Many of
you know that IRA Services has been providing retirement account services for
nearly thirty years.
For all those
years we have always partnered with a financial institution to provide the
custodial services that are necessary for a retirement account.
We are
very pleased to announce that we have been granted authority to operate our own
trust company to be the custodian of your account. Effective July 1, 2008 IRA Services Trust Company has become the
custodian of your retirement or educational account.
IRA
Services Trust Company is a state chartered non depository trust company that
is regulated by the South Dakota Division of Banking. The company has met or exceeded all of the requirements of the
State as to capital and insurance. We
are dedicated to maintaining IRA Services Trust Company as a sound and secure
trust company.
The
formation of IRA Services Trust Company means that we no longer will partner
with a separate financial institution to provide you with your retirement or
educational account. It also means that
our ability to bring you superior service at extremely competitively rates will
continue.
The same
staff that has handled your account from its inception is still a part of the
new IRA Services Trust Company. Our
telephone number, facsimile number and addresses are all unchanged. You will continue to receive the same
service you have come to know. Your
account will continue to be accessible at www.iraservices.com,
with no change in password.
We hope
that you will find this change to be as transparent as possible. It will allow us to, in many ways, provide
you with better service at a low cost and yet continue to ensure the safety and
security of your account.
What must you do?
The
change in custodian requires no action on your part. You may go to to the tab "Download Forms"
and download a revised custodial account for your type of account that will
indicate IRA Services Trust Company is the custodian of your account.
If you
are sending documents for your account, you may now send them to IRA Services
Trust Company FBO [your name] (Federal TIN: 26-2627205). If you need a form, you should use the forms
that are available on the website. We
will continue to use Fremont Bank as our depository institution for the
custodial cash account. Any wires
should be sent to Fremont Bank according to the wire instructions provided
under the tab “Download Forms, Delivery Instructions”. Your custodial cash deposits will continue
to be insured up to $250,000 by the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation
(FDIC).
If you
take distributions during the year, you may receive two 1099R tax forms for the
year 2008. One will be under the prior
custodian’s tax ID number and the other under the tax ID for IRA Services Trust
Company. Rest assured that the sum of
the tax forms will equal the total distribution for the year.
We are
excited about this change and believe that it will be a good change for all
participants. We look forward to
working with you as you manage your retirement or educational account.
If you have any questions about this change, please
feel free to contact one of our customer service representatives at
650-593-2221.
If you would like
information about protecting yourself and
your accounts from fraudulent investments, the US Securities
and
Exchange Commission has a website
devoted to investors, particularly seniors, on how to identify and
avoid schemes that could compromise your account.