State file
Delaware trust companies
Delaware forms banks, bank-and-trust companies, and limited-purpose trust companies under Title 5, Chapter 7. Directed-adviser mechanics live in 12 Del. C. § 3313. A Wilmington address on a brochure is not a certificate of public convenience and advantage.
Editorial only. Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Statutes and licensee lists change — read the primary source and the date on each citation.
This directory currently lists 8 companies by primary domicile. Additional-domicile footnotes on a listing do not change that filter.
Regulator roster used here: Delaware Financial Institutions List (dated 2026-10-09).
Who regulates
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Delaware charters banks, bank-and-trust companies, and limited-purpose trust companies. The application page (accessed 2026-09-09) points to Regulations 701, 702, and 703 under 5 Del. C. Chapter 7.
The public roster used here is the Delaware Financial Institutions List dated 9 October 2026. Read the heading under which a name sits (state non-deposit trust company vs limited-purpose vs bank). This directory’s charterType field follows that heading when we have it.
Family trust companies appear as Subchapter IX of Chapter 7. They are not the default listing class on this site.
Charter vs directed statute
Title 5 tells you whether the entity may engage in the trust business in Delaware. Title 12, § 3313 tells you how an adviser can direct a fiduciary. Hiring a Delaware corporate trustee without § 3313 language is still a Delaware trusteeship. It is not automatically a directed trust.
§ 3313(e) (as published on Delaware Code Online, accessed 2026-09-09) generally relieves a directed fiduciary of specified monitoring duties when the instrument requires it to follow an adviser, unless the instrument provides otherwise. Counsel should read the current subsection, including the wilful-misconduct reserve in § 3313(b).
What we will not invent
Delaware application regulations mention investigation and filing fees for charter applications. Those are not client trust fees, and we are not building a bonding-comparison table from them. If a listing needs a capital or insurance figure, it has to appear on a named current OSBC or firm document.
What to verify on a Delaware appointment
- Exact legal name and list heading on the current OSBC PDF
- Limited-purpose vs full bank-and-trust vs non-deposit trust company
- Which entity signs if the group also has an SEC-registered adviser
- Whether the seat is directed under § 3313 or full discretion
- Principal office vs any advertised out-of-state service office
- Current fee letter
Two listed Wilmington directed administrative trustees under different OSBC charter labels are placed side by side in Commonwealth vs Arden. It is not a ranking.
Listed Delaware companies whose Trust File directed-trust field is directed or directed / mixed are collected on the Delaware directed trustees landing. That page explains the 12 Del. C. § 3313 role first; it is not a ranking.
Questions people actually ask
Who charters a Delaware trust company?
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner, under 5 Del. C. Chapter 7 (Corporation Law for State Banks and Trust Companies). OSBC Regulations 701–703 set application procedures for banks, bank-and-trust companies, and limited-purpose trust companies, including a certificate of public convenience and advantage.
What is a limited-purpose trust company?
Subchapter V of 5 Del. C. Chapter 7. OSBC Regulation 702 is the application for that certificate. The application form language (as published with the regulation) 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, with a stated exception for customers of affiliates. Read the current subchapter and regulation; do not treat a marketing page as the charter class.
Where is Delaware directed-trust law?
12 Del. C. § 3313 (Advisers). Persons authorized to direct, consent to, or disapprove investment, distribution, or other fiduciary decisions are advisers and, unless the instrument says otherwise, fiduciaries when exercising that authority. A fiduciary that follows a direction is generally not liable for resulting loss except in cases of wilful misconduct on the directed fiduciary’s part (§ 3313(b)). Related excluded-cotrustee rules appear in the same chapter.
Where is the official list?
The OSBC Delaware Financial Institutions List PDF. The copy cited in this directory is dated 9 October 2026. Names appear under state non-deposit or limited-purpose headings as the list classifies them.
Sources
- Apply for a Bank or Trust Company Charter
- 5 Del. C. Chapter 7 — Corporation Law for State Banks and Trust Companies
- OSBC Regulation 701 — Applications to form a bank or limited purpose trust company
- 12 Del. C. Chapter 33 — Administrative Provisions (including § 3313)
- Delaware Financial Institutions List