Chicago Trust Administration Services Reviews

This is a third party review of Chicago Trust Administration Services. This due diligence report reviews over 100 different data points for Chicago Trust Administration Services to provide you with a thorough due diligence report of the company to help you make a better decision. The public version provides only 20 of these data points. If you want to see the full version of this review, you can click the button below.

100%
Transparency Index

Information last updated on: 11/17/2025

Company certified on: 11/17/16

1

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Introduction

Chicago Trust Administration Services is a boutique self directed IRA administrator that provides highly individualized information on permitted IRA structures that prove economically viable several years after the initial investment.


2

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Contact Information

Website:

None

Phone Number:

(312) 869-9394

Email:

Offices:

Corporate Office:

40 E. Chicago Ave, Suite 148, Chicago, IL 60610

Business Hours:

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST (Monday - Friday)


3

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Company Details

Company Classification: 

Administrator

Date Established (under current name):

2004 (Former Entrust Group franchise)

Type of entity:

LLC

Who provides custody for client assets:

First Midwest Bank

Company is registered in: 

Wyoming

Primary Line of Business

Providing self-directed IRA custody to clients for alternative investments

Other Lines of Business:

  • Defined Contribution (group plans) TPA, Record Keeper, or similar services

Typical Client:

Retail

Capable of working with Financial Advisory Firms

Yes

Governmental Agency Oversight: 

Department of Labor

Company's Last Audit: 

None

Summary of Assets Under Custody

Number of Active Clients:

100+

Number of Active accounts:

175+

Amount of assets company provides custody for:

$25+ Million

Self-Directed IRA Industry Affiliations

Self-Directed IRA industry affiliations (outside of this company):

None

Ownership of industry related websites:

None

Industry related company affiliations:

None

Industry related non-profits:

None

Industry related associations:

None

Industry related board of trustee positions:

None

Industry related publications:

None


4

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Fee Schedule

Account Setup Fee:

$100

Account Termination Fee:

0.5% of assets transfered or $350 whichever is greater

Service Fee Classification: (flat, transaction-based, asset-based, hybrid)

Hybrid of asset-based and transaction-based fees

Company Fee Schedule:

* Use the Chicago Trust Administration Services Trust Fee Calculator (click button below) to calculate your estimated fees based on the company's published fee schedule. This is a useful tool when comparing different custodians based on your cost to use them. Please note, if you have never before used a self-directed IRA custodian or administrator to administer your account, the fees will be different than most broker dealers that provide transactional services for stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.


5

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Available Account Types

Type of Account:

Available at Chicago Trust Administration Services

Traditional IRA

Yes

Roth IRA

Yes

SEP IRA

(or SERSEP)

Yes

SIMPLE IRA

Yes

Individual 401(k)

Yes

Defined Contribution Plan

(Group plan e.g. 401k, 403b 457)

Yes

Defined Benefit Plan

(pension)

Yes

ESOP

(Employee Stock Ownership Plan)

No

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Yes

Education IRA (ESA)

(Coverdell Education Savings Account)

No

Non-Qualified Account (Individual)

Yes

Non-Qualified Account (Joint Tenants)

Yes

Trust Account

Yes

Partnership / Limited Partnership

Yes

UTMA / UGMA Custodial Account

No

C-corp, S-corp, or LLC account

No

Other:

N/A


6

Chicago Trust Administration Services

List of Allowable Assets

Type of Asset

Allowed For Custody?

Real Estate

Yes

Private Placement (Reg A)

Yes

Private Placement (Reg D)

Yes

Private Placement

(e.g. REIT, BDC, etc)

Yes

Precious Metals

No

Futures or Managed Futures

No

Options or Hedges

(non-publicly Traded)

No

Bitcoin (or other virtual currency)

No

FOREX

No

Hedge Funds

No

Limited Partnerships

Yes

Single-member LLC

(or Checkbook LLC)

Yes

Multi-member LLC

Yes

REITs

Yes

Annuities (fixed or Variable)

No

Viaticles or Life Settlements

No

Insurance (other)

No

Trust Deeds

Yes

Tax Liens

Yes

Private Lending (Unsecured Notes)

Yes

Private Lending (Secured Notes)

Yes

Private Company Stock

Yes

Public Company Stock (or ETFs)

Yes

Publicly Traded Options

No

Church Bonds

No

Mutual Funds or Closed-End Funds (CEF)

Yes

Livestock, Horses, or similar animals

No

Business Development Company (BDC)

No

International Real Estate

Yes

International Asset (other than real estate)

No

Other

N/A

 

Does Chicago Trust Administration Services sub-custody certain assets at other firms:

No

Does Chicago Trust Administration Services provide sub custody services to other firms:

No

Asset Specialization:

No specialization

Most popular assets held:

  1. Real Estate
  2. PPMs
  3. Private Note / Mortgages

7

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Operations

Client account title format:

UNATCO/First Midwest Bank FBO: [ Participant Name ] IRA

Number of full-time employees:

3

Process for setting up a new account:

Completes application forms and disclosures. Sets up online access for client.

Process for adding a new asset to client account:

Has client complete a Buy Direction Letter. Reviews all investment documents. Has client initial and authorize same.

Procedures in place to protect client information

All documentation is held within custodian- First Midwest Bank.

Procedures for annual valuations

Client must complete with supporting documentation prior to December 31st.

Procedures for when an investment is suspected to be or is found to be fraudulent:

Notify client and obtain written direction form client and/or their counsel.


8

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Technology

Does company participate in DTC system:

No

Details of DTC:

N/A

Does company accept Fed Funds wires:

Yes

Fed Funds wire details:

Funds sent to: First Midwest Bank. Routing number: 0719-0160-4 Custodian receives funds directly on behalf of IRA account holder. CTAS never receives client funds in their name.

Client account access: 

Online Access via First Midwest Bank

Accounting:

Metavante banking services software.

Account reporting:

Metavante banking services software.

Trading investments:

Metavante banking services software.

Safekeeping of client assets:

Metavante banking services software.

Record keeping of client assets:

Metavante banking services software.

Document storage:

Metavante banking services software.

Compliance:

Metavante banking services software.

Security and client information protection:

Metavante banking services software.


9

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Management Team

  • Steven Miszkowicz, Managing Member
  • Michelle Taylor, Administration
  • Rosa Bibian, Compliance
  • Joseph Monocchio, Accounts

Access Company Management Profiles (Not available)

Glassdoor Ratings: (How company rates as an employer) (No available)


10

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Client Protection

Insurance coverage limits for client assets:

None

Coverage for uninvested cash balances:

All cash deposits are held in FDIC insured accounts

Errors & Omissions coverage (E&O):

None

Additional or supplemental insurance coverage for client accounts:

None

Have any owners or managing members of the company been charged with a felony, theft, or fraud:

No

Has the company itself ever been investigated, charged, or convicted of a felony, fraud, theft, or industry related violation:

No


11

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Customer Satisfaction

Better Business Bureau: (click to review BBB overview)

Read BBB Review 

Accredited Business since:

Not Accredited

BBB Rating:

No Rating

Yelp Ratings: (click to review yelp ratings)

No Rating

Number of people on customer service team:

3

Number of people on the "premier" or " institutional" customer service team:

N/A

Number of people on the team that performs investment reviews for client assets:

3

Average turnaround time for a client's new investment (assuming all documents required have been send in by client):

48 Hours

Average turnaround time for setting up a new client account (assuming all documentation required has been sent in by client):

48 Hours

Method of client account access:

Online access and Quarterly Statements

Is client education provided by company:

Yes

Is financial advice provided by company to client:

No


12

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index

The Self Direct Your RetirementTransparency Index is a metric we have developed to indicate how transparent self-directed IRA custodians and administrators are about their company. We value transparency as an ideal trait from a company that is providing custody or administration of your retirement accounts. It shows that the company has nothing to hide about their activities. You should consider this when you are making your choice.

The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index is split into two parts. The first part is whether they voluntarily provided this information to us or whether we had to find this data on our own. Companies that provided us with the data were given the "company certified seal". If they did not participate, the seal does not show up in their profile. The second part of the index is how transparent the companies were in providing us with this information. A higher transparency number indicates a more transparent company. A number above 80% is ideal. There may be legitimate reasons companies do not want to share certain information, but you should consider this when making your decision.

Below the seal, we have listed the last time the company provided us with information. As long as the company has the certified seal, the information should be considered up-to-date. We contact the company periodically to ensure the information is accurate. If the company chooses not to verify the information, then we remove the seal. Transparency is only one factor you should consider when choosing a self directed IRA custodian or administrator.

100%
Information Transparency

Willingness to provide information -  Extremely High

Company Certified Information

Information last updated on: 11/17/2016


13

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Compared to Peers

Visit the Self-Directed IRA custodian & administrator comparison page to see how Chicago Trust Administration Servcies compares to its peers.


14

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Company Spotlight - Industry Trends

We asked Chicago Trust Administration Services to provide their individual insight into the following questions. This section is a bit more personal. The idea is that it will give you more insight into the company you are considering to provide custody of your investments. 

What trends do you see in the self-directed IRA industry?

Increased regulatory oversight.

What trends in asset types do you see at your firm?

More PPM's and private notes and less real estate.

What is your firm's biggest concern about the self-directed IRA industry?

Lack of knowledge by competitors and blatant misinformation.

Please list some additional concerns your firm has about the industry?

Allowing gold IRA to be held by the client. Allowing prohibited transactions.

Do you see any changes in regards to what investors want from custodians and administrators?

All our knowledge at little or no cost. It hasn't changed in years.

What are your company's biggest challenges?

Educating clients and receiving the commensurate compensation for that knowledge.

What are the self-directed IRA industry's biggest challenges?

Uniformity of interpretation of DOL/IRS guidelines.

What needs to be changed in the Self-Directed IRA industry?

Misinformation of advice to clients on what is a prohibited transaction.

How could the Self-Directed IRA Industry improve?

License or certification with bi-annual CEU's.

What is the biggest reason for the company's success?

Great Knowledge or Expertise. 35+ years of real estate investment experience.

Company's view of important of the following items (ranked in order of importance)

  1. Transparency - Providing clients with transparent information
  2. Legitimacy - The important of making sure fraudulent investments are not held at our firm
  3. Visibility - Creating greater visibility about self-directed IRAs to investors
  4. Coordination - Coordinating with other custodians, administrators, and professionals

Other relevant information: 

Assets are deeded and held in the Custodial bank's name from the onset never in our name. Cash deposits the same...directly to the bank under IRA and not our company.


15

Chicago Trust Administration Services

Conclusion

Chicago Trust Administration Services has an extremely high level of transparency. This is exactly what we look for in a custodian or administrator. Without this high level of transparency, we would not have access to the information we would need to make the best decision possible.

Looking for companies with this high level of transparency is only the first step in the process of finding a suitable self-directed IRA custodian or administrator. With this information, you can make a determination about whether Chicago Trust Administration Services is the best choice for your retirement investing needs. 

Please use our Self Directed IRA Custodian & Administrator Comparison Tool to help you assess whether Chicago Trust Administration Services is the right choice for you.


One of the biggest areas of frustration we see from self-directed IRA investors is when they realize they have chosen the wrong self-directed IRA custodian or administrator. It takes time to set up an account and fund your investment. The last thing you want to do when you are trying to fund your investment is to think about changing to a different custodian. Choose your Self-Directed IRA custodian or administrator wisely. If you put the time in now to find the right company, you will save time, money, and aggravation later. Read our Choosing a Self-Directed IRA Custodian report for more information.

Next Steps... Once you have located your ideal Self-Directed IRA Custodian or Administrator, you will be on your way to self-directing your retirement. If you decide that this process seems too complex and you need assistance or financial advice, feel free to contact us. Our firm specializes in providing financial advice pertaining to alternative investments held in self-directed IRAs and 401ks. We are fiduciaries and provide unbiased financial advice to our clients. Contact us if you want to learn more about our wealth management services.


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