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Use the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Firm Checker to search the adviser’s firm, select the mortgage service being offered and confirm that the firm has permission for that service. Then compare the FCA-listed phone number, email address, website and other details with the details you were given. A matching firm name or FCA reference number (FRN) alone is not enough because clone firms copy genuine firms’ identities.
If the adviser is an appointed representative, identify its principal firm and ask the principal to confirm the representative’s permitted activities. Use the Financial Services Register when you need to check a named individual or examine fuller current and historical regulatory information.
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What you are checking—and why the firm matters
The key question is not simply whether a mortgage adviser says it is “FCA regulated”. You need to establish that the firm you would actually deal with is authorised (or otherwise legitimately operating under a principal) and has permission for the particular mortgage service it is offering.
The FCA distinguishes between being authorised and being registered. A record or registration entry by itself does not prove that a business may carry out every regulated product or service. A firm can have permission for some activities and not for the mortgage service you need. That is why the service selection in Firm Checker is an essential part of the check.
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The FCA says: “Using an authorised firm, rather than an approved individual, increases the likelihood that you’ll be protected if something goes wrong.” This is a risk-reduction step, not a guarantee that every complaint or loss will be covered.
Use the FCA Firm Checker: the seven-step process
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Open the official checker directly
Go to the FCA’s FCA Firm Checker by typing the address yourself or using a trusted bookmark. Do not rely on a link in an unsolicited email, text message, social-media message or an unfamiliar website. A scammer can create a page that resembles an FCA result.
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Search for the firm, not just the adviser’s trading name
Enter the legal or trading name of the firm the adviser says employs it. Ask for the firm’s FCA reference number (FRN) if one has not been supplied. Use an FRN as an additional matching clue, not as your sole identity test: a clone firm can copy a genuine firm’s name and FRN.
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Select the mortgage service being offered
Firm Checker asks you to choose the product or service relevant to your enquiry. Select the mortgage service that corresponds to what the adviser is proposing, then read the result carefully. The result must show that the firm has permission for that service.
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Do not infer permission from a general statement such as “mortgages and insurance”, from membership of a trade body, or from the fact that the firm appears on a comparison website. The FCA’s service selector is the relevant test. If the wording does not clearly match what you are being offered, pause the application and ask the firm to explain the discrepancy.
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Match every contact detail
Compare the FCA result with the information supplied by the adviser:
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- registered or principal address;
- telephone number;
- email domain and address;
- website address;
- any other contact details shown by the FCA.
Use the phone number or email address displayed by the FCA—not a different number in a message—to ask the firm to confirm that the adviser works there and is dealing with you. A genuine authorised firm can be impersonated by a clone using an altered phone number, email address, website or social-media account.
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Check a named individual separately when necessary
If you want to verify the person advising you, search the Financial Services Register for the individual and the firm. Not every employee or person working at an authorised firm has to be individually approved or listed, so an absent individual record does not automatically mean the firm is unauthorised. The firm’s permission for the service remains the central check.
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Inspect the fuller Register record
Use the Financial Services Register when you need information that Firm Checker does not display, such as a fuller firm record, previous status, historical authorisation, available disciplinary action, fines or other regulatory information. The Register can help establish whether a firm was authorised at the time you bought a service, which can matter when investigating an older transaction.
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Save evidence of what you checked
Take a dated screenshot or print the FCA result, including the firm name, selected service and contact details. Keep the adviser’s emails and any documents showing the firm’s identity. This will not make a bad firm safe, but it gives you a clear record if the details change or you later need to complain.
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How to read FCA status and permission results
| What you see | What it means for your decision | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Authorised with permission for the selected mortgage service | The firm appears to have the relevant FCA permission, subject to the identity and contact details matching. | Verify all contact details and continue checking the adviser’s terms, fees and complaint route. |
| Authorised, but no permission for the selected service | The firm may be authorised for other activities but not for the mortgage service you need. | Do not proceed on the basis of the general authorisation. Ask the firm to explain or use a firm with the required permission. |
| Registered, but not authorised for the service | Registration alone does not permit regulated products or services that require authorisation. | Treat the service as unverified until the correct authorisation or principal relationship is confirmed. |
| No longer authorised | The FCA says the firm can no longer carry out regulated activities. | Do not start new regulated business with it. Examine the historical Register record if you used it previously. |
| Revoked | The firm can no longer carry out regulated activities; revocation may follow regulatory action. | Do not rely on its old permissions. Check the Register’s disciplinary and regulatory-action information and seek independent help about any existing matter. |
| No result or details do not match | The firm’s identity or permission has not been verified. A clone firm is one possible explanation. | Stop communicating through the supplied channel, contact the genuine firm using FCA-listed details, and report concerns to the FCA where appropriate. |
“No longer authorised” and “Revoked” are not harmless labels. They mean the firm cannot carry out regulated activities now. The Register may show whether authorisation was cancelled voluntarily, revoked following enforcement or changed for another recorded reason. Read the available history rather than relying on a current status alone.
Appointed representatives: check the principal
Some mortgage advisers operate as appointed representatives (ARs) instead of holding their own direct FCA authorisation. An AR works under a principal firm. The principal agrees the activities the AR may perform and is responsible for the AR’s business within that agreed scope.
What to verify
- Find the AR’s principal firm in the FCA information.
- Ask the principal, using contact details obtained independently from the FCA, to confirm that the named AR is currently appointed.
- Ask which mortgage activities the AR is permitted to perform.
- Ask what complaint and compensation arrangements apply to the particular service.
- Check whether the AR has more than one principal; an AR can have multiple principals.
Do not assume that an AR may do everything its principal may do. If the representative operates beyond the activities agreed by the principal, consumer protection can be affected. The principal should be able to explain the scope in plain language. If it will not confirm the relationship or the proposed activity, do not send documents, money or an application through that channel.
Spotting a clone mortgage firm
The FCA describes a clone firm as “a copy of a genuine, authorised firm.” Clone operators may copy a real firm’s name, address or FRN and then substitute their own phone number, email address, website or social account. They may even direct you to the genuine firm’s website while telling you to call a different number.
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Warning signs
- The adviser insists that an FCA record is out of date but refuses to let you verify the change through the FCA-listed contact details.
- The email domain differs by a letter, punctuation mark or country ending from the domain on the FCA result.
- The firm asks for payment to a personal account, an unrelated business or a new bank account announced at short notice.
- The adviser pressures you to send identification or mortgage documents before you have independently confirmed the firm.
- The FRN matches a genuine firm but the telephone number, website or address does not.
- The firm appears only in a message or social profile and cannot be found in Firm Checker.
What to do when details differ
- Stop using the telephone number, email address or website supplied by the questionable contact.
- Open the official FCA Firm Checker independently and copy the listed contact details.
- Contact the genuine firm through those listed details and ask whether the adviser and message are genuine.
- If the firm cannot be found or claims its FCA details are wrong, contact the FCA and report the concern. Do not treat “the FCA has not updated it yet” as proof of legitimacy.
- If you have already sent money or identity documents, contact your bank immediately, preserve messages and report suspected fraud through the appropriate UK channels.
The FCA says Firm Checker and the Register are updated, on average, every 24 hours. That is an operational average, not a guarantee that an individual record has changed by a particular time. A mismatch should therefore be independently resolved, not waved away as stale data.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Firm Checker versus the Financial Services Register
Both are FCA services, but they answer different questions.
| Tool | Best use | What to verify | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA Firm Checker | Routine consumer check before using a firm | Authorisation, permission for the selected service and the firm’s contact details | It does not show every item of firm information, does not guarantee case-specific FSCS or Financial Ombudsman Service protection, and data may take an average of 24 hours to update. |
| Financial Services Register | Checking a person or examining fuller current and historical records | Individual and firm entries, previous status and available regulatory or disciplinary history | Not every individual at a firm must be listed, and a Register entry alone does not decide every consumer-protection question. |
Start with Firm Checker for the practical identity-and-permission test. Move to the Register when the adviser is a named individual, the transaction is historic, the status is adverse, or you need disciplinary and regulatory context.
Authorisation is not a promise of compensation
Using a firm with the right permission reduces the risk of dealing with an unauthorised business, but it does not guarantee a successful mortgage, good advice, or compensation if something goes wrong. Firm Checker cannot determine whether Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) or Financial Ombudsman Service protection will definitely apply to your particular facts.
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What to ask the adviser after the FCA check
Once the firm and service appear to match, obtain written answers to the commercial questions that the FCA checker does not answer:
- Is the firm independent or restricted in the lenders it can consider?
- How is the adviser paid, and what fee will you pay directly?
- What is the firm’s complaints procedure and who is the compliance contact?
- Is the advice limited to a particular mortgage type, borrower profile or geographic area?
- Which legal entity will receive your documents and any fee?
- For an AR, which principal is responsible for the proposed activity?
These questions assess suitability and transparency; they do not replace the FCA permission check. Keep the answers with the FCA record you saved.
If the firm is missing or the result is unclear
The firm cannot be found
Check the spelling and ask for the legal entity name, not just a brand or adviser’s personal name. If there is still no result, do not send personal information or money. Contact the FCA through its official channels and explain the name, website, telephone number and any FRN supplied.
The firm is found but the service is not listed
Ask the firm to identify the exact permission it relies on and to confirm it through an FCA-listed channel. Do not accept a generic claim that “all mortgage advisers are covered”. If the firm cannot demonstrate permission for the service, choose a firm whose result clearly does.
The firm says the record is being updated
Updates can take an average of 24 hours, but that does not validate a mismatch today. Verify the claim with the FCA or the genuine firm using the contact details in the FCA record. Delay the application until the identity and permission are clear.
The individual is not listed
Not every person employed by an authorised firm needs an individual Register entry. Confirm the person’s employment or appointment with the firm and concentrate on whether the firm has permission for the service. Escalate if the firm denies knowing the adviser or cannot confirm the relationship.
A printable pre-application checklist
- Opened the official FCA Firm Checker independently.
- Recorded the firm’s exact legal or trading name and FRN, if supplied.
- Selected the mortgage service actually being offered.
- Confirmed the firm has permission for that selected service.
- Matched the FCA-listed address, phone, email and website to the adviser’s details.
- Contacted the firm through FCA-listed details where anything differed.
- Checked the named individual on the Financial Services Register where useful.
- Read the fuller Register history if the firm was previously authorised, is no longer authorised or has been revoked.
- Identified any appointed-representative principal and confirmed the AR’s permitted scope with it.
- Saved a dated copy of the result and the adviser’s written disclosures.
- Checked FSCS and Financial Ombudsman Service eligibility separately rather than assuming FCA authorisation settles it.
Bottom line: the safest sequence
Search the firm in FCA Firm Checker, select the mortgage service, match every contact detail and independently verify any discrepancy. Then use the Financial Services Register for an individual or historical and disciplinary detail. If the adviser is an appointed representative, obtain confirmation from the principal. A matching FRN, logo or website is not enough, and an FCA result is not a guarantee of compensation—but this sequence materially reduces the risk of dealing with an unauthorised or cloned firm.
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