Midland IRA Reviews

This is a third party review of Midland IRA. This due diligence report reviews over 100 different data points for Midland IRA 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.

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Information last updated on: 11/18/2025

Company certified on: 11/18/16

1

Midland IRA

Introduction

IMPORTANT: Midland IRA has been acquired by Equity Trust Company as of August 2023.

Midland IRA is a self directed IRA administrator that specializes in holding alternative assets in IRA accounts. They provides administrative services, recordkeeping and education for their clients. They also act as a qualified intermediary for 1031 exchanges.

Company Quotable: We bring a mentality of being the touchstone of service with everything that we do and every touch point with our clients. We appreciate their business and want them to feel it on every call or email.


2

Midland IRA

Contact Information

Website:

Phone Number:

(312) 235-0300

Email:

Offices:

Corporate Office:

135 S LaSalle Street, STE 2150, Chicago, IL 60603

Customer Service Office:

1520 Royal Palm Sq. Blvd #320, Fort Myers, FL 33919

Business Hours:

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST (Monday - Friday)


3

Midland IRA

Company Details

Company Classification: 

Administrator

Date Established (under current name):

2012 (Former Entrust Franchisee)

Type of entity:

C-Corp

Who provides custody for client assets:

Mainstar Trust

Company is registered in: 

Florida

Primary Line of Business

Providing self-directed IRA administrative services to clients for alternative investments

Other Lines of Business:

1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary

Typical Client:

Retail & Institutional Clients

Capable of working with Financial Advisory Firms

Yes

Governmental Agency Oversight: 

Kansas State Bank Examiner, www.osbckansas.org

Company's Last Audit: 

(Not Disclosed)

Summary of Assets Under Custody

Number of Active Clients:

10,500

Number of Active accounts:

11,000+

Amount of assets company provides custody for:

$1.15 Billion

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:

Industry related board of trustee positions:

None

Industry related publications:

None


4

Midland IRA

Fee Schedule

Account Setup Fee:

$50

Account Termination Fee:

$150

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

Choice of asset-based or transaction-based fees

Company Fee Schedule:

Midland IRA Fee Schedule* (as of 1/1/16)

* Use the Midland IRA 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

Midland IRA

Available Account Types

Type of Account:

Available at Midland IRA

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)

No

Defined Benefit Plan

(pension)

No

ESOP

(Employee Stock Ownership Plan)

No

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Yes

Education IRA (ESA)

(Coverdell Education Savings Account)

Yes

Non-Qualified Account (Individual)

No

Non-Qualified Account (Joint Tenants)

No

Trust Account

No

Partnership / Limited Partnership

No

UTMA / UGMA Custodial Account

No

C-corp, S-corp, or LLC account

No

Other:

N/A


6

Midland IRA

List of Allowable Assets

Type of Asset

Allowed For Custody?

Real Estate

Yes

Private Placement (Reg A)

No

Private Placement (Reg D)

Yes

Private Placement

(e.g. REIT, BDC, etc)

Yes

Precious Metals

Yes

Futures or Managed Futures

Yes

Options or Hedges

(non-publicly Traded)

No

Bitcoin (or other virtual currency)

No

FOREX

Yes

Hedge Funds

Yes

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)

No

Publicly Traded Options

No

Church Bonds

No

Mutual Funds or Closed-End Funds (CEF)

No

Livestock, Horses, or similar animals

Yes

Business Development Company (BDC)

Yes

International Real Estate

Yes

International Asset (other than real estate)

Yes

Other

N/A

 

Does Midland IRA sub-custody certain assets at other firms:

Scottrade - Traditional Assets

Does Midland IRA provide sub custody services to other firms:

No

Asset Specialization:

futures, forex accounts, limited partnerships, and real estate

Most popular assets held:

  1. Futures
  2. Forex
  3. Limited Partnerships
  4. Real Estate

7

Midland IRA

Operations

Client account title format:

Midland IRA, Inc. FBO [client name] [account #]

Number of full-time employees:

35

Process for setting up a new account:

New accounts are set up via an online application process found at apply.midlandira.com

Process for adding a new asset to client account:

The client will work with a single dedicated service rep who will gather details on the transaction and assist in gathering the documents associated with the investment. Once gathered, an investment authorization is used as final direction from the client to fund the investment.

Procedures in place to protect client information: 

They have a procedure manual and on-going training in place for employees to follow in order to protect client information.

Procedures for annual valuations:

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)


8

Midland IRA

Technology

Does company participate in DTC system:

(Not Disclosed)

Details of DTC:

(Not Disclosed)

Does company accept Fed Funds wires:

Yes

Fed Funds wire details:

Stonegate Bank

Client account access: 

Salesforce

Accounting:

Trust Net

Account reporting:

Trust Net

Trading investments:

(Not Disclosed)

Safekeeping of client assets:

(Not Disclosed)

Record keeping of client assets:

Salesforce

Document storage:

Mfiles

Compliance:

(Not Disclosed)

Security and client information protection:

(Not Disclosed)


9

Midland IRA

Management Team

  • Dave Owens, President & CEO
  • Brandon Stith, EVP, COO
  • Theresa Knower, SVP
  • Brandon Hall, SVP

Access Company Management Profiles

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


10

Midland IRA

Client Protection

Insurance coverage limits for client assets:

(Not Disclosed)

Coverage for uninvested cash balances:

FDIC up to $250,000

Errors & Omissions coverage (E&O):

(Not Disclosed)

Additional or supplemental insurance coverage for client accounts:

(Not Disclosed)

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

Midland IRA

Customer Satisfaction

Better Business Bureau: (click to review BBB overview)

Accredited Business since:

01/04/2012

BBB Rating:

A

Yelp Ratings: (click to review yelp ratings)

Read Yelp Ratings (No profile)

Number of people on customer service team:

20

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

(Not Disclosed)

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

20

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

7-10 Days

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

24 Hours

Method of client account access:

Online access

Is client education provided by company:

Yes

Is financial advice provided by company to client:

No


12

Midland IRA

Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index

The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency 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.

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Willingness to provide information - High

Company Certified Information

Information last updated on: 11/18/2016


13

Midland IRA

Compared to Peers

Visit the Self-Directed IRA custodian & administrator comparison page to see how Midland IRA compares to its peers.


14

Midland IRA

Company Spotlight - Industry Trends

We asked Midland IRA 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?

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

What are your company's biggest challenges?

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

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

(Not Disclosed)

How could the Self-Directed IRA Industry improve?

(Not Disclosed)

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

Great Knowledge and Expertise

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

(Not Disclosed)


15

Midland IRA

Conclusion

Midland IRA has a 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.

If you find a company that is not willing to be transparent to you as a potential customer of their services, then you should reconsider them as a potential choice for your retirement funds. Ultimately, your personal retirement investing needs will determine whether Midland IRA is a good fit for you. Transparency is only one metric which you should consider in your due diligence process. Please use our Self Directed IRA Custodian & Administrator Comparison Tool to help you make that determination.


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.


Copyright 2026 Self Direct Your Retirement LLC

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