National Advisors Trust-the trust company owned and operated by financial advisors-has reached the $2 billion asset mark.

The company, founded in 2001, also has added 14 independent financial advisory firms as shareholders, giving it a total of 120 shareholders.

The shareholders have combined assets under management of $53 billion.

"We have sharply accelerated our growth in trust and custodial assets over the past 24 months," says company CEO Mike Baker. "Just two years ago we were at $300 million" in assets.

Baker says the growth "reinforces our belief that by being independent and not a cog in some giant financial institution, the clients of National Advisors Trust's shareholders receive the highly personalized attention, flexibility and lower fees that they would not receive at large impersonal bank conglomerates or at a big Wall Street or discount stock brokerage."

The trust company, based in Overland Park, Kan., was founded by 82 financial advisory firms.