AFFIRMATIVE FINANCE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05044363 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-13
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 21.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of mortgage finance companies
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: 1 insolvency-related filing on record. Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.8y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (59/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
11 connected companies via shared directors
78
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2026-02-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-02-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-09📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-07-08🔒Charge registered #3Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2025-04-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-12📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2020-11-12📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2020-11-12⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2020-11-12📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2020-11-02📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-11-02📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-11-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-08-14📄capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capitalcapital · SH02
- 2020-07-21📄capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capitalcapital · SH02
- 2020-06-11📄capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capitalcapital · SH02
- 2010-08-19🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2007-08-10🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2006-12-19➕MITCHELL, Paul Edward appointeddirector
- 2004-08-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2004-03-01➕LEDERBERG, Gary Scott appointedsecretary
- 2004-03-01➕ESTERKIN, Eugene Barry appointeddirector
- 2004-03-01➕LEDERBERG, Gary Scott appointeddirector
- 2004-03-01➖YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-03-01➖YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-02-13🏢Company incorporatedAs AFFIRMATIVE FINANCE LIMITED
- 2004-02-13➕YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-02-13➕YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
80/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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 high ·1 insolvency-related filing on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2020-11-12: legacy
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Eugene Barry Esterkin Individual · British · DOB 11/1958 · age 68 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Sara Dorn Esterkin Individual · British · DOB 07/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 02/11/2020 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Lord David Allianceceased 02/11/2020· 25-50% shares
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 · M postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AARON SHAW LTD→ 17130153 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABRIDGE FINANCE LTD→ 12399889 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACHIEVERS25 COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY→ 17040426 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACS PAYROLL LIMITED→ 15989873 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACTIVE FLEET MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 11313628 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AD WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD→ 16044300 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADELPHI INVESTMENTS (NORTH WEST) LIMITED→ 17125218 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ 09393496 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AEC CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 16221763 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AETHER VENTURES LTD→ 16813881 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFFIRMATIVE FUNDING LIMITED→ 09351503 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AFRISUSU INITIATIVE FOUNDATION CIC→ 11060546 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-02-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64922 — Activities of mortgage finance companies
Registered office
7 St James Square
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M2 6XX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-27
Last: 2026-02-13
Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)
LEDERBERG, Gary Scott→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ESTERKIN, Eugene Barry→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2004-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEDERBERG, Gary Scott→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2004-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MITCHELL, Paul Edward→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2006-12-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-02-13 · resigned 2004-03-01
YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-02-13 · resigned 2004-03-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 08/07/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 10/08/2007 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/08/2004 | 19/08/2010 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2026-04-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-13
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-07-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2025-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-04-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2023-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2022-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2021-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-15