Cornerstone Financial Group Ltd: FCA regulated?

Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Appointed for 5 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 2020
Accounts filed up to 31 December 2022

Responsible principal firm

St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc Reference number: 195351 Authorised View firm →

What does this mean?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
Cornerstone Financial Group Ltd (FRN 939704) is an AR of St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc (FRN 195351). When you use Cornerstone Financial Group's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
Example: if you take financial advice from Cornerstone Financial Group, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

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.

Website

firstmortgage.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

0191 460 5926
Address

13-14 Kensington Terrace, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE11 9SL, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks

When firstmortgage.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 0191 460 5926 is, and the other firm that gives it
Who else gives the postcode NE11 9SL

Other names (2)

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

First Mortgage ( NE ) Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Mortgage Advice Bureau Trading name: A name it trades under now.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through St. James's Place Wealth Management PLC, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

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 name: CORNERSTONE FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED
Company number: 12496996 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 4 March 2020 (6 years old)
Registered office: 13 Kensington Terrace, Gateshead, NE11 9SL, England
Nature of business: Activities of other holding companies not elsewhere classified (SIC 64209)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Ben Fulton Riley	Director	Feb 1980	4 Mar 2020	8 other companies
Philip Mcguire	Director	Aug 1981	4 Mar 2020	5 other companies
Ian Robert Mcgrail	Director	Sep 1979	15 Sep 2025	12 other companies
Gareth John Herbert	Director	Feb 1970	22 Sep 2026	36 other companies

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: 5
are FCA-registered: 14

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 14 on the FCA register, including one no longer authorised
The 16 companies these 4 directors run together
All 7 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 December 2022Full accountsAudited

Net assets

£1,638

Up £1,438 from £200

Cash at bank

£257

Up £57 from £200

Employees (average)

0

No earlier figure to compare

Owed within a year

£2,013

No earlier figure to compare

Net assets

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 12496996. 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

Cornerstone Financial Group’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (7) All events (19)

2021

11 January 2021

Ben Fulton Riley stopped being a part-owner
M & R Fm Ltd took control (75–100% of shares)
Philip McGuire stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2020

29 November 2020

Became an appointed representative

FCA register

4 March 2020

Incorporated at Companies House
Ben Fulton Riley became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
Philip McGuire became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

In the full report: all 19 events

All 19 events in its history (7 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 10

Firms connected to Cornerstone Financial Group

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

connected firms: 12
share a director: 12
share its phone number: 1

In the full report: all 12 connected firms, named

How each is linked: shared directors (12), the same phone number (1)
Who links each one: the named directors, with dates

Firms like Cornerstone Financial Group

Other firms of the same type (financial adviser), nearest first.

In Gateshead

Baxter Pearse Financial Consultants LimitedGatesheadAppointed representative Craig Giles Wealth Management LTDGatesheadAppointed representative James HutchinsGatesheadAppointed representative Leazes Quadrus Financial Planning LtdGatesheadAppointed representative RWS Financial Planning LimitedGatesheadAppointed representative Templeton Brown LtdGatesheadAppointed representative

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 Cornerstone Financial Group

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 19 events in its history
12 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Cornerstone Financial Group Ltd FCA authorised?

Cornerstone Financial Group Ltd (FRN 939704) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.

What does appointed representative mean for Cornerstone Financial Group?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. Cornerstone Financial Group Ltd (FRN 939704) is an AR of St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc (FRN 195351). When you use Cornerstone Financial Group's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Cornerstone Financial Group, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

What is Cornerstone Financial Group’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 0191 460 5926 and the website firstmortgage.co.uk for Cornerstone Financial Group. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further. The same number is also given by one other FCA firm.

Is Cornerstone Financial Group a scam or clone?

Cornerstone Financial Group 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 Cornerstone Financial Group?

Protection works through St. James's Place Wealth Management PLC, the principal firm responsible for Cornerstone Financial Group's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns Cornerstone Financial Group?

Cornerstone Financial Group is owned by M & R Fm Ltd, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 11 January 2021. Before that, it was controlled by Mr Ben Fulton Riley and Mr Philip McGuire.

Who runs Cornerstone Financial Group?

Companies House lists 4 directors of Cornerstone Financial Group: Ben Fulton Riley, Philip McGuire, Ian Robert McGrail and Gareth John Herbert.

How long has Cornerstone Financial Group been in business?

The company was formed on 4 March 2020.

What do Cornerstone Financial Group’s latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 31 December 2022, show net assets of £1,638 (up £1,438 from £200) and cash at bank of £257 (up £57 from £200).

Does Cornerstone Financial Group use any other names?

It trades as First Mortgage ( NE ) and Mortgage Advice Bureau.