Delaware Depository: IRA Storage Options, Insurance and Fees

This page summarizes what Delaware Depository says about itself, plus what we could confirm from public records. Statements marked "according to" are the company's own claims. We have not independently tested them. We do not rank depositories. For the wider picture, see our guide to IRA-Approved Depositories.

What is Delaware Depository and where is it?

According to its website, Delaware Depository is a bullion storage company with two addresses:

• 3601 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19802
• 1009 Industrial Road, Boulder City, NV 89005

Its listed services are storage and transfers, IRA services, collateral custody and shipping. Its About page calls it "the largest precious metals depository in the United States located outside of New York City." That is the company's description, and we found no independent source for it. The page also says it holds CME Group licenses (through COMEX and NYMEX) and an ICE Futures US license. We did not check those with the exchanges.

The page does not say who owns the company.

Is it a state-regulated trust company?

The company's IRA page describes it as a state-chartered trust company that "fully meets the IRC's requirements for IRA custody and safekeeping of precious metals." That is a claim, not a legal finding.

We checked the Delaware State Bank Commissioner's list of Delaware financial institutions (dated August 26, 2026). It has no entry named "Delaware Depository." It does list a State Limited Purpose Trust Company called "Depository Trust Company of Delaware, LLC" at 3601 North Market Street, Wilmington, with the same phone number the depository publishes. Matching address and phone suggest these are the same operation, but this is our inference. The company pages we read do not state the legal name. Ask the depository, or your custodian, to confirm the exact legal entity that will hold your metal.

What storage types does Delaware Depository offer?

The company's storage page and FAQs describe two options. The company uses "non-segregated" where many others say "commingled." Our guide to segregated vs. commingled storage explains the general trade-offs.

The company also says all holdings are "fully allocated" to the account holder and held "off-balance sheet," and that it does not lend or lease metal. Those are company statements.

A 2022 press release from Equity Trust, an IRA custodian, says the Boulder City site "accommodates both segregated and commingled storage." Equity Trust is a business partner of the depository, so treat this as another company statement, not an independent check.

What does Delaware Depository say about insurance?

The company's pages give these figures. We could not read the policy itself.

• The storage page says it maintains "$1 billion of all-risk insurance through London underwriters."
• The FAQs add $100 million of "contingent vault coverage." They say the policy covers physical loss or damage, including theft and employee dishonesty.
• The FAQs list exclusions: war, terrorism, cyber-attack, radioactive contamination, and chemical, biological and electromagnetic weapons.
• The About page says mail and express shipments are insured up to $100,000 per package.
• The IRA page says it is "insured through Lloyd's of London and not reliant on the U.S. government."

A headline figure like "$1 billion" does not tell you how much of it applies to your account. Policy limits, deductibles and who is named on the policy matter. See our guide to insurance for stored metals. Ask for the coverage details in writing.

What does it say about audits?

According to the company, it is "a SSAE18 - SOC1 Type1 audited organization." Plainly, a SOC 1 Type 1 report is an outside accountant's review of how a service company designs its controls at one point in time. It is not a count of the metal in the vault. We did not see the report.

The company also says:

• A separate vault staff team does continuous internal audits.
• "Random counts on various products occur without notice."
• Certified public accountants and insurance brokers review operations each year.
• The Nevada site uses the same externally audited internal controls as the Delaware sites.

Who does Delaware Depository serve?

The About page lists IRA custodians, investment banks, brokerage firms, refiners, manufacturers, commodity trading houses, retailers, coin dealers and individual investors. The storage page separates commercial customers from "Personal Storage" customers, who can view holdings online.

For personal (non-IRA) accounts, the FAQs list more locations than the two on the home page, including Long Beach, California, Zurich and Toronto. The same FAQ says IRA assets must be held by a U.S. bank.

What does Delaware Depository not do?

• It does not say it is your IRA custodian. The FAQs say IRA bullion "is controlled by the trustee/custodian" and that the depository "maintains agreements with various IRA custodians." Shipment requests for IRA accounts go through the custodian. Your custodian is a separate company. See who holds your IRA for the difference.
• It is not a dealer. It stores and ships metal. It does not appear to sell it. Where dealers are mentioned, they are customers.
• It does not say it will take you directly. For an IRA, the company's pages describe working through custodians. We did not find a way for an IRA owner to open an IRA account there on their own.

Why does IRA metal need to be held by a trustee?

The IRS FAQ on IRAs treats gold and other metals as collectibles. If an IRA invests in collectibles, the IRS says "the amount invested is considered distributed in the year invested," and a 10% additional tax on early distributions may apply. The IRS describes an exception for certain highly refined bullion, which must be in the physical possession of a bank or an "IRS-approved nonbank trustee." The IRS FAQ does not name home storage; the exception requires possession by a bank or approved nonbank trustee.

Reading this together: a vault is one place a trustee may keep the metal. But a vault being "IRA-approved" is a sales phrase, not an IRS designation. We did not find an IRS list of approved depositories. Who qualifies as the trustee, and whether a particular arrangement satisfies the rules, is a question for your custodian and a tax professional. That is our reading of the IRS page and not legal advice.

Does Delaware Depository publish its fees?

Yes, in part. Its Resources page links a fee schedule, and we opened the Fee Schedule document. It shows no date or version number, so we cannot say how current it is. We also cannot confirm from the document alone which accounts it covers, including IRA accounts routed through a custodian. We did not open the account agreement or brochure. Amounts as listed:

The schedule lists other items, including pickup outside the U.S., a $25 minimum per outbound shipment and optional count verification of U.S. silver coinage. Read the document for the full list. The FAQs say outstanding storage fees must be paid before bullion is released.

For IRA accounts, you will usually pay through your custodian, which may add its own charges. Ask the custodian to show every storage and shipping charge it passes on, and who sets them.

What questions should you ask before using it?

1. What is the exact legal name of the entity that will hold my metal, and which regulator oversees it?
2. Will my custodian place my metal in segregated or non-segregated storage, and what does each cost?
3. Can I see the insurance certificate, limits, deductible and exclusions?
4. Can I get a copy of the latest SOC 1 report, and how often is metal physically counted?
5. Does the fee schedule apply to my account, and what are all the fees, including shipping, transfer-out and account fees?
6. Which site will hold my metal?
7. How do withdrawals and transfers work through my custodian?

For another vault operator, see our profile of Brink's Global Services.

What we did not check

We did not search for lawsuits, regulator complaints, or consumer-review records about this company, so this page makes no statement either way. We were also unable to open the statute text itself, so our rule summary relies on the IRS page. This profile will be rechecked on the schedule in our update policy.