Columbia Private Trust
Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian providing custody and administration for retirement accounts holding alternative assets such as real estate, private equity, notes, and precious metals. Operating as a division of Columbia Bank (Columbia Banking System, Inc.), it serves individual investors and financial professionals across approximately $17 billion in assets under custody.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Columbia Private Trust does
Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian that provides custody, recordkeeping, and administration for retirement accounts holding alternative assets — including real estate, private equity, promissory notes, precious metals, and offshore funds — alongside marketable securities. The platform supports Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo(k), and Coverdell ESA account types, and includes an online trading application (Pacific Premier Wealth Online), a 2025-launched mobile app, an RMD calculator suite, and a Pro Portal for capital raisers. Underlying technology centers on a REST API ("Premier API"), ACATS-based account transfer capability (rare among self-directed IRA custodians), and pre-built integrations with Advent, Addepar, DBCams, and Schwab PortfolioCenter for portfolio management system synchronization.
The company operates as a division of Columbia Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly traded Columbia Banking System, Inc., following the September 1, 2025 merger of Pacific Premier Bank with Columbia Bank. It was previously known as Pacific Premier Trust and, before that, PENSCO Trust Company, giving it more than 30 years of operating history in self-directed IRAs. It reports approximately $17 billion in assets under custody across roughly 35,000 client accounts.
Columbia Private Trust monetizes through three streams: recurring quarterly account administration and maintenance fees, per-transaction charges for wires, conversions, re-registrations, real-estate/notes/tax-lien processing, and other administrative activities, and one-time account closure and asset re-registration fees. GTM is hybrid — a self-serve online application portal and mobile app serve individual investors, while inside-sales representatives and the Pro Portal serve financial professionals, broker-dealers, RIAs, asset and fund sponsors, family offices, and defined benefit plans. It primarily serves the United States market.
Columbia Private Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Columbia Private Trust
- Legal name
- Columbia Private Trust, a Division of Columbia Bank
- Website
- https://columbiaprivatetrust.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian providing custody and administration for retirement accounts holding alternative assets such as real estate, private equity, notes, and precious metals. Operating as a division of Columbia Bank (Columbia Banking System, Inc.), it serves individual investors and financial professionals across approximately $17 billion in assets under custody.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Columbia Private Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Directed IRA Custody
- NAICS
- Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Personal & Family Trust Services (FSAAANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Banking Alternatives & Private Markets Access (PE/VC, Hedge Funds, Real Assets) (FSABADAH), Alternative Investments for Private Wealth (Hedge Funds, PE/VC Access, Private Credit) (FSAAABAI)
Keywords
Where Columbia Private Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Columbia Private Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Account Administration and Maintenance Fees: Quarterly service fees covering access to representatives, account summaries, secure online access, annual tax reporting (IRS Forms 5498 and 1099-R), asset valuations, expense processing, RMD calculations, and system monitoring.
- Transactional Charges: Fees based on investment type and administrative activities including outgoing wires/checks, overnight mailings, Roth conversions, purchases, liquidations, sales, asset re-registration, partial transfers, quarterly processing fees for real estate/notes/tax liens, custom account research, document safekeeping, manual distribution requests, and mailed paper statements.
- Account Closure Fees: One-time account closure service charge plus re-registration fees for assets being transferred/distributed in-kind to maintain tax-deferred status.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Quarterly | Account Administration and Maintenance |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Transactional Services |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Account Closure |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Columbia Private Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian that provides custody and administration for individual and business retirement accounts holding alternative assets such as real estate, private equity, promissory notes, precious metals, and offshore funds, as well as traditional marketable securities. The firm offers account types including Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo(k), and Coverdell ESA IRAs, supported by online trading (Pacific Premier Wealth Online), a mobile application, REST-based Premier API, and Pro Portal for capital raisers and financial professionals.
Product overview
Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian offering a unified platform for alternative and traditional asset investment within tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The core offering is the Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) which supports multiple account types (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo(k), Coverdell ESA) and enables investment in real estate, private equity, notes, precious metals, and marketable securities. The platform includes complementary tools such as the Pacific Premier Wealth Online trading application, mobile app, RMD calculators, investment authorization forms, and co-investment programs. The Premier API enables third-party platform integration. The company serves individual investors, financial professionals, family offices, and institutional clients with assets under custody.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) Self-directed Individual Retirement Account that allows investors to hold alternative and standard investments including real estate, private equity, promissory notes, precious metals, and offshore funds beyond typical exchange-traded assets. Offered to individual investors through a self-serve online application.
- Traditional IRA Tax-deferred retirement account where contributions may be tax-deductible and earnings grow tax-deferred until withdrawal, offered with self-directed custody capabilities.
- Roth IRA Tax-free retirement account where contributions are made with after-tax dollars and qualified withdrawals are tax-free, offered with self-directed custody capabilities.
- SEP IRA Simplified Employee Pension IRA for self-employed individuals and small business employees with higher contribution limits, offered with self-directed custody capabilities.
- SIMPLE IRA Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees IRA for small businesses with employer matching requirements, offered with self-directed custody capabilities.
- Solo(k) IRA One-participant 401(k) plan for self-employed individuals allowing employee deferral contributions, held under self-directed custody.
- Coverdell ESA Education savings account allowing tax-free withdrawals for qualified education expenses, offered under custody services.
- Pacific Premier Wealth Online Online trading application enabling investment in thousands of mutual funds, stocks, ETFs, bonds, CDs, and annuities within self-directed IRAs.
- Columbia Private Trust Mobile App Mobile application for viewing transactions, documents, statements, and updating contact information on self-directed IRA accounts.
- Premier API REST API services enabling investment platforms to communicate with Columbia Private Trust for account management and investment processing, with IP and token-based access controls.
- Co-Investment Program Program enabling private equity firm employees to participate in their firm's investment opportunities using tax-qualified accounts through Columbia Private Trust custody.
- 1031 Exchange Services Tax-deferred exchange services through Pacific Premier Bank's 1031 Exchange Division for reinvesting proceeds from investment property sales within self-directed IRA accounts.
- Pro Portal Platform for capital raisers to invite prospective investors, electronically submit documents for review, and manage fund-related IRA investments.
- Enhanced Login Security Account security enhancement providing stronger authentication protection for client logins to the Columbia Private Trust platform.
Companies that use Columbia Private Trust
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Columbia Private Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature6 records
Columbia Private Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Columbia Private Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Alto: Tech-forward self-directed IRA platform targeting modern alternative-asset investors with streamlined UX and crypto support. Emerges as a direct SDIRA competitor to Columbia Private Trust's individual-investor motion with a more modern technology stack.
- Rocket Dollar: Self-directed IRA and Solo 401(k) platform enabling alternative-asset investing with a digital-first onboarding experience. Overlaps with Columbia Private Trust's SDIRA individual-investor segment and pressures traditional custodians on UX and pricing.
Direct peers
- Strata Trust Company: Specialized SDIRA custodian offering alternative-asset custody for real estate, private equity, notes, and precious metals. Direct peer to Columbia Private Trust with overlapping product set and customer segments.
- Kingdom Trust Company: Self-directed IRA custodian offering alternative-asset custody (real estate, private equity, crypto, notes). Direct competitor in the SDIRA space with a similar fee structure and target customer base.
- NuView Trust Company: Self-directed IRA custodian (formerly Specialty Lending Group) focused on alternative-asset retirement accounts. Comparable service model and target investors to Columbia Private Trust's SDIRA offering.
- Millennium Trust Company: Specialized custodian focused on self-directed IRAs, custodial real estate, and alternative-asset retirement accounts. Serves financial professionals and individual investors with a custody platform closely overlapping Columbia Private Trust's offering.
- Equity Trust Company: One of the largest self-directed IRA custodians in the U.S., offering SDIRA custody for alternative assets including real estate, private equity, and notes. Directly comparable to Columbia Private Trust in product set, target customers, and fee-based custody model.
- IRA Financial Group: Self-directed IRA platform partnering with custodians to enable alternative-asset retirement investing. Closely comparable customer acquisition motion (online onboarding, alternative-asset focus) to Columbia Private Trust's self-serve SDIRA flow.
Broad incumbents
- Charles Schwab: Major U.S. brokerage and IRA custodian with deep advisor-channel relationships and integrated portfolio management (Schwab PortfolioCenter). Comparable as a broad IRA custodian; Columbia Private Trust integrates with Schwab PortfolioCenter rather than directly competing head-on.
- Fidelity Investments: One of the largest U.S. brokerages and IRA custodians, offering traditional retirement accounts alongside increasingly broader investment menus. Comparable as an incumbent IRA custodian, though not focused on alternatives the way Columbia Private Trust is.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Columbia Private Trust social profiles
Digital presenceColumbia Private Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Columbia Private Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Columbia Private Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Columbia Private Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Private Trust
What does Columbia Private Trust do?
Columbia Private Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian that provides custody and administration for individual and business retirement accounts holding alternative assets such as real estate, private equity, promissory notes, precious metals, and offshore funds, as well as traditional marketable securities. The firm offers account types including Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo(k), and Coverdell ESA IRAs, supported by online trading (Pacific Premier Wealth Online), a mobile application, REST-based Premier API, and Pro Portal for capital raisers and financial professionals.
Is Columbia Private Trust a public or private company?
Columbia Private Trust is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Columbia Private Trust founded?
Columbia Private Trust was founded in -1.
Where is Columbia Private Trust based?
Columbia Private Trust is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does Columbia Private Trust make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Account Administration and Maintenance Fees are the primary driver. The others are transactional Charges and account Closure Fees.
Who are Columbia Private Trust's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Alto and Rocket Dollar. Direct peers are Strata Trust Company, Kingdom Trust Company, NuView Trust Company, Millennium Trust Company, Equity Trust Company and IRA Financial Group. Broad incumbents are Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments.
Does Columbia Private Trust have an API?
Yes. Premier API is a set of REST APIs that investment platforms use to communicate with Columbia Private Trust's platform. Columbia Private Trust provides REST API services to third party institutions as approved to perform various actions programmatically. The API was created to improve communications between third party partners and Columbia Private Trust. API calls are restricted by the third party's IP address and require an API Token registered specifically to the institution.
What industry is Columbia Private Trust in?
Columbia Private Trust's product category is Self-Directed IRA Custody. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAANAA, Personal & Family Trust Services, with a secondary code of FSABADAH, Private Banking Alternatives & Private Markets Access (PE/VC, Hedge Funds, Real Assets). Its NAICS code is 52592 and its SIC code is 6036.