CITY ENDOWMENTS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03597588 · ltd · incorporated 1998-07-14
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£14.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities auxiliary to insurance and pension funding
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
39 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 26.5y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 26.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
39 charges (38/39 with lender, 39/39 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (2 active, 11 linked, 5 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
182 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £14,227
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£14k
Current Assets
£70k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-29 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £26.5k | — |
| Current assets | £70.1k | — |
| Net assets | £14.2k | — |
| Average employees | — | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (114 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-11📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2024-12-10📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2024-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-16📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-09-28📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-02📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2017-11-02🔓Charge satisfied #43
- 2017-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-04📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-10-31🔒Charge registered #43Lender: Reward Capital Limited
- 2016-07-19🔓Charge satisfied #25
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #42
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #41
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #40
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #39
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #37
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #36
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #35
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #34
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #33
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #32
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #31
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #30
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #29
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #28
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #27
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #26
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #24
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #23
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #21
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #20
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #19
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #18
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #17
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #14
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #13
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #12
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #11
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #10
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2016-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #6
Showing most recent 50 of 114 events
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Laurence Ashken Individual · British · DOB 05/1952 · age 74 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Financial services · AL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BERKELEY PRIVATE FINANCE LIMITED→ 04102267 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| CAPITAL FINANCIAL MARKETS LIMITED→ 08224800 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| CARTA EUROPE ADMINISTRATOR LIMITED→ 15281005 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CATAPULT MONEY LTD→ 16248521 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHASE CAPITAL COMMERCIAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 10746608 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CHASE CAPITAL DIGITAL CURRENCY LIMITED→ 16794881 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CHEVAL NOIR CAPITAL LIMITED→ 16315129 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHURCHILL EMSWORTH ASSET FINANCE LIMITED→ 13545909 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| COHESION FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16549528 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COLUMBUS SIXTY ONE LTD→ 15789892 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| COOMBES & WRIGHT MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 08885203 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| COPEDENE LIMITED→ 08773809 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1998-07-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66290 — Other activities auxiliary to insurance and pension funding
Registered office
Ground Floor
4 Victoria Square
St Albans
Hertfordshire
AL1 3TF
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-29
Last made up to: 2024-12-29
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-22
Last: 2025-11-08
Officers (2 active · 9 resigned)
Active
ASHKEN, Richard Laurence→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 1998-07-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ABRAHAMS, Michael Bernard→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-07-20 · resigned 1999-04-22
ASHKEN, Richard Laurence→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-04-22 · resigned 2012-05-01
BHARDWAJ, Ashok→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1998-07-14 · resigned 1998-07-14
LEIGHTON, Sophie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2012-05-01 · resigned 2013-02-27
ABRAHAMS, Michael Bernard→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1998-07-20 · resigned 1999-04-22
JAYAWARDENA, Nalin Mahinda→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1999-10-04 · resigned 2001-03-15
KAHAN, Spencer David Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · appointed 1998-07-20 · resigned 2002-10-28
MENDONCA, Harold Peter→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · appointed 2002-10-18 · resigned 2016-06-30
BHARDWAJ CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-07-14 · resigned 1998-07-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
39
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:39 of 39 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Reward Capital Reward Capital Limited | A registered charge | — | 31/10/2016 | 02/11/2017 | |
| satisfied | Newcastle Building Society | Assignment of life policies | 3 properties | 22/07/2008 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 21/12/2007 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Newcastle Building Society | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 10/07/2007 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Newcastle Building Society | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 10/07/2007 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Newcastle Building Society | Assignment of insurance policy | 1 property | 30/03/2007 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 06/09/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 21/08/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 16/08/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 06/08/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 06/08/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 26/07/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 17/07/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 08/07/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 03/07/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 21/06/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 21/06/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 21/06/2002 | 19/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Unknown | Security interest agreement | — | 21/06/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 17/06/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 27/05/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 27/05/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 07/05/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 29/04/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 19/04/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 10/04/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 03/04/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 3 properties | 15/03/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 25/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Assignment of life policies | 1 property | 25/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 08/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 08/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 08/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 08/02/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 10/01/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 10/01/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 10/01/2002 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Security interest agreement | 1 property | 28/07/2000 | 18/07/2016 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited | Debenture | 1 property | 08/12/1999 | 18/07/2016 |
Recent filings (182 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-16
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2024-12-11
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-12-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-22
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2022-12-16
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2022-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-16