Field key
How to read a trust company listing
Each Trust File listing is a sourced charter file. Columns and fields mean what the schema says — not what a sales deck hopes they mean. Empty cells are deliberate.
Editorial only. Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Statutes and licensee lists change — read the primary source and the date on each citation.
Homepage table
| Column | What it means | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Legal name on the listing, plus DBA if sourced. One-line summary under the name. | A ranking, a preferred provider, or a complete product catalog. |
| Domicile | Primary charter state on the file. A “(+ State)” note means an additional sourced domicile; the homepage filter still uses the primary code only. | That administration occurs in that state. Confirm the office. |
| Public / private | Ownership or independence as a source states it. “Not published” if no source used those words. | SEC-registered public company. “Public” on a South Dakota file usually means a public (soliciting) trust-company charter, which is a different field — see charter type on the detail page. |
| Directed-trust focus | Directed trustee = published directed/administrative offering. Directed / mixed = can take the role but also sells discretion or in-house management. Not published = we would not infer it. | A statute package, a guarantee they will accept your instrument, or a quality score. |
Ownership “Public” on the homepage is the ownership enum (public / private / independent). Charter type (public / private / limited-purpose) lives on the detail page. South Dakota’s “public trust company” is a charter class (SDCL 51A-6A-1(12A)), not a stock-exchange listing.
Detail-page fields
- Charter / domicile — State name, charter label, credential if the roster prints one (for example TC.156-2).
- Regulator — The agency named on the list or the firm’s regulatory disclosure.
- Headquarters — Principal office if published. Omitted if we would have to invent a street.
- Founded / charter — Only dated firm or roster figures. A 2015 award is not a charter year.
- Published AUM / AUA — Dated, named source only. Otherwise omitted.
- Services / who it is for / sourced facts — As the firm or regulator described them. We do not add appetite we did not see.
- Notes — Short editorial context.
- What to verify next — The
verdictfield. Operator questions, not a crown. - Sources — Title, URL, publisher, document date when we have one, accessed date.
Rules we will not break for a smoother table
- No invented fees, AUM, ratings, headcount, or bonding amounts.
- No affiliate links.
- No “largest in the state” claim without a named source we are willing to date.
- No 1031 qualified-intermediary listings. That is a different product.
If a cell is empty, leave it empty in your memo too until you have a document.
Questions people actually ask
Why is AUM so often “Not published — omitted”?
Because we only print an AUM or “client capital” figure when a named public source, with a date, is cited in the listing. Marketing stats that mix group subsidiaries, or undated “billions under administration” lines, stay out. Omitting a number is a sourcing rule, not a finding that the firm is small.
Does “Independent” mean the firm has no RIA affiliate?
No. Independent is used only when a regulator list or the firm states that word (or an equivalent independence claim we quote). Read the ownership note and parent field. Affiliate platforms can still be labeled private.
Does “Directed trustee” mean they will take my directed appointment?
It means the firm publishes a directed or administrative-trustee offering. Confirm the seat in writing. “Directed / mixed” means the same charter also sells discretion or in-house management.
Is the verdict a recommendation?
No. It is one paragraph on what to verify next. It is not a hire / do-not-hire score.