Attribute landing
South Dakota directed trustees
A South Dakota directed trustee is a corporate trustee appointed under an instrument that uses SDCL chapter 55-1B to split investment, distribution, or tax-advisor duties. A public TC.2 charter alone is not directed-trust relief.
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 35 South Dakota listings with a directed-trust field of directed trustee (19) or directed / mixed (16). The count is the size of that filtered collection, not an AUM figure and not a recommendation.
The role, not the roster class
South Dakota charters nondepository trust companies under SDCL chapter 51A-6A. Public versus private is a solicitation test (51A-6A-1(12A) and ARSD 20:07:22:03). Directed-trust mechanics live in a different chapter: SDCL 55-1B. That chapter defines investment, distribution, and tax trust advisers and limits excluded-fiduciary liability when the trustee follows those directions — if the governing instrument creates the offices.
The South Dakota 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 The homepage domicile filter still shows every South Dakota listing, including names whose directed-trust field is unpublished. Use both.
Regulator and roster
The South Dakota Division of Banking (Department of Labor and Regulation) charters and examines these companies. The official name list is the PDF Trust Companies Chartered to Do Business in South Dakota, as of September 2026. Listings that show a TC.___-2 credential are reading the public-trust-company class off that roster.
Charter prudential minimums — not client protection
The Division’s trust-company page and information packet summarize SDCL 51A-6A-19 (as restated on the state file, accessed 2026-09-09 and re-checked for this landing):
- Capitalization of a trust company shall not be less than $200,000
- Fidelity bond and D&O liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 each
- A deposit pledged to the Division of not less than $100,000
Those are charter prudential minimums as the Division currently publishes them, not a client recovery table and not a comparison against Nevada, Wyoming, or Delaware. Confirm the current statute before you rely on a number.
What the table below is
Every row is generated at build time from the company collection: primary domicile South Dakota, 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 files that use this set: Bridgeford vs Sterling, Alta vs Capital First, KENDRIS vs Sterling, and JTC South Dakota vs Trident.
Listed South Dakota 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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. | 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. | Independent | 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Expedition Trust CompanyIndependent Pierre public charter that markets open-architecture administration so preferred advisors stay in place. | 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. | 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| First Trust Company, LLCRapid City independent public charter. Strong on ILITs and existing-advisor collaboration; thinner public directed-trust documentation. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Independent Trust Company, LLCalso ITCRapid City independent public charter that markets conflict-free, unbundled administration so the existing advisor keeps the investment book. | 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. | 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. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| KENDRIS TRUSTEES (USA) LLCSioux Falls public charter of Zürich-based KENDRIS — directed and delegated admin, no asset-management seat. | 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Legacies Trust Company LLCalso LegaciesSioux Falls public charter, formerly Dougherty — Directed Trusts on the menu beside a Legacies Wealth RIA affiliate. | 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. | Independent | Directed / mixed |
| Mariner Trust Company, LLCalso MTCSioux Falls public charter inside Mariner that discloses administrative trust services rather than a standalone directed-trustee boutique. | 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. | 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. | Private | 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. | Independent | Directed trustee |
| Sterling Trustees LLCSioux Falls public charter that markets pure independent trusteeship — no investment book of its own. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc.International fiduciary group’s Sioux Falls public charter, explicit about directed and delegated appointments. | Independent | 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. | 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. | Private | Directed / mixed |
| Zedra Trust Company (SD) Limitedalso ZEDRASioux Falls public charter of an international fiduciary group — full SD administration menu, directed not the lead hook. | Private | Directed / mixed |
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 roster?
The South Dakota Division of Banking PDF titled Trust Companies Chartered to Do Business in South Dakota. The copy cited here is as of September 2026. Re-open the current PDF before an appointment; the Division restates it. A Trust File listing is a sourced file, not a substitute for the roster.
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 South Dakota company whose directed-trust field is directed or directed/mixed, generated at build time. It is not a shortlist and not an endorsement.