Metropolitan Safe Deposits Limited

Reference number: 483234

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On the register, but not FCA authorised

This firm is registered with the FCA for anti-money-laundering checks only, which is why it appears on the register. That is not authorisation: the FCA does not oversee how it treats customers, and FSCS protection does not apply.

What does this mean?
  • Some businesses are required by law to have an anti-money-laundering supervisor. For this kind of business that supervisor is the FCA, and the registration is the only reason the firm appears on the FCA register.
  • What the FCA checks is narrow: that the firm identifies its customers, keeps records, and reports suspicious activity. It is the anti-crime paperwork behind a bank asking you for ID.
  • It does not check anything about you as a customer. Not whether the firm treats you fairly, not whether it is financially sound, not whether what it sells is any good. The FCA describes firms registered this way as “not authorised or subject to wider FCA regulation”.
  • So if the firm fails or treats you badly, there is no FSCS compensation, and the Financial Ombudsman Service usually cannot look at a complaint about unregulated business.

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 metrosafe.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 020 7722 2222 is
  • Who else gives the postcode SW7 1EW
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Other names (2)

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

  • Brompton Safe Deposit Trading name: A name it trades under now.
  • St Johns Wood Safe Deposit Trading name: A name it trades under now.

Past FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Money-laundering registration only
    This firm is registered for anti-money-laundering supervision only. It is not FCA-authorised. Money you hand over is not protected by the FSCS, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.

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 status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
24 June 1983 (43 years old)
Registered office
Elsley Court, 20-22 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 8BE, United Kingdom
Nature of business
  • Other business support service activities not elsewhere classified (SIC 82990)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Colin John Mitchell Director Sep 1961 9 May 2003 3 other companies
Christopher Colin Barrow Director Apr 1953 22 Mar 2007 12 other companies
Stephen Michael Watts Director Nov 1971 30 Oct 2017 10 other companies
Christopher Colin Barrow Secretary Not published 22 Mar 2007 12 other companies

Other companies run by these 3 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
19
closed down
10
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 19 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 3 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • The 4 companies these 3 directors run together
  • All 16 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

Metropolitan Safe Deposits’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

2016

6 April 2016

  • Metropolitan Safe Custody Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2008

22 May 2008

  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

1983

24 June 1983

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 34 events

  • All 34 events in its history (3 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 29
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Firms connected to Metropolitan Safe Deposits

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

connected firm
1
share a director
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
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Get the full report on Metropolitan Safe Deposits

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

  • 19 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 34 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Metropolitan Safe Deposits Limited FCA authorised?
Metropolitan Safe Deposits Limited (FRN 483234) is registered with the FCA under the Money Laundering Regulations only. That is anti-money-laundering supervision, not FCA authorisation, and the FCA does not supervise the firm's conduct.
What is Metropolitan Safe Deposits’ phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 7722 2222 and the website metrosafe.co.uk for Metropolitan Safe Deposits. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Metropolitan Safe Deposits a scam or clone?
Metropolitan Safe Deposits is genuinely on the FCA's money-laundering register, so it is not an outright fake, but registration is not authorisation, and scammers impersonate registered firms too. Verify contact details against the register before sending money.
Is my money safe with Metropolitan Safe Deposits?
Money you hand to Metropolitan Safe Deposits is not protected by the FSCS. Money-laundering registration carries no compensation scheme, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.
Who owns Metropolitan Safe Deposits?
Metropolitan Safe Deposits is owned by Metropolitan Safe Custody Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 6 April 2016.
Who runs Metropolitan Safe Deposits?
Companies House lists 3 directors of Metropolitan Safe Deposits: Colin John Mitchell, Christopher Colin Barrow and Stephen Michael Watts.
How long has Metropolitan Safe Deposits been in business?
The company was formed on 24 June 1983.
Does Metropolitan Safe Deposits use any other names?
It trades as Brompton Safe Deposit and St Johns Wood Safe Deposit.

Sources and links

The full report on Metropolitan Safe Deposits Limited

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