Is U.S. Money Reserve Legit? Complaints, Lawsuits and BBB Record (2026)

Yes, U.S. Money Reserve is a real, operating coin dealer. U.S. Money Reserve, Inc. of Austin, Texas holds a BBB A+ with 29 complaints in three years, as of September 29, 2026. Its record also includes a 2011 Texas Attorney General settlement over coin sales and seven lawsuits brought against it since 2007. So the question is not whether it exists, but what customers have complained about and what you can do if it happens to you.

To answer "is U.S. Money Reserve legit", this page reads every public record SafeOunce found. It covers names, six complaint patterns, the BBB grade, the Texas case, each lawsuit, the contract and how to complain. Most U.S. Money Reserve complaints turn on the gap between bullion (coins or bars priced by their metal weight) and proof coins (a collector finish sold at a higher price). Fees and minimums are in our U.S. Money Reserve review; this page covers the record.

The 12 facts below come from the BBB, Trustpilot, court records, 2011 news reports and the company's own terms, each dated.

Company website links in this table: SafeOunce earns nothing from these links.

Is U.S. Money Reserve Legit? The Short Answer#

U.S. Money Reserve is a legitimate, long-running dealer whose record shows one repeated problem: customers who called about low-priced bullion were sold higher-priced proof and commemorative coins. A commemorative coin is made to mark an event, and it usually sells far above its metal value. The complaints about this pattern are allegations. No court ruled on the prices.

Four records describe the pattern: the Tice estate suit (2007, as reported), the Texas Attorney General (2011), the Stux class action (2015) and the Kagan counterclaim (2018). Kagan is the last public record of it. SafeOunce found no regulator action against the company since 2011, in searches on September 29, 2026.

The search "U.S. Money Reserve scam" deserves a straight answer. A scam takes money and delivers nothing, and no record SafeOunce found says U.S. Money Reserve failed to deliver coins. The complaints are about price and pressure, not missing metal.

The record has real positives too: a BBB A+ (September 29, 2026), 3 business days to cancel a cash order and a 30-day arbitration opt-out. Its president, Philip Diehl, and its senior IRA strategist, Edmund C. Moy, are both former U.S. Mint directors.

Who Is U.S. Money Reserve? Legal Name, Leaders and Former Name#

U.S. Money Reserve, Inc. is a private coin and precious metals dealer in Austin, Texas. It sells gold, silver and platinum coins by phone and arranges gold IRAs through Equity Trust Company. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 170340, Austin, TX 78717, and the BBB dates its start to September 21, 2001.

Why does the name matter? Court records and the 2011 settlement use an older name, so a search under the new name alone misses them. Gold IRA companies are dealers that set up a gold IRA and sell the metal for it; U.S. Money Reserve is one of the gold IRA companies SafeOunce checks the same way.

U.S. Money Reserve, Inc. and "United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve"#

U.S. Money Reserve used the name United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve in the 2011 Texas case and in court filings as late as 2018, so search both names. The 2018 Kagan counterclaim uses the old name. Coin World's 2011 report calls the firm "also known as U.S. Rare Coin and Bullion Reserve".

A separate BBB profile under the old name sits with the BBB in Beaumont, Texas. That profile is "Not Rated", because "complaints against this business are handled by another BBB" (checked September 29, 2026).

Search "U.S. Money Reserve", "United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve" and "USMR" in court and BBB records. The step-by-step way to check a gold IRA company under every name it has used is on our verification guide.

Who runs U.S. Money Reserve?#

The BBB lists Angela Roberts as CEO, Philip Diehl as President and Francine Breckenridge as Chief Compliance Officer of U.S. Money Reserve, as of September 29, 2026. Philip Diehl served as the 35th Director of the U.S. Mint. The company's website also names Edmund C. Moy, the 38th Mint Director, as its Senior IRA Strategist.

Not the Federal Reserve, not the U.S. Mint, not Nationwide Coin & Bullion Reserve#

Three names get mixed up with U.S. Money Reserve in searches, and none of them is the same company. The three look-alike names are listed below.

• The Federal Reserve. Warnings about impostor calls and texts from "the Federal Reserve" rank in Google for two searches (September 29, 2026). An Instagram post ranks for "us money reserve scam", and a Quora question for "us money reserve complaints". U.S. Money Reserve is a private dealer. A call from "the Federal Reserve" is an impostor scam, a different problem from a coin sale.
• The U.S. Mint. The company's own disclaimer says it is "not affiliated with the U.S. Government or the U.S. Mint".
• Nationwide Coin & Bullion Reserve. This is a different Texas dealer. A federal case against it, Hatch v. Jones (S.D. Tex. No. 4:18-cv-04146), is the top Google result for "lawsuit against us money reserve" (September 29, 2026).

U.S. Money Reserve Complaints by Type: 6 Patterns in the Records Since 2007#

Across 10 public records from 2007 to 2022, the top U.S. Money Reserve complaints are proof coins sold after a bullion ad, sales to older buyers and repeated calls. SafeOunce sorted those records, from court files, the 2011 Texas settlement and 2011 BBB reports, into six complaint types.

The table counts how many public records raise each complaint type; one record can raise several.

These counts come from court and regulator records, not from the 29 BBB complaints, whose texts the BBB site did not let SafeOunce read on September 29, 2026. Every item is an allegation unless a court or agency found it.

A numismatic coin is one valued as a collectible, and a bait-and-switch means advertising one product and then pushing another. How numismatic coin upsells and the bait-and-switch work across the industry is on our upsell guide.

Bullion advertised, proof and commemorative coins sold#

The Texas Attorney General said U.S. Money Reserve advertised tenth-ounce American Eagle gold coins with "no dealer mark-up" to get calls, then sold callers higher-priced proof and commemorative coins. That is how Coin World reported the state's claims in 2011. The 2015 Stux class action made a similar claim for buyers of commemorative coins since 2005. The 2018 Kagan counterclaim says one buyer bought 59 coins or coin sets.

The premium over spot is the price above the value of the metal. The CFTC, the federal commodities regulator, put typical markups at 5% to 10% over spot for bullion and 40% to 200% for numismatic coins (advisory 8215-20, August 4, 2020). The CFTC also calls "semi-numismatic" "a made-up industry term that really has no special meaning", and "exclusive" or "limited edition" pitches deserve the same doubt.

In an IRA the markup comes out of retirement savings. What the markup does to proof coins in an IRA is on our proof coin page.

Older buyers and repeated sales calls#

Four records describe repeated calls, and three describe older buyers. The Texas agreement limited calls to people over 65, and two lawsuits allege 14 calls in 7 months and up to five calls in one day.

The 2011 agreement did not ban those calls; it allowed them only between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time. In the 2015 Stux case, the plaintiff's law firm said its client was solicited "14 times in 7 months", about 2 calls a month.

The 2018 Kagan counterclaim says a 94-year-old buyer was called "four or five times in a single day". In 2021, Faber v. U.S. Money Reserve raised call claims under the TCPA, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (47 U.S.C. 227), the federal law on sales calls.

What adult children can do when a parent is pressured into a gold IRA or a coin purchase is on our family guide.

Buyback offers far below the purchase price#

Customers told Texas investigators that U.S. Money Reserve offered them "substantially less than the purchase price" when they tried to sell coins back, even while bullion prices rose. Coin World reported those consumer complaints in 2011. The Kagan counterclaim makes a similar claim: it says the coins were worth "around a quarter" of what the buyer paid.

What does "around a quarter" mean in numbers? On that allegation, coins must rise 300%, to four times their value, just to get back to the price paid. The math: 75% of the price sits above value and 25% is value, and 0.75 ÷ 0.25 = 3.0. The CFTC and FINRA's "10 Things" alert (March 20, 2024) puts legitimate spreads at "less than 20%" and fraudulent ones at "more than 300%". It says some IRA victims lost one-third to one-half of their savings to markups and fees.

Today's User Agreement (last updated March 27, 2026, section 5) warns that on a buyback "you may receive less than what you originally paid".

Why a gold IRA statement shows less than you paid on day one is explained on our statement guide.

Confusion with the government and the U.S. Mint#

In 2011 the company agreed to stop suggesting a link to the U.S. government or Mint, after the BBB raised the same concern about two of its newspaper ads. The ads ran in the St. Louis Post on January 7, 2011, and the Cincinnati Enquirer on February 23, 2011. The BBB also flagged an ad line that "experts predicted gold to reach $5,000 an ounce".

Under the 2011 agreement, every ad and each sale's verification call must say the company is not affiliated with the U.S. government and the U.S. Mint. Today's website carries that disclaimer.

U.S. Money Reserve BBB Rating: A+, 29 Complaints and What the Grade Means#

U.S. Money Reserve has an A+ BBB rating and has been BBB-accredited since April 21, 2020, with 29 complaints closed in the past three years, as of September 29, 2026. BBB accreditation is a paid membership that requires a company to meet BBB standards. The grade itself is mostly about complaints.

Of the 100 positive points in the BBB's formula, 90 relate to complaints. Volume counts for 15 points, unanswered complaints for 40, unresolved ones for 30 and delays for 5. Customer reviews are not used in the grade, and an A+ needs 97 to 100 points.

Whether BBB, BCA and Trustpilot ratings mean anything for gold companies is tested on our ratings page (BCA is the Business Consumer Alliance).

A+ rating, but 24.4 complaints per 100 reviews#

U.S. Money Reserve has 29 BBB complaints against 119 BBB reviews, or 24.4 complaints per 100 reviews, the highest ratio of nine gold sellers SafeOunce tracks (September 29, 2026). Lear Capital comes next at 22.1, and Augusta is lowest at 0.7.

The table ranks nine sellers by BBB complaints closed in three years per 100 BBB reviews (September 29, 2026).

A small number of reviews makes the ratio jump: 119 reviews is fewer than one-tenth of Goldco's 1,710. U.S. Money Reserve's reviews average 4.35 of 5, as of September 29, 2026.

The BBB record in 2011 and in 2026#

In November 2011 the BBB showed 41 complaints and 2 "serious complaints" against the company; in September 2026 it shows 29 complaints and an A+. Coin World reported the 2011 figures on November 22, 2011, and said the company had not yet responded to the BBB's concern about two print ads.

That report does not say what time window the 41 complaints cover, so the two numbers cannot be compared directly. Accreditation came later, on April 21, 2020.

Trustpilot and forum reviews: why the numbers are thin#

U.S. Money Reserve's Trustpilot profile shows 2.9 stars from only 2 reviews, one of them from the last 12 months (September 29, 2026). The company has not invited customers to review it there, and the profile is unclaimed. Trustpilot also adds seven 3.5-star reviews to every company's score, which pulls a small profile toward the middle.

The top two Google results for "us money reserve complaints" are a Reddit thread and the phone-number site 800notes. Both blocked automated reading on September 29, 2026, so SafeOunce did not count their posts.

The 2011 Texas Attorney General Case Against U.S. Money Reserve#

In 2011 U.S. Money Reserve settled Texas Attorney General claims of deceptive coin sales. The agreement was filed on November 15, 2011, in Travis County District Court, under the old name United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve. According to Coin World and KUT, which reported the settlement that month, the company agreed to pay $5 million in restitution and denied the allegations. Restitution is money paid back to customers.

The settlement is an assurance of voluntary compliance: a company agrees to change its practices without a court finding that it broke the law. The terms were agreed on October 11, 2011, and the Kagan filing cites the case as No. D-1-GV-11-001818. The state's review began in 2008, Coin World reported, under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 17.46).

The case sits in our tracker of precious metals IRA enforcement actions with every CFTC, SEC, FTC and state case since 2008.

What the Texas Attorney General alleged#

Texas said the company used "truisms from the bullion gold market", such as gold rising when the dollar falls, to sell modern commemorative and proof coins at much higher premiums. The hook, the state said, was American Eagle tenth-ounce gold $5 bullion coins offered with "no dealer mark-up". The agreement put the point in one line: bullion truths do not carry over to "the commemorative gold coin or proof gold coin markets".

The 2018 Kagan counterclaim quotes the state's allegation that "a higher percentage of the complaints come from older consumers" (paragraph 23). It also quotes the state calling the practices "false, misleading and deceptive" under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (paragraph 24). The company denied the allegations and, per Coin World, acknowledged no wrongdoing.

What U.S. Money Reserve agreed to change#

The 2011 agreement set seven sales rules that match the complaints buyers still raise today, according to Coin World's report. The company had 30 days to comply. The seven commitments are listed below.

• No suggestion of any link to the U.S. government or the U.S. Mint.
• A disclosure in every ad and on each sale's verification call that coin markets are unregulated and that prices can rise or fall.
• No bait-and-switch away from the advertised coin.
• No misstating a coin's rarity or expected growth.
• No salesperson presented as qualified to give investment or tax advice, unless a certified financial planner.
• Calls to people over 65 only between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. in their time zone.
• Quarterly restitution reports to the Attorney General's office.

The verification call is the phone check the company makes after each order.

Who could get restitution#

Restitution covered coins bought from May 1, 2005, to December 31, 2010, a 68-month window, with the amount depending on the purchase date, according to Coin World. SafeOunce found no public report of how much was paid out or whether claims are still accepted. A buyer from that period, or an heir, can ask the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.

U.S. Money Reserve Lawsuits: Every Court Case Found, 2007-2022#

The best-known lawsuit against U.S. Money Reserve is the Kagan case, over sales to a 94-year-old buyer, which a federal court dismissed in April 2019. The counterclaim filed for her says she was induced to spend more than $250,000 on 59 coins. SafeOunce found seven lawsuits brought against the company from 2007 to 2022, none pending in the dockets it read, and two cases the company filed against buyers.

The table lists every court case SafeOunce found involving U.S. Money Reserve (checked September 29, 2026).

U.S. Money Reserve v. Kagan: the 94-year-old buyer and the arbitration ruling#

In U.S. Money Reserve v. Kagan (W.D. Tex. No. 1:18-cv-00577), the company asked a federal court to force the dispute into arbitration. A magistrate judge recommended refusing, because the company could not show the buyer ever agreed to it. Arbitration is a private hearing instead of a court trial. U.S. Money Reserve sued first, in 2018, and the other side filed a counterclaim, a claim a defendant files back.

Arlene Kagan brought the counterclaim for the late Mrs. Kaplan, who was 94. It says Mrs. Kaplan spent "more than a quarter of a million dollars" on "fifty-nine (59) coins or coin sets" in under eight months. It says she was sometimes called "four or five times in a single day", and that the coins were worth "around a quarter" of the price. On those allegations, the average item cost about $4,237, and $250,000 bought about $62,500 of value.

Magistrate Judge Mark Lane issued a report and recommendation, a proposed ruling for the district judge, on January 29, 2019. The company relied on an arbitration clause printed on the back of the packing slip and invoice, and on website terms. The judge wrote that "USMR has failed to show that Mrs. Kaplan ever affirmatively agreed to be bound to an arbitration agreement."

The parties then filed a joint motion to dismiss, and the court entered final judgment on April 17, 2019. The terms of that ending are not public.

In Hatch v. Jones (S.D. Tex. No. 4:18-cv-04146), a report and recommendation of October 30, 2019, called Kagan "a case on all fours", meaning a case with matching facts. It recommended refusing a different dealer's packing-slip arbitration clause. That dealer was Nationwide Coin & Bullion Reserve, not U.S. Money Reserve.

What rulings like this mean when you try to get your money back from a gold IRA company is on our recovery guide.

Stux v. U.S. Money Reserve: the 2015 class action that closed in 90 days#

Stux v. U.S. Money Reserve (C.D. Cal. No. 2:15-cv-05955) was a class action over commemorative coin sales that closed 90 days after filing. It was filed on August 6, 2015, and closed on November 4, 2015. A class action is a lawsuit filed for a whole group of buyers.

Attorney Bruce Steckler filed it for buyers of commemorative coins since 2005 and named Fidelity Gold & Bullion as a co-defendant. According to the plaintiff's law firm, the named plaintiff was solicited "14 times in 7 months" and bought over $250,000 of coins. These are allegations.

SafeOunce found no certified class and no announced settlement, so the outcome is not public.

The Tice estate lawsuit (Jefferson County, Texas, 2007)#

On May 2, 2007, plaintiffs acting for the late Harold Joseph Tice sued U.S. Money Reserve and related companies, including United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve, in Jefferson County, Texas, over $420,000 in coins. The suit alleged "false, misleading and high-pressure sales tactics" over "rare" coins, as reported by coincollector.org and a Collectors Universe forum post of May 14, 2007. SafeOunce found no outcome.

Four smaller federal cases: Dow, Labertew, Faber and Young#

Four more federal cases name U.S. Money Reserve between 2019 and 2022, and all four closed by June 30, 2022. Labertew and Young closed within 68 and 108 days, and each Faber docket closed the day it opened. The four cases are listed below.

• Dow v. U.S. Money Reserve (W.D. Tex. No. 1:19-cv-00699): a voluntary dismissal was filed on July 12, 2019. The subject is not recorded in SafeOunce's notes.
• Labertew v. U.S. Money Reserve (D. Utah No. 2:20-cv-00338): fraud claims, filed May 29, 2020, with a temporary restraining order entry (a short order that pauses an action). It closed on August 5, 2020.
• Faber v. U.S. Money Reserve (E.D. Tex., 2021, two dockets): telephone-call claims under the TCPA, likely a transfer or refiling.
• Young v. U.S. Money Reserve (S.D.N.Y. No. 1:22-cv-02098): website accessibility claims under the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, filed March 14, 2022. After a settlement in principle it was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again, on June 30, 2022.

Cases U.S. Money Reserve filed against customers#

U.S. Money Reserve has also sued buyers: in 2010 over a chargeback it called fraudulent, and in 2018 to force the Kagan family's claims into arbitration. A chargeback is a card payment reversed by the buyer's bank. The 2010 case, U.S. Money Reserve v. USPI, George Menier and Joseph Rainer, was filed on August 13, 2010, in Jefferson County, Texas (Case A187-564). The Southeast Texas Record reported a settlement, and the case was later dismissed with prejudice.

U.S. Money Reserve Regulator Actions Since 2011: None Found#

SafeOunce found no CFTC, SEC, FTC or state regulator action against U.S. Money Reserve after the 2011 Texas agreement, in searches on September 29, 2026. One 2026 lawsuit page, lawsuitwatch.org, says the company "has faced FTC scrutiny" but names no action. SafeOunce found none on ftc.gov.

No single agency regulates gold IRA companies, and no federal agency licenses retail metal dealers. The CFTC polices fraud, state attorneys general handle consumer protection, as Texas did in 2011, and the FTC enforces telemarketing rules. The gaps in who regulates gold IRA companies are explained on our regulators page.

Regulator actions can take years to become public, so "none found" is a search result, not proof that nothing happened.

What U.S. Money Reserve's Contract Says About Each Complaint Type#

U.S. Money Reserve's User Agreement, last updated March 27, 2026, answers each common complaint with a specific clause, and most of those clauses favor the company. It covers cash purchases only. The IRA program has separate terms that are not on the website.

The table maps each complaint type to the clause in the User Agreement (March 27, 2026) that governs it.

Market loss is the loss you carry when the price moves after you lock an order. Ten sellers' terms are compared on gold IRA company contracts.

3 business days to cancel, 30 days to return certified coins#

You can cancel a U.S. Money Reserve cash order until midnight of the third business day, and return certified coins within 30 days, but bullion has no money-back return. Section 7 runs two clocks: midnight of "the third business day after your receipt of this notice" and "within three days of your receipt of any Products". Count from the earlier date if you are unsure. Section 5 takes certified coins, meaning graded coins sealed in a holder, back within 30 days of purchase, minus shipping, handling and insurance.

Three business days is longer than Lear Capital's and Preserve Gold's 24 hours. American Hartford Gold allows 7 days, but only for non-bullion items. Cancel in writing and keep proof of the date.

Arbitration and the 30-day opt-out#

The User Agreement sends disputes to binding arbitration, but it lets you opt out if you mail a notice within 30 days of first agreeing to it. Section 12 uses the Federal Arbitration Act and a class waiver, which means you give up joining a group lawsuit. The deadline is printed in capitals: "WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE THAT YOU FIRST CONSENT". Any hearing takes place in your own metropolitan area, and Texas law applies (section 14.e).

Among the contracts SafeOunce read, only U.S. Money Reserve, Advantage Gold and Lear Capital allow a full opt-out, and Lear may then cancel your purchase. American Bullion allows 15 days, and only from its class waiver.

Courts do not always enforce these clauses. A magistrate judge recommended refusing arbitration in U.S. Money Reserve v. Kagan (2019), and a California appeals court refused it in Dennison v. Rosland (2020). Courts compelled it in Mathys (American Hartford Gold, 2020), Patterson (Lear, 2020) and Ireland (Lear, 2012).

The liability cap: the most you could recover#

Section 13 limits what U.S. Money Reserve owes in any dispute to what you paid minus what the coins are worth when the arbitration starts. The clause says liability "SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY YOU ... MINUS THE ITEM'S FAIR MARKET VALUE". Fair market value is what the coins would sell for on that date.

The IRA program has separate terms, and its offers favor proof coins#

The User Agreement "does not cover the purchase of precious metals for USMR's Self Directed IRA program" (September 29, 2026). The IRA purchase terms are not published on the website, so ask for them in writing before you roll over any money.

Both 2026 IRA offers favor the coin type the 2011 agreement was about. "Fees for Life" covers up to $300 a year of setup, maintenance and non-segregated storage fees (metal stored together with other customers' metal) at Equity Trust. It requires a $200,000 minimum rollover, effective April 1, 2026, and at least 60% proof coins. It is for first-time customers only, and each offer is valid for 30 days.

The "IRA Buyback Advantage" pays the greater of fair market value or your original price, but only for proof and exclusive coins. It applies only up to your yearly RMD amount, and only at RMD time. An RMD, or required minimum distribution, is the yearly amount the tax law makes you take out of a traditional IRA. Bullion is excluded, and the policy is "subject to change without notice".

U.S. Money Reserve does not publish coin prices. At another dealer's prices on September 29, 2026 (Orion Metal Exchange), a 1-ounce proof Eagle cost 13.38% over spot against 5.90% for a bullion Eagle. So $120,000 of proofs, the 60% share of a $200,000 rollover, bought about $7,476 less gold on day one. That gap is more than 20 years of the $300 fee waiver ($6,000).

U.S. Money Reserve gold IRA fees are small next to the coin markup. The full cost math is in our review of U.S. Money Reserve gold IRA fees and offers.

How to Complain About U.S. Money Reserve and Try to Get Money Back#

Complain in writing to U.S. Money Reserve first, then to the agency that handles your type of problem, and act inside the contract's deadlines. The six steps below start with the shortest deadline.

1. Cancel in writing within 3 business days if you just placed a cash order (section 7).
2. Return certified (graded, sealed) coins within 30 days of purchase (section 5). Uncertified proof coins are not covered, so use step 1 for them.
3. Mail the arbitration opt-out within 30 days of first agreeing to the User Agreement (section 12). For most buyers that is the first order or first website use, whichever came first.
4. Write to the company's Chief Compliance Officer, whom the BBB lists as Francine Breckenridge, with dates, amounts and the salesperson's name. Ask for the call recordings (section 14.i).
5. File with the BBB and with the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, the office that reached the 2011 agreement.
6. Report price or markup misstatements to the CFTC (866-366-2382). For anyone over 65, call the FINRA Securities Helpline for Seniors (844-574-3577, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern) or the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline (1-833-372-8311).

Gather five documents before you write, because each one ties to a contract clause. The evidence to keep is listed below.

• Invoice and packing slip: the Kagan arbitration terms sat on the back of both.
• Order confirmation number: it fixes the locked price and date (section 9).
• Date of the verification call: ask for its recording (sections 1.a and 14.i).
• Certified-mail receipt for your arbitration opt-out (section 12).
• Custodian statement: check each coin on it against the invoice item list.

Which agency handles what for any seller is set out in how to report a gold IRA company.

Where to report each U.S. Money Reserve problem#

Each type of U.S. Money Reserve complaint has a matching agency, and the table lists them. The contacts were checked on September 29, 2026.

Your custodian will not catch a bad price for you. The SEC's investor alert on self-directed IRAs says custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment".

Who Should Buy From U.S. Money Reserve, and Who Should Walk Away#

U.S. Money Reserve can suit a buyer who wants bullion only, gets the price over spot in writing and uses the 30-day arbitration opt-out. It does not suit anyone being pressed toward proof or "exclusive" coins.

The table gives a verdict for five reader situations, based on the records above (September 29, 2026).

Bullion from any seller carries a markup. The size of normal gold IRA markups and spreads is on our markups page.

The five questions you should ask U.S. Money Reserve before you buy are listed below.

1. Ask the price per coin and the percent over spot for each item.
2. Ask what U.S. Money Reserve would pay for the same coins tomorrow.
3. Ask whether each coin is bullion, proof or "exclusive", and why you need it.
4. Ask for the IRA purchase terms in writing before you roll over any money.
5. Ask for the date the coins will reach the vault, and check your custodian statement after 28 days.

The 28 days come from the CFTC's "actual delivery" benchmark (advisory 8215-20, August 4, 2020). The User Agreement's 28-calendar-day back-order delay (section 3.c) covers cash orders only, not IRA purchases. How to check delivery of IRA coins is on our delivery checklist.

Walk away if a salesperson will not put prices in writing, or says an IRA needs proof or "exclusive" coins. Heirs should get a second dealer's bid before accepting any buyback quote.

This page does not rate the company; SafeOunce's 0-100 score is on the review page. Weights and evidence rules are on how SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies.

How Does U.S. Money Reserve's Record Compare With Other Gold IRA Companies?#

U.S. Money Reserve has fewer BBB complaints than the four other sellers below, but a higher complaint rate per review than any of the nine sellers in SafeOunce's BBB table. Its only regulator case dates from 2011, while Lear Capital's settlements came from 2021 to 2023. Fees, minimums and the full profile are in the U.S. Money Reserve Review 2026.

The table compares U.S. Money Reserve with four other sellers on the same fields, as of September 29, 2026.

Marketing claims next to the records#

Three U.S. Money Reserve marketing claims read differently next to the records. The three claims, as read on usmoneyreserve.com on September 29, 2026, are listed below.

• "The #1 ranked precious metals dealer in the U.S." The footnote says this is "based on the number of new IRA accounts opened and funded, 2024 and 2025, at Equity Trust Company". That is one custodian's count, not a national ranking.
• "IRA-Approved" exclusive coins. The company's IRA metals page lists "exclusive" Iwo Jima and Pearl Harbor coins as "IRA-Approved". The IRS approves no coin; the tax code sets eligibility rules in 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3).
• A depository "in business for more than half a century". Its preferred depository, A-Mark Global Logistics (AMGL), developed from 2015; its parent company dates from 1965.

No government list of IRA-approved precious metals exists. What the tax code really allows is on IRA-approved precious metals.

What other sites get wrong about U.S. Money Reserve lawsuits#

Six errors repeat on pages about U.S. Money Reserve lawsuits and offers, from a class action described as still open to a Texas settlement dated 2010. The six claims and the records that correct them are listed below.

• "Class action claims continue in federal court" (lawsuitwatch.org, updated August 2026). The only class action found, Stux, closed on November 4, 2015.
• A Texas settlement in "2010" or "November 2010" (nikolaroza.com). The agreement was filed on November 15, 2011. The same page says Stux "settled under undisclosed terms"; the docket shows only that it closed, with no public outcome.
• "A buyback guarantee" (retirementliving.com). The only price floor is the IRA Buyback Advantage for proof and exclusive coins at RMD time. The User Agreement says a buyback may pay "less than what you originally paid".
• "IRS-approved storage" and "first-year fee waivers" (retirementliving.com). The IRS approves no depository, and the current offer is "Fees for Life": up to $300 a year, a $200,000 rollover and at least 60% proof coins (September 29, 2026).
• Delivery in "5-10 business days" (goldiracompanies.us.com, October 14, 2025). The User Agreement allows a back-order delay of up to 28 calendar days on cash orders (section 3.c).
• Premiums "30-50% above spot" and "haven't been shut down by regulators" (metalsretirement.com, January 18, 2026). The premium is unsourced; the CFTC benchmarks are 5%-10% for bullion and 40%-200% for numismatic coins. The page also omits the 2011 Texas case over the bait-and-switch it describes.

How gold IRA review sites earn money is explained on our reviews guide.

Is U.S. Money Reserve gold real?#

Yes: no record SafeOunce found alleges fake metal, and the American Eagle coins it sells are U.S. Mint products; the complaints are about the price paid, not the metal. The Gold Eagle is named in the tax code at 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)(A). Proof and "exclusive" coins are real too, but their price sits well above their gold value.

Is U.S. Money Reserve part of the government or the U.S. Mint?#

No: U.S. Money Reserve is a private company, and its disclaimer says it is "not affiliated with the U.S. Government or the U.S. Mint". The 2011 Texas agreement requires that disclosure in its ads and on each sale's verification call.

Is U.S. Money Reserve being sued right now?#

No pending case was found: every lawsuit in the dockets SafeOunce read closed by June 30, 2022, as of September 29, 2026 (the 2007 Tice suit's outcome was not found). Dockets are searched by name, and state-court cases can be missed, so this is a search result, not proof that no case exists.

Can you stop U.S. Money Reserve from calling you?#

Yes: tell the caller to put you on the company's do-not-call list, confirm it in writing and register at donotcall.gov. Calls that continue can support a TCPA claim. Under 47 U.S.C. 227(c)(5), you can sue after more than one call in 12 months that breaks the do-not-call rules, for "up to $500 in damages for each such violation". A court can triple that amount if the violation was willful.

A "free gold kit" request usually gives consent to calls, but you can take that consent back in writing. The full steps against gold IRA cold calls are on our calls guide.

Who owns U.S. Money Reserve?#

U.S. Money Reserve, Inc. does not publish its owners; the BBB lists its managers, not its shareholders. The full company profile is on our U.S. Money Reserve review.