes on the next build. A count of names is not an AUM figure and not a ranking.
Side-by-side file that uses this set: Commonwealth vs Arden.
Listed Delaware companies with a directed or directed / mixed focus
Generated at build time from the company collection. It is not a hardcoded name list and not a reprint of the homepage domicile filter.
| Company | Ownership | Directed-trust focus |
|---|---|---|
| Arden Trust CompanyWilmington limited-purpose charter under Kestra that publishes an explicit directed administrative-trustee fee track for advisors. | Private | Directed trustee |
| Brandywine Trust Company, LLCHockessin Delaware non-deposit charter for a limited UHNW book, with affiliated investment managers inside the same group. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Commonwealth Trust CompanyIndependent Wilmington non-deposit charter whose entire public offering is Delaware directed trusteeship. | Independent | 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| First State Trust Companyalso First State TrustWilmington limited-purpose charter built around advisor partnerships, including Delaware directed trusts. | Private | Directed trustee |
| Greenleaf Trust DelawareGreenville limited-purpose charter with an explicit Preferred RIA directed-trustee track inside the Greenleaf wealth platform. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Wilmington Trust Companyalso Wilmington TrustThe incumbent Delaware bank trustee. Directed-trust capable, publicly owned, not a boutique administrative shop. | Public | Directed trustee |
Questions people actually ask
What is directed vs directed / mixed on a listing?
Directed trustee means the firm publishes a directed or administrative-trustee offering. Directed / mixed means the same charter can take that role but the public site also sells full discretion or in-house investment management. Neither pill is a statute package or a promise they will accept your instrument. See how to read a listing.
Where is the official list?
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner PDF titled Delaware Financial Institutions. The copy cited here is dated 9 October 2026. Trust companies appear under State Non-Deposit Trust Companies or State Limited Purpose Trust Companies. The OSBC replaces the file at a new address when it updates it, so open the current copy from the OSBC site before an appointment.
Why are so few of the Delaware list's trust companies here?
The 9 October 2026 list names 8 state non-deposit and 29 state limited purpose trust companies. Many are trust affiliates of banks, brokerages, or wealth managers that serve their own clients, and some are single-family or corporate-only companies. The Trust File lists a company only when its own site publishes a directed or administrative trustee offering and it fits the directory's business-type rules.
Can The Trust File recommend one of these companies?
No. This is a sourced directory, not a referral network and not fiduciary advice. The table below is every listed Delaware company whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed, generated at build time. It is not a shortlist and not an endorsement.