• Corporate Trust
• Land Trusts

Corporate Trust

Whether you plan to issue tax-exempt bonds, Seaway can administer your bond issue, whatever the degree of complexity. We will support your issue, from pre-closing through closing, paying and reporting.

Seaway's advanced technology provides you with debt issuance flexibility and insures compliance with depository regulations. Our system tracks interest rates, handles physical and book-entry issues, and allows us to service the most complex calls and redemption requirements. An automated tickler system tracks indenture compliance and critical dates.

Seaway currently serves as Trustee, Escrow Agent, Registrar and/or Paying Agent for various types of debt financing, ranging from a $207-million Chicago Transit Authority bond issue to a $2.5 million Cook County bond issue. The department's portfolio is comprised of more than $6.5 billion in municipal bonds. Clients include municipalities, school districts, educational and cultural institutions, park districts, county government and other government agencies. Our staff has more than 35 years of combined experience with corporate bond issues. Staff training and development are an integral part of our operation and keeps us abreast of trust regulatory and industry trends. Quality customer service is our foremost concern, and our support personnel provide timely and responsive service to ensure that issuer’s needs are satisfied.

For more information on Seaway's Trust services, call Vice President Lois Jenkins at 773-602-4156 or click here to email.

Land Trusts

A land trust is a simple and inexpensive way to handle real estate. It is an arrangement under which title of record is handled by a "trustee," while all of the rights and conveniences of ownership are retained by the "beneficiary."

There are good reasons to open a land trust account at Seaway:

1.  It Allows You to Maintain Complete Control
When you place a piece of real estate in a Seaway Bank land trust, title for that property passes to us as the “trustee.” You, as beneficiary of the trust, retain complete control of the property, managing, insuring, leasing, renting and/or selling it as you normally would. Acting as trustee, Seaway Bank is bound by law to follow your instructions completely, both during and after your lifetime.

2.  It Provides Privacy of Ownership
Just as you prefer not to broadcast the value of your stocks, bonds and savings, you may also wish for your real estate holdings to remain a private matter. With a land trust, the identity of the beneficiary is not a matter of public record.

3.  It Eliminates Probate Expenses and Delays
Once your property is in a trust that names contingent beneficiaries, it is no longer subject to probate upon your death. This fact alone can save your estate substantial expenses, not to mention the delay and hassle it will save your beneficiaries.

4.  It Simplifies the Transfer of Ownership
During your lifetime, your beneficial interest in a land trust may be transferred without the bother and expenses of preparing and recording a deed. This feature is also helpful when the real estate has several beneficiaries, since any portion of the beneficial interest can be transferred among the beneficiaries through a simple assignment, rather than by costly title and deed changes. After your death, the individuals whom you have chosen will automatically become the new beneficiaries of the real estate, again avoiding the costly and time-consuming probate process.

Seaway is the only bank on Chicago's South Side to offer Land Trust services. For more information, call (773) 602-4156 or click here to email.