Argent Institutional Trust to acquire Huntington Bank’s institutional custody and corporate trust division

Argent Institutional Trust Company, a Florida-headquartered provider of corporate fiduciary and custody solutions, has entered a definitive agreement to acquire the institutional custody and corporate trust operations of The Huntington National Bank, a key subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (Nasdaq: HBAN). The move marks a significant scale-up in Argent’s national reach, with the firm poised to take responsibility for more than $175 billion in assets post-integration.

The acquisition, announced Friday morning, includes the full transfer of Huntington’s trust and custody client base, internal operational infrastructure, and core relationship management teams to Argent Institutional Trust Company. The deal not only expands Argent’s role in national trust administration, but also aligns it strategically with Huntington’s core commercial and government banking services.

What does the Argent-Huntington trust acquisition mean for institutional finance clients?

Under the terms of the agreement, Huntington Bancshares will exit the business of administering corporate trust, escrow, and institutional custody mandates. Argent Institutional Trust Company, in turn, will assume end-to-end servicing responsibilities for a wide range of clients, including municipalities, nonprofit issuers, mutual fund administrators, and commercial enterprises.

The acquisition cements an ongoing operational partnership: while Argent takes over the fiduciary and custodial mandates, it will continue to support Huntington’s corporate, commercial, and business banking clients with complementary solutions. Huntington will maintain existing banking relationships, while outsourcing the trust component to Argent in a white-label fashion.

This structural shift allows Huntington to streamline its operational focus while giving its institutional clients access to Argent’s national servicing teams and bespoke agency capabilities. Key Huntington personnel—including trust officers and administrative leads—will transition to Argent Institutional Trust to support continuity and client retention.

Why is Argent Institutional Trust scaling through M&A?

Originally founded in 1954 as Trust Management Incorporated in Texas, Argent Institutional Trust Company became part of Argent Financial Group following a merger in August 2023. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the trust firm has since been positioned as a national platform focused on corporate trust, escrow, custody, and family office services.

Since the merger, Argent has prioritized scale and infrastructure expansion. Its administration centers now span Tampa, Atlanta, Fort Worth, Milwaukee, and New York City—allowing national servicing of high-complexity mandates. This acquisition of Huntington’s institutional platform adds geographic and operational heft, with immediate onboarding of mature client portfolios and seasoned professionals.

“The acquisition aligns with our long-term growth strategy and commitment to delivering high-quality, customized trust and agency solutions,” said Anthony Guthrie, Chairman of Argent Institutional Trust Company. “We are excited to welcome Huntington’s team and clients. This addition enhances our scale, expertise, and the depth of service we can offer to institutional partners across the country.”

What services are included in the Huntington Bank trust portfolio?

Huntington’s outgoing corporate trust and custody division has been a long-standing service provider for bond trusteeships, collateralized agent roles, paying agency work, escrow functions, and custody mandates for a wide range of institutional clients. Its portfolio spans municipal bond servicing, mutual fund and investment vehicle custody, escrow administration for mergers and acquisitions as well as commercial real estate transactions, structured finance agency services, and collateral tracking and default management.

The division has historically served as a middle-market and regional player across Huntington’s 13-state banking footprint. Integration into Argent’s national servicing model opens the door for greater servicing automation, digital reporting tools, and multijurisdictional onboarding.

Steven B. Eason, CEO of Argent Institutional Trust, emphasized the strategic value of the transition. “Huntington recognized the quality and scale of our trust platform and was confident in our ability to preserve the service excellence their clients have come to expect.”

What is the expected impact on clients and servicing teams?

Institutional clients of Huntington will experience minimal disruption during the transition, according to statements from both institutions. Huntington’s client-facing trust personnel will move to Argent, preserving service continuity. Additionally, Argent plans to fully integrate Huntington’s operational workflows, ensuring familiar points of contact and service procedures remain intact.

Melissa Holding, Executive Vice President and Director of Wealth Management at Huntington, reiterated client protection as a top priority: “Our mission is to keep clients at the center of all we do, and this relationship allows them to continue to benefit from a high level of expertise and commitment to their financial success.”

Both parties emphasized the transition would be seamless, with onboarding expected over the coming months and a full back-end integration scheduled for completion before the end of 2025. The move has been structured to avoid operational redundancies and minimize technological disruptions.

How large is Argent Financial Group post-acquisition?

Following the deal, Argent Institutional Trust Company will oversee more than $175 billion in client assets, making it a leading player among independent trust and agency firms in the United States. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Argent Financial Group, AITC benefits from the parent company’s long-standing legacy of asset stewardship dating back to 1930.

Argent Financial Group, based in Ruston, Louisiana, operates across 30+ offices in 12 states and offers a spectrum of fiduciary services, including personal trust, estate management, and investment partnerships. The firm has aggressively expanded its corporate trust business through its AITC subsidiary since the 2023 merger.

This acquisition represents a continuation of that growth strategy, with an emphasis on scalable, client-first administration in sectors where trust complexity is increasing due to evolving regulatory and reporting demands.

How are markets and institutional investors viewing the transaction?

While the acquisition is a private transaction and not expected to materially impact Huntington Bancshares’ financial guidance for 2025, analysts have broadly welcomed the move as part of a longer-term restructuring at the regional bank.

Huntington Bancshares has been under institutional pressure to focus on core lending, deposit, and risk services amid margin compression and rising capital requirements. Divesting the trust unit enables resource reallocation and reduces operational risk for non-core segments.

Argent Institutional Trust, meanwhile, is widely viewed as a strategic consolidator in the U.S. trust and custody space, with a strong track record of post-acquisition servicing success. The onboarding of mature institutional portfolios—rather than retail accounts—makes this acquisition attractive from a servicing margin and compliance standpoint.

While no transaction price was disclosed, observers expect the deal to accelerate AITC’s transition into a Tier 1 institutional servicing provider, especially for commercial and municipal debt market participants.

What’s next for Argent Institutional Trust in the U.S. market?

Argent’s future strategy appears focused on institutional expansion through a combination of M&A, platform digitization, and strategic partnerships with mid-market banks. This Huntington acquisition may serve as a model for other regional banking relationships seeking to offload non-core fiduciary units.

As the institutional trust market continues to consolidate, Argent Institutional Trust is expected to explore deeper roles in public finance agency services, private credit custody, and fund administration—all of which align with its operational strengths and now-expanded geographic footprint.

In the near term, the company’s focus will remain on ensuring a frictionless transition for Huntington clients and embedding legacy workflows into AITC’s broader service fabric.