Access Underwriting Limited

Reference number: 300421

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When accessinsurance.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 020 8651 7420 is
  • Who else gives the postcode CR2 8LD
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Other names (9)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Access Insurance Service Trading name
  • Access Insurance Services Trading name
  • accessunderwriting.co.uk Trading name
  • AdviceUK Insurance Services Trading name
  • Ladbrook Trading name
  • accessquotes.co.uk Former trading name
  • Ecclesiastical Direct Former trading name
  • Finance Redirect Former trading name
  • Insurance Scout Former trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Hold or safeguard your money · Manage or trade investments FSCS may apply
    Eligible investment and pension claims are typically FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per person, depending on the product and your circumstances.
  • Give regulated advice FSCS may apply
    A claim for unsuitable advice is itself FSCS-protected, up to the limit that applies to the product you were advised on.
  • Sell or arrange insurance FSCS may apply
    Eligible insurance claims may be FSCS-protected, often 90%, or 100% for compulsory or long-term cover.
  • Lend or arrange credit No FSCS cover
    Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (7 permissions)
  • Advising on investments (except on Pension Transfers and Pension Opt Outs)
  • Arranging (bringing about) deals in investments
  • Assisting in the administration and performance of a contract of insurance
  • Credit Broking
  • Dealing in investments as agent
  • Debt Administration
  • Making arrangements with a view to transactions in investments

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
03880990
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
22 November 1999 (26 years old)
Registered office
Benefact House 2000 Pioneer Avenue, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, Gloucester, GL3 4AW, United Kingdom
Nature of business
  • Activities of insurance agents and brokers (SIC 66220)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Simon Jonathan Hickman Director Dec 1964 22 Nov 1999 4 other companies
Douglas Michael Grout Director Feb 1948 31 May 2016 2 other companies
Steven Richard Blake Director Dec 1970 8 Jul 2016 1 other company
David Robert Moore Director Feb 1966 6 Feb 2024 38 other companies
Rachael Jane Hall Secretary Not published 6 Feb 2024 –

Other companies run by these 4 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
42
closed down
16
are FCA-registered
16

In the full report: all 42 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 4 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 16 on the FCA register, including 2 no longer authorised
  • The 2 companies these 4 directors run together
  • All 10 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 28 February 2023Full accountsNot audited

Net assets

£2.84m

+26% from £2.27m

Cash at bank

£1.26m

+18% from £1.07m

Employees (average)

48

Same as 48

Owed within a year

£895k

−19% from £1.10m

No turnover or profit for the year to 28 February 2023: the accounts print them but do not tag them. The last tagged figures are £2.52m turnover and £660k profit, for the year to 28 February 2021.

Assets and liabilities

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 03880990. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Access Underwriting’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (9) All events (40)

2024

25 March 2024

  • Benefact Broking & Advisory Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
  • Deborah Ann Hickman stopped being a part-owner
  • Simon Jonathan Hickman stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2016

1 November 2016

  • Deborah Ann Hickman became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Simon Jonathan Hickman became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2013

1 April 2013

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date

FCA register

2005

14 January 2005

  • Regulated by the Financial Services Authority from this date
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

1999

22 November 1999

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 40 events

  • All 40 events in its history (9 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 14
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Firms connected to Access Underwriting

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Access Underwriting. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
12
share a director
12
share its postcode
1

In the full report: all 12 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (12), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like Access Underwriting

Other firms of the same type (insurance broker), nearest first.

In South Croydon

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Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Access Underwriting

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 42 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 40 events in its history
  • 12 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Access Underwriting Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, Access Underwriting Limited (FRN 300421) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since January 2005 and works as an insurance broker. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is Access Underwriting’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 8651 7420 and the website accessinsurance.co.uk for Access Underwriting. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Access Underwriting a scam or clone?
Access Underwriting is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Access Underwriting?
It is permitted to hold and control client money, which it must keep separate from its own. It depends on the product, but eligible claims may be protected by the FSCS. You can also refer complaints about Access Underwriting to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns Access Underwriting?
Access Underwriting is owned by Benefact Broking & Advisory Holdings Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 25 March 2024. Before that, it was controlled by Mr Simon Jonathan Hickman and Deborah Ann Hickman.
Who runs Access Underwriting?
Companies House lists 4 directors of Access Underwriting: Simon Jonathan Hickman, Douglas Michael Grout, Steven Richard Blake and David Robert Moore.
How long has Access Underwriting been in business?
The company was formed on 22 November 1999, and has held its current FCA authorisation since January 2005.
What do Access Underwriting’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 28 February 2023, show net assets of £2.84m (+26% from £2.27m) and cash at bank of £1.26m (+18% from £1.07m).
Does Access Underwriting use any other names?
It trades as Access Insurance Service, Access Insurance Services, accessunderwriting.co.uk, AdviceUK Insurance Services and Ladbrook. It has previously used 4 other names, including accessquotes.co.uk, Ecclesiastical Direct and Finance Redirect.

Sources and links

The full report on Access Underwriting Limited

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