First Finance 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 4 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 2021
Accounts filed up to 30 June 2022

Responsible principal firm

Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited Reference number: 455545 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.
First Finance Group Ltd (FRN 968919) is an AR of Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited (FRN 455545). When you use First Finance Group's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
Example: if you take financial advice from First Finance 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.

No website on the FCA register
Phone number

0191 460 5926
Address

New Century House, Crowther Road, Washington, Sunderland, NE38 0AQ, United Kingdom

In the full report: 2 background checks

What kind of line 0191 460 5926 is, and the other firm that gives it
Who else gives the postcode NE38 0AQ

Other names (2)

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

Boodle Mortgages Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Marlow Mortgages & Protection Trading name: A name it trades under now.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited, 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 number: 13470372 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 22 June 2021 (5 years old)
Registered office: The Hub New Century House, Crowther Road, Washington, NE38 0AQ, England
Nature of business: Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Ben Fulton Riley	Director	Feb 1980	22 Jun 2021	8 other companies
Philip Mcguire	Director	Aug 1981	22 Jun 2021	2 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 13 companies these 4 directors run together
All 7 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 30 June 2022Dormant company accountsNot audited

Net assets

£100

No earlier figure to compare

Cash at bank

£100

No earlier figure to compare

These accounts were filed as dormant: the company reported no significant trading in the period.

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 13470372. Figures are exactly as filed; nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

First Finance Group’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (3) All events (15)

2022

31 January 2022

Became an appointed representative

FCA register

2021

22 June 2021

Incorporated at Companies House
M & R Fm Ltd took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

In the full report: all 15 events

All 15 events in its history (3 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 10

Firms connected to First Finance Group

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with First Finance 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 First Finance Group

Other firms of the same type (mortgage adviser or broker), nearest first.

In Washington

Fairway Mortgage Advice LimitedWashingtonAppointed representative The Mortgage Dog Commercial LtdWashingtonAppointed representative The Mortgage Dog LimitedWashingtonAppointed representative Three Rivers Financial LimitedWashingtonAppointed 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 First Finance 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
2 background checks on its contact details
All 15 events in its history
12 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is First Finance Group Ltd FCA authorised?

First Finance Group Ltd (FRN 968919) 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 First Finance 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. First Finance Group Ltd (FRN 968919) is an AR of Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited (FRN 455545). When you use First Finance Group's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from First Finance 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 First Finance Group’s phone number?

The FCA register lists the phone number 0191 460 5926 for First Finance 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 First Finance Group a scam or clone?

First Finance 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 First Finance Group?

Protection works through Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited, the principal firm responsible for First Finance Group's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns First Finance Group?

First Finance 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 22 June 2021.

Who runs First Finance Group?

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

How long has First Finance Group been in business?

The company was formed on 22 June 2021.

What do First Finance Group’s latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 30 June 2022, show net assets of £100 (no earlier figure to compare) and cash at bank of £100 (no earlier figure to compare).

Does First Finance Group use any other names?

It trades as Boodle Mortgages and Marlow Mortgages & Protection.