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.
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No website on the FCA register
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No phone number on the FCA register
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Address
329 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4HS, United Kingdom
In the full report: 1 background check
- Who else gives the postcode W4 4HS
Other names (1)
If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.
- Metropolitan Safe Deposits Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Past FCA permissions and consumer protection
- Money-laundering registration onlyThis 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 number
- 11217851 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
- Company status
- Active
- Company type
- Private limited company
- Incorporated
- 21 February 2018 (8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Colin Barrow | Director | Apr 1953 | 21 Feb 2018 | 12 other companies |
| Colin John Mitchell | Director | Sep 1961 | 21 Feb 2018 | 3 other companies |
| Stephen Michael Watts | Director | Nov 1971 | 21 Feb 2018 | 10 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
Key dates in its history
Metropolitan Vaults’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.
2019
24 July 2019
- Registered with the FCA
FCA register
2018
21 February 2018
- Incorporated at Companies House
- Metropolitan Safe Custody Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
Companies House
In the full report: all 7 events
- All 7 events in its history (3 shown here)
- Every director appointment and resignation: 3
Firms connected to Metropolitan Vaults
Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Metropolitan Vaults. 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
Get the full report on Metropolitan Vaults
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
- 1 background check on its contact details
- All 7 events in its history
- 1 connected firm, named, and who links them
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Frequently asked questions about this firm
Is Metropolitan Vaults Limited FCA authorised?
Is Metropolitan Vaults a scam or clone?
Is my money safe with Metropolitan Vaults?
Who owns Metropolitan Vaults?
Who runs Metropolitan Vaults?
How long has Metropolitan Vaults been in business?
Does Metropolitan Vaults use any other names?
Sources and links
- Its entry on the FCA register register.fca.org.uk
- Its Companies House record gov.uk
- Report a scam to the FCA fca.org.uk