Bermuda’s Meritus Trust Company has won an award for its performance and service.It was lauded as Caribbean Trust Company of the Year at the inaugural STEP Caribbean Awards 2013.Criteria for the award required applicants to demonstrate excellence over the past year, including leadership, client service and technical skills.Meritus was selected on the basis of its phenomenal growth since its formation in 2010, client focused approach and dedicated team of seasoned professionals, the company said in a statement today.Michelle Wolfe, managing director of Meritus in Bermuda said: “We are delighted to have been selected for this prestigious award.“While our real reward is the praise that we receive from our beneficiaries and advisers, it is always appreciated when industry peers recognise what we have achieved in a short time. It says a great deal about the quality of the trust and private client industry in Bermuda.”Tim Prudhoe, chair of the judging panel, said: “These awards demonstrate the vitality of the Caribbean as a centre of excellence in wealth structuring. I congratulate the winners and they should be doubly proud as the standard of competition was very high.”The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) is the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related issues. STEP members help families plan their long term financial future, facilitating good stewardship and financial planning across future generations.This year’s award winners were chosen from a shortlist and announced at the STEP Caribbean Conference Gala Dinner on May 5.The STEP Caribbean Awards are part of the STEP Caribbean Conference held in St Kitts.Trust and legal teams must have been based on an island in the Caribbean, Bermuda or Belize to qualify.