Specialist Motor Finance Limited: FCA regulated?

Authorised by the FCA

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

Authorised for 10 years
Complaints covered by the Ombudsman
No FCA actions
Active company since 2005
284 Ombudsman complaints in January–June 2025
1 thing worth a closer look in the background checks

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

smfmotor.com (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

01244 200746
Address

International House, Kingsfield Court, Chester Business Park, Chester, Cheshire, CH4 9RF, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks, 1 thing worth a closer look

When smfmotor.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 01244 200746 is, and the 3 other firms that give it
Who else gives the postcode CH4 9RF

Other names (3)

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

SMF Motor Trading name: A name it trades under now.
TFC Motor Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Inisium Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

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 (3 permissions)

Entering into regulated credit agreement as Lender (Excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
Exercising/having right to exercise lender's rights and duties under a regulated credit agreement (excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
Exercising or having the right to exercise the lender's rights and duties under a bill of sale loan agreement

Financial Ombudsman complaints

Ombudsman complaints

new complaints, January–June 2025: 284
upheld, against a 31% median: 42%
about banking and credit: 284

A bigger firm gets more complaints simply because it has more customers.

Companies House record

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

Company number: 05544622 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 24 August 2005 (21 years old)
Registered office: The Gate, International Drive, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4WA, England
Nature of business: Credit granting by non-deposit taking finance houses and other specialist consumer credit grantors (SIC 64921)
Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)
Other business support service activities not elsewhere classified (SIC 82990)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Patrick Hanlon	Director	Apr 1961	3 Aug 2020	11 other companies
James Pearson	Director	Apr 1980	1 Dec 2025	32 other companies
Harsimar Gharial	Secretary	Not published	24 Dec 2025	–

Other companies run by these 2 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: 41
closed down: 3
are FCA-registered: 9

In the full report: all 41 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of these 2 directors sit on each board, and since when
Any that went into liquidation or administration
The 9 on the FCA register
The 2 companies these 2 directors run together
All 13 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Key dates in its history

Specialist Motor Finance’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (4) All events (34)

2016

8 June 2016

Regulated by the FCA from this date
Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

6 April 2016

Specialist Motor Finance Group Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2005

24 August 2005

Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 34 events

All 34 events in its history (4 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 23

Firms connected to Specialist Motor Finance

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

connected firms: 9
share a director: 8
share its phone number: 3

In the full report: all 9 connected firms, named

How each is linked: shared directors (8), the same phone number (3), the same postcode (4)
Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
1 past link through former directors

Firms like Specialist Motor Finance

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

In Chester

MBNA LimitedChesterAuthorised Credit Solutions International LimitedChesterAuthorised FJM (NW) LimitedChesterAuthorised Isebrook SuppliesChesterAuthorised Ldf Finance No. 2 LimitedChesterAuthorised LDF Finance No. 3 LimitedChesterAuthorised

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 Specialist Motor Finance

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

41 other companies its directors have run, named
3 background checks on its contact details, 1 flagged
All 34 events in its history
9 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Specialist Motor Finance Limited FCA authorised?

Yes, Specialist Motor Finance Limited (FRN 723813) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since June 2016 and works as a lender. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.

What is Specialist Motor Finance’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 01244 200746 and the website smfmotor.com for Specialist Motor Finance. 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 3 other FCA firms.

Is Specialist Motor Finance a scam or clone?

Specialist Motor Finance 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 Specialist Motor Finance?

Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how Specialist Motor Finance handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about Specialist Motor Finance to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.

Who owns Specialist Motor Finance?

Specialist Motor Finance is owned by Specialist Motor Finance Group Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 6 April 2016.

Who runs Specialist Motor Finance?

Companies House lists 2 directors of Specialist Motor Finance: Patrick Hanlon and James Pearson.

How long has Specialist Motor Finance been in business?

The company was formed on 24 August 2005, and has held its current FCA authorisation since June 2016.

How many complaints does Specialist Motor Finance get?

In January–June 2025, the Financial Ombudsman Service received 284 new complaints about Specialist Motor Finance, and upheld 42% of those it decided.

Does Specialist Motor Finance use any other names?

It trades as SMF Motor and TFC Motor. It has previously used the name Inisium.