This is a third party review of Pacific Premier Trust (Formerly Pensco Trust Company). This due diligence report reviews over 100 different data points for Pensco Trust Company 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.
Information last updated on: 11/18/2025
Company certified on: 12/08/15
Pensco Trust Company
Introduction
IMPORTANT: Pensco Trust Company was acquired by Opus Bank in 2016. In 2020 Opus Bank was acquired by Pacific Premier Bank. Pacific Premier Bank was acquired by Columbia Private Trust in 2025.
PENSCO is the leading alternative asset custodian, with more than two decades of expertise in holding private equity, real estate, notes, and other non-exchange traded assets. They possess knowledge and experience with IRS rules and regulations for holding alternatives in IRA, and we are dedicated to continuing to innovate technology to streamline the alternative asset investment process.
Pensco Trust Company
Contact Information
Website: | |
|---|---|
Phone Number: | |
Email: |
Offices:
Corporate Office: | 17901 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1200, Irvine, CA 92614 |
Customer Service Office: | 1801 California St., Suite 800, Denver, CO 80202 |
Business Hours: | 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST (Monday - Friday) |
Pensco Trust Company
Company Details
Company Classification: | Custodian |
Date Established (under current name): | 1989 |
Type of entity: | LLC |
Who provides custody for client assets: | Columbia Trust Company (Self) |
Company is registered in: | Colorado |
Primary Line of Business: | Providing self-directed IRA custody to clients for alternative investments |
Other Lines of Business: | None |
Typical Client: | Both Retail & Institutional |
Capable of working with Financial Advisory Firms | Yes |
Governmental Agency Oversight: | Colorado Division of Banking |
Company's Last Audit: | July 2016 (by: Colorado Division of Banking) |
Summary of Assets Under Custody
Number of Active Clients: | 45,000+ |
Number of Active accounts: | 48,000+ |
Amount of assets company provides custody for: | $12 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: | Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA) |
Industry related board of trustee positions: | None |
Industry related publications: | None |
Pensco Trust Company
Fee Schedule
Pensco Trust Company
Available Account Types
Type of Account: | Available at Pensco Trust Company |
|---|---|
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) | No |
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 |
Pensco Trust Company
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 | Yes |
Futures or Managed Futures | No |
Options or Hedges (non-publicly Traded) | No |
Bitcoin (or other virtual currency) | No |
FOREX | No |
Hedge Funds | Yes |
Limited Partnerships | Yes |
Single-member LLC (or Checkbook LLC) | Yes |
Multi-member LLC | Yes |
REITs | Yes |
Annuities (fixed or Variable) | Yes |
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 | No |
International Asset (other than real estate) | No |
Other | N/A |
Does Pensco Trust Company sub-custody certain assets at other firms: | Various firms are used for traded and non-traded assets |
Does Pensco Trust provide sub custody services to other firms: | No |
Asset Specialization: | Private Equity |
Most popular assets held: |
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Pensco Trust Company
Operations
Client account title format: | Pensco Trust Company FBO: [ Client Name ] IRA |
Number of full-time employees: | 180 |
Process for setting up a new account: | How to open an account at Pensco (open an account) |
Process for adding a new asset to client account: | How to invest an assets at Pensco (invest in assets) |
Procedures in place to protect client information: | (Not disclosed) |
Procedures for annual valuations: | For real estate investments, you will receive a notice in January asking you to provide PENSCO with a comparative market analysis for the property. It is your responsibility to obtain this information, and you can submit it to PENSCO using our online Asset Valuation Tool. For private equity investments, a letter and notice will be sent to your Investment Sponsor requesting that they provide PENSCO with a year-end value for your investments. It is always a good idea to check with your Investment Sponsor to ensure they have submitted the information to PENSCO. |
Procedures for when an investment is suspected to be or is found to be fraudulent: | Per FinCEN regulations these investigations are confidential (as is our process for reviewing them), reports are submitted to Federal & State regulatory authorities. |
Pensco Trust Company
Technology
Does company participate in DTC system: | Yes |
Details of DTC: | DTC Number: 5998 Account Title: Pensco Trust Company, Custodian Account |
Does company accept Fed Funds wires: | Yes. |
Fed Funds wire details: | Citibank. ABA#: 321171184 |
Client account access: | Proprietary Technology |
Accounting: | (Not Disclosed) |
Account reporting: | (Not Disclosed) |
Trading investments: | (Not Disclosed) |
Safekeeping of client assets: | Proprietary technology |
Record keeping of client assets: | (Not Disclosed) |
Document storage: | (Not Disclosed) |
Compliance: | (Not Disclosed) |
Security and client information protection: | (Not Disclosed) |
Pensco Trust Company
Management Team
- Curtis A. Glovier, Chairman & CEO
- Patrick Hughes, President
- Mark Lee, Chief Operating Officer
- Eric Rapp, Chief Technology officer
- Amy Wong, VP, Account Operations & Institutional Services
- Elizabeth Alexander, VP Operations & Site Manager
Access Company Management Profiles
Glassdoor Ratings: (How company rates as an employer)
Pensco Trust Company
Client Protection
Insurance coverage limits for client assets: | (would not disclose) |
Coverage for uninvested cash balances: | FDIC Insured up to $250,000 per account holder |
Errors & Omissions coverage (E&O): | (would not disclose) |
Additional or supplemental insurance coverage for client accounts: | (would not disclose) |
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 |
Pensco Trust Company
Customer Satisfaction
Better Business Bureau: (click to review BBB overview) | |
Accredited Business since: | 02/01/1995 |
BBB Rating: | A+ |
Yelp Ratings: (click to review yelp ratings) | |
Number of people on customer service team: | (would not disclose) |
Number of people on the "premier" or " institutional" customer service team: | (would not disclose) |
Number of people on the team that performs investment reviews for client assets: | (would not disclose) |
Average turnaround time for a client's new investment (assuming all documents required have been send in by client): | 1-10 Days |
Average turnaround time for setting up a new client account (assuming all documentation required has been sent in by client): | 1 Day |
Method of client account access: | Online access, phone service, and quarterly statements |
Is client education provided by company: | Yes (web-based content primarily including blog content but also investment guides and webinars) |
Is financial advice provided by company to client: | No |
Pensco Trust Company
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. All companies were given a chance to participate. 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.
Willingness to provide information - High
Company Certified Information
Information last updated on: 11/18/2016
Pensco Trust Company
Compared to Peers
Visit the Self-Directed IRA custodian & administrator comparison page to see how IRA Services Trust Company compares to its peers.
Pensco Trust Company
Company Spotlight - Industry Trends
We asked Pensco Trust Company 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? | (would not disclose) |
What trends in asset types do you see at your firm? | (would not disclose) |
What is your firm's biggest concern about the self-directed IRA industry? | (would not disclose) |
Please list some additional concerns your firm has about the industry? | (would not disclose) |
Do you see any changes in regards to what investors want from custodians and administrators? | (would not disclose) |
What are your company's biggest challenges? | (would not disclose) |
What are the self-directed IRA industry's biggest challenges? | (would not disclose) |
What needs to be changed in the Self-Directed IRA industry? | (would not disclose) |
How could the Self-Directed IRA Industry improve? | (would not disclose) |
What is the biggest reason for the company's success? | (would not disclose) |
Company's view of important of the following items (ranked in order of importance)
- Legitimacy - Prevention of fraudulent investments and schemes
- Transparency - Providing clients with transparent information
- Visibility - Creating greater visibility about self-directed IRAs to investors
- Coordination - Coordinating with other custodians, administrators, and professionals
Other relevant information:
None.
Pensco Trust Company
Conclusion
Pensco Trust Company 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 Pensco Trust Company 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.
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