STERLING MORTGAGE SERVICES LTD
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 65). 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: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-17📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2021-08-17📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-27📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2020-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-13📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2020-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-08📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2019-04-30📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2018-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-09🏢Company incorporatedAs STERLING MORTGAGE SERVICES LTD
- 2016-05-09➕KARUS, Michael appointeddirector
- 2016-05-09📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 10 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Karus Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 09/05/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
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