FIRST MORTGAGE DIRECT LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC175659 · ltd · incorporated 1997-05-21
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 6.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 6.9y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (61/100)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
11 officers (3 active, 11 linked, 9 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
28 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
101 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
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 mortgage
Last 90 days
3
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
5
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-17📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2026-04-14🔒Charge registered #3Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC (As Security Agent)
- 2026-03-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-31➖THOMPSON, Benjamin David resigneddirector
- 2025-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-29📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-27📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-06-18➕BURGAUD MCCARTHY, Emilie Nadia Marcelline appointeddirector
- 2024-06-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-06-07➖TILLEY, Lucy Claire resigneddirector
- 2024-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-07📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-04-07🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2022-03-31📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-03-28🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC (As Security Agent)
- 2021-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-26📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-07-22📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-07-02➕BRODNICKI, Peter Christopher Steven appointeddirector
- 2019-07-02➕MCGRAIL, Ian Robert appointeddirector
- 2019-07-02➖MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence resignedsecretary
- 2019-07-02➖MCGRAIL, Ian Robert resigneddirector
- 2019-07-02➖MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence resigneddirector
- 2019-07-02➕THOMPSON, Benjamin David appointeddirector
- 2019-07-02➕TILLEY, Lucy Claire appointeddirector
- 2019-07-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2005-03-01➕MCGRAIL, Ian Robert appointeddirector
- 2005-03-01➖WOODS, Frederick James resigneddirector
- 2003-03-14➖HOMAN, Paul resigneddirector
- 2000-09-15➕HOMAN, Paul appointeddirector
- 1997-05-21🏢Company incorporatedAs FIRST MORTGAGE DIRECT LIMITED
- 1997-05-21➕MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence appointedsecretary
- 1997-05-21➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-05-21➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-05-21➕MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence appointeddirector
- 1997-05-21➕WOODS, Frederick James appointeddirector
Owner dependency
58/100
Moderate — manageable with handoverSome founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.
FACTORS
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
FIRST MORTGAGE DIRECT LIMITED
This company · SC175659
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mortgage Advice Bureau Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 02/07/2019 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Ian Robert Mcgrailceased 02/07/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Robert Lawrence Mcgrailceased 02/07/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMATI GLOBAL INVESTORS LIMITED→ SC199908 · est 1999 | £8.90M £6.47M–£11.33M | — | — | 2800 | 26y | 84 | 66y |
| CS MANAGERS LTD→ SC231678 · est 2002 | £1.50M £1.09M–£1.91M | — | — | 1200 | 23y | 86 | 77y |
| GBCP VII (GENERAL PARTNER) LIMITED→ SC253395 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | 83 | 62y |
| NOBLE GROSSART LIMITED→ SC046265 · est 1969 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 57y | 83 | 72y |
| PREMIER COMMERCIAL LIMITED→ SC160330 · est 1995 | — | — | £282.5k | — | 30y | 83 | 61y |
| RIA CAPITAL MARKETS LIMITED→ SC226461 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | 83 | 58y |
| SCOTIA WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD.→ SC267795 · est 2004 | — | — | — | 1300 | 22y | 83 | 58y |
| ALAN STEEL (ASSET MANAGEMENT) LIMITED→ SC058014 · est 1975 | — | — | — | 44 | 50y | 82 | 62y |
| ALEX HAMMOND-CHAMBERS & COMPANY→ SC126819 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | 82 | 84y |
| BANDRON LIMITED→ SC082385 · est 1983 | — | — | — | 400 | 43y | 82 | 71y |
| BRIDGEPOINT EUROPE (SGP) LTD→ SC332267 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | 82 | 61y |
| FAMILY & BUSINESS ASSURANCE (SERVICES) LIMITED→ SC347357 · est 2008 | — | — | £50.9k | — | 17y | 82 | 67y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1997-05-21
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC66220 — Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Registered office
30 Walker Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-14
Last: 2026-02-28
Officers (3 active · 8 resigned)
BRODNICKI, Peter Christopher Steven→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2019-07-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BURGAUD MCCARTHY, Emilie Nadia Marcelline→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2024-06-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCGRAIL, Ian Robert→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2019-07-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-05-21 · resigned 2019-07-02
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-05-21 · resigned 1997-05-21
HOMAN, Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · appointed 2000-09-15 · resigned 2003-03-14
MCGRAIL, Ian Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~47y · appointed 2005-03-01 · resigned 2019-07-02
MCGRAIL, Robert Lawrence→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · appointed 1997-05-21 · resigned 2019-07-02
THOMPSON, Benjamin David→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2019-07-02 · resigned 2025-12-31
TILLEY, Lucy Claire→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2019-07-02 · resigned 2024-06-07
WOODS, Frederick James→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 1997-05-21 · resigned 2005-03-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank (As Security Agent) National Westminster Bank PLC (As Security Agent) | A registered charge | — | 14/04/2026 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank (As Security Agent) National Westminster Bank PLC (As Security Agent) | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/03/2022 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 02/07/2019 | 07/04/2022 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (101 total)
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2026-04-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-03-12
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-05
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-06-27
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-03