Who We Are
We are the world's leading provider of business administration and compliance solutions
Privately owned and proud to be celebrating our 125th anniversary in 2024, we're more than 8,000 people strong, with capabilities in more than 140 global jurisdictions. And what continues to unite us and drive us every day is a fierce commitment to the service that keeps our clients moving.
Rock-solid and relentlessly driven, we take on complex challenges within compliance, legal, tax, digital, and cyber-risk solutions so our clients can focus on what's important to them.
Our culture
Since our formation, we've focused on the positive impact business can have on the world. Our Purpose is our North Star, guiding decisions at all levels of our business. Our Values continue to shape the culture we're proud of—a culture that puts people first.
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Our people
We're a people business. And we're a business of friendly, values-driven people who support each other and always go the extra mile to deliver for our clients. Interested in joining our team?
Our purpose
Diversity and belonging
CSC Gives Back
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Our history
In 1899, two Delaware attorneys, Josiah Marvel and Christopher Ward, formed CSC. Their goal was to simplify the way corporations were formed and operated, as well as the ways they maintained compliance. Over time, our services have expanded to include an array of enterprise-specific solutions for every stage of the business life cycle in locations across the world. And while we're now a global company doing business wherever our clients are, the core principles on which we were founded continue to guide us today.
Learn more about our history1896
New Jersey enacts a general corporation law to combine the rules of incorporation, making it easier for companies to incorporate in the state. The law attracts business—and revenue—setting the stage for a new era. Attorney James B. Dill, the law's architect, invents the concept of a corporation service company to act as a corporation's agent.
1899
On March 10, 1899, Delaware passes a general corporation law closely modeled after New Jersey's legislation. Previously, companies seeking to incorporate had to petition the Delaware General Assembly for a special charter—a laborious process.
Attorney Josiah P. Marvel, who helped draft Delaware's legislation, and his brother, David T. Marvel, form the Delaware Charter Guarantee & Trust Company to help businesses incorporate in Delaware and serve as the agency of record.
Attorney, historian, and author Christopher Ward forms the Delaware Incorporators' Trust Company.
1913
New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson signs the Seven Sisters, a series of bills to discourage trusts. The President-Elect's decision drives companies from New Jersey to Delaware. The First State offers a unique advantage: the Court of Chancery, the premier forum for resolving business disputes.
Christopher Ward and his partners change the company name from Delaware Incorporators' Trust Company to Corporation Company of Delaware. Martindale's American Law Directory calls the company's published digest “the most useful information on this subject ever issued.”
Josiah P. Marvel is elected the first president of what would become the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. Since 1951, the chamber has awarded the Josiah Marvel Cup to outstanding Delawareans who contribute to the state, community, or society.
1920
Josiah Marvel and Christopher Ward combine their businesses to form Corporation Service Company (CSC). Ward, the managing partner, is president. Marvel, who still practices law, is vice president. In one month, CSC organizes nearly 100 new corporations.
1930
Josiah Marvel is elected president of the American Bar Association and becomes a Democratic national committeeman. Unfortunately, he has a fatal heart attack on October 11, 1930.
1943
Christopher Ward dies on February 20, 1943. The next generation, including Christopher Ward Jr. and Josiah Marvel Jr., stay the course.
1964
F. Michael Donohue Jr., Josiah Marvel's grandson, and Rodman Ward Jr., a corporate lawyer, join the board. The company remains profitable, and CSC acquires small companies.
1968
James M. Winfield becomes president, and Margaret Storey is executive vice president.
Storey, previously director of Delaware's corporate department, learns that Dover-based Capital Trust Company (CTC) is available. CSC acquires CTC, a respected firm.
1975
Midwesterner Daniel R. Butler, who has extensive experience in investments and finance, becomes CEO and oversees about a dozen employees. The goal: Expand CSC's client base and services.
1979
CSC and Stephen B. Tily III join forces to provide back-office services to support retirement plans for entrepreneurs. CSC reactivates the Delaware Charter Guarantee & Trust Company charter for the endeavor, which proves profitable.
1980
CSC expands its sales force and acquires Corporate Agents Inc.
1989
Bruce Winn joins CSC as vice president of finance and administration. He defines the company's purpose: “To be a great, enduring, profitable company by enabling responsible business growth around the globe, while creating an environment in which our people, partners, clients, and communities will be better off tomorrow than they are today.”
1990
CSC buys Corporation Information Services, a Tallahassee, Florida–based leader in incorporation service. CSC gains 40 employees and the year is CSC's best, measured by sales, profits, and market share.
1991
By 1991, CSC provides registered agent services in 50 states.
1993
CSC acquires six companies, including Corporation Associates of Illinois; California-based UCC Network Inc., which focuses on Uniform Commercial Code Service; and Capital Services, which has Boston and Albany offices.
1994
Prentice Hall Legal & Financial Services, the industry's second-largest provider, is four times CSC's size. Nevertheless, CSC teams with CDB Infotek of Santa Ana, California, to bid on the company. (CDB wants Prentice Hall's public database service.) CSC closes the deal.
1995
With the acquisition of Prentice Hall, CSC has more than 1,000 employees in 32 offices.
1997
CSC debuts IncSpot, a robust online platform for corporate attorneys, corporate secretaries, and paralegals. The technology underscores CSC's ability to predict the need for digital solutions.
1998
Bruce Winn becomes president in 1998.
CSC, Delaware's largest incorporating service, acquires three companies, including The Capital Trust Company of Delaware, officially marking its entrance into providing services for transactions supporting the U.S. capital markets
CSC invests in Afilias, the registry operator of top-level domains, service provider for registry operators of .org, .ngo, .lgbt, .asia, and .aero, and provider of domain name registry services for countries worldwide.
CSC becomes an accredited domain name registrar through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Clients send CSC names and trademarks to register and protect their brands online.
2001
On the morning of September 11, more than 40 CSC employees arrive at CSC's offices on the 87th floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower. After the first impact, several CSC employees, including the late John Pelletier, exemplify outstanding leadership. In the 16½ minutes between the first and second terrorist impacts, they direct the team toward safety. No one is injured. The CSC team pulls together to ensure no interruption in client service.
2002
CSC buys PowerBrief, a litigation-management application. CSC already acquired RecordCenter, which offers Internet-based document management and collaboration applications for legal and business transactions. The platforms help clients manage and track corporate compliance, data, and documents.
2003
CSC acquires LexisNexis Document Solutions, the leading provider of Uniform Commercial Code due-diligence services to banks and asset-based lenders, and Diligenz, which offers UCC and corporate data search, filing, document retrieval, and portfolio management services.
2007
The acquisition of NameProtect—combined with the 2005 purchase of eBrandSecure and the 2006 purchase of Register.com's corporate services—continues CSC's quest to be the global provider of online brand protection.
2010
CSC once again boosts its digital services by purchasing Iron Mountain, a record-management company.
Bruce Winn leaves CSC to embark on a three-year missionary assignment and becomes president of CSC's board of directors. Rodman Ward III, a fourth-generation descendant of co-founder Christopher Ward, and a 16-year CSC board member, becomes president and CEO. He'd previously served in executive positions at FMC Corporation and Snap-On before becoming president and CEO of the Speakman Company.
2012
When ICANN allows companies to apply for their own “.brand” domain-name extensions, CSC prepares hundreds of 250-page applications for clients, many of which are Fortune 500® companies. Every application is accepted.
2013
CSC has offices in Canada and Europe. With the purchase of Melbourne IT in Australia, CSC has access to the Pacific and can provide services worldwide.
2014
CSC acquires Singapore-based IP Mirror, an online brand expert.
2015
CSC purchases Hong Kong–based Koehler Group in 2015, which serves mainland China.
CSC employees successfully conclude Mission 2x2015 to double the company's value between 2010 and 2015. The goal includes doubling both CSC's value to clients and employee growth opportunities.
2016
CSC has more than 2,200 employees in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region—up from about 900 in 2010.
2017
CSC cuts the ribbon on a new 148,437-square-foot contemporary headquarters in the Wilmington, Delaware, suburbs. Despite its global presence, the company is dedicated to its home state.
The brand and logo “CSC” are officially launched.
CSC also launches its European capital markets business as a logical extension of the accounting, SPV, and director services it provides in the United States.
2019
CSC's marks the expansion of its fund administration services into Asia with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai
2020
CSC becomes the first foreign-owned company to receive a domain registrar license in China.
CSC expands its fund administration capabilities in Europe.
2021
CSC unveils CSC Station, a coworking and innovation space on the Wilmington Riverfront. Housed in a renovated brick structure built in 1905 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, the project demonstrates CSC's commitment to Delaware's largest city.
2022
With the acquisition of Intertrust Group, CSC becomes the premiere provider of global business administration and compliance solutions to customers in more than 140 jurisdictions. The company is now 8,000+ employees strong with offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.
2023
CSC is named a top workplace by The News Journal in Delaware for the 17th consecutive year, and a Top Workplaces USA national award recipient in the 2,500-plus employee category for the second straight year. CSC receives similar honors in major cities.
2024
More than a century after starting with incorporation services, CSC's offerings now include knowledge-based business, legal, tax, and digital brand solutions for 90% of the Fortune 500®, more than 90% of the Best Global Brands®, and more than 70% of the PEI 300. CSC is still a private company and prides itself on fully integrating all these services into a global operating model, thereby ensuring a seamless experience for clients and partners.
Why CSC
Companies have chosen us to be their partner for 125 years. We believe there are three key reasons:
A fierce client spirit
A fierce client spirit
A fierce client spirit is alive in all of us. We know that goes beyond understanding your business—it requires getting to know you and your team. We know the pressure you work under and your need for 100% accuracy. Everything we do is focused on keeping your business moving.
Market-leading expertise
Market-leading expertise
Streamlining operations, helping your business expand globally, protecting your brand online—we're experts in ensuring your business runs smoothly. And that expertise stays with us. As a privately owned business, we're proud of our retention rates and our record of building partnerships that last well into the future.
Unmatched global reach
Unmatched global reach
Lots of organizations talk about being “global.” We back it up. We have offices around the world, and capabilities in 140 jurisdictions. No affiliates, no networked partners. We work hard to ensure that every office delivers the same exceptional service in a consistent way.
Our clients
Leadership
Our leadership is key to our growth. We've never lost sight of our founders' goals: to make business easier and more profitable wherever it's done. Our team of experts embodies our culture and is united by our common purpose and values.
Meet our leadership team Meet our teamSustainability
CSC is committed to Our Purpose of making our communities, clients, people, and partners better off tomorrow than they are today.
Learn more about our sustainability