ARMCHAIR MORTGAGES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04176510 · ltd · incorporated 2001-03-09
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (56/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
71 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  4. 2024-04-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2023-05-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-06-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-09-30
    ➕
    FERGUSON, Ian Mark appointed
    director
  9. 2020-09-30
    ➖
    ROSSITER, Brian Matthew resigned
    director
  10. 2020-09-30
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  11. 2020-09-30
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  12. 2020-09-30
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2020-09-30
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2020-09-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2020-09-30
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  16. 2020-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2018-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2014-01-27
    ➖
    GILL, Graham Keith resigned
    director
  20. 2010-10-01
    ➖
    RILEY, Ronald Malcolm resigned
    secretary
  21. 2009-10-31
    ➖
    RILEY, Ronald Malcolm resigned
    director
  22. 2001-03-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ARMCHAIR MORTGAGES LIMITED
  23. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    RILEY, Ronald Malcolm appointed
    secretary
  24. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2001-03-09
    ➖
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    GILL, Graham Keith appointed
    director
  27. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    RILEY, Ronald Malcolm appointed
    director
  28. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    ROSSITER, Brian Matthew appointed
    director
  29. 2001-03-09
    ➕
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 2001-03-09
    ➖
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Ian Mark Ferguson
Individual · British · DOB 09/1963 · age 63
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control30/09/2020
Mrs Jacqueline Ferguson
Individual · British · DOB 08/1962 · age 64
25–50%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control30/09/2020
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Brian Matthew Rossiterceased 30/09/2020· significant influence

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 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
Incorporated2001-03-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66190 — Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding

Registered office

32 Trentham Close
Heath Hayes
Cannock
Staffordshire
WS11 7YU
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-20
Last: 2026-04-06

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

FERGUSON, Ian Mark→
director · ~63y · appointed 2020-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RILEY, Ronald Malcolm→
secretary · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2010-10-01
Resigned
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2001-03-09
Resigned
GILL, Graham Keith→
director · ~80y · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2014-01-27
Resigned
RILEY, Ronald Malcolm→
director · ~84y · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2009-10-31
Resigned
ROSSITER, Brian Matthew→
director · ~84y · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2020-09-30
Resigned
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-03-09 · resigned 2001-03-09
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (71 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-05-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-05-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-06-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-07
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2020-09-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2020-09-30