Global, independent trust, fund and corporate services provider First Names Group heads up the eprivateclient’s list of Top 25 UK and UK offshore trust companies for 2014. The Group has featured on the list for the last four years, but this is its first time at the top of the table.

eprivateclient is the industry’s leading publication for private client professionals and publishes the list of top trust companies in the UK and UK offshore annually. It noted that after two years of falling fee income, the 2014 rankings showed an increasingly confident sector with fee income and staff numbers up on last year. 

The data also shows that the trust company sector has recorded rises in terms of the number of client-facing directors and trust officers.  This is certainly true for First Names Group, which has seen significant growth through both acquisitions and new business since its MBO in mid-2012 and subsequent rebrand.  The Group now operates across 12 locations and currently has a global headcount of over 550 ‘First Names’.

Commercial Director of First Names Group, Kevin O'Connell comments;
 
"We are delighted with our position on eprivateclient's list of Top 25 Trust Companies, especially as the private client sector is such a core part of our business. Whilst there has been a notable shift on the part of some trust companies in recent times to focus solely on corporate clients the private client arena is the largest part of our business and we are fully committed to its future growth. We believe we win business in this sphere because of our focus on building long-term relationships, our independent approach, superior service and bespoke solutions."