Everything you wanted to ask.

An AR is a self-employed business that carries on regulated activities under the permissions of a Directly Authorised principal firm — in this case, FEAR Financial. You keep your own brand and run your own business, while we provide the FCA permissions, compliance oversight and support framework, and accept regulatory responsibility for the regulated activities you carry on under our permissions.

We work with advisers who share our values — trust, honesty and integrity — and who want to build long-term, sustainable businesses. Most of our ARs are CeMAP qualified (or working towards it) and looking for genuine mentorship rather than a clock-in network.

Absolutely not. Your business stays yours. We're the firm behind the firm.

You will need a relevant qualification such as CeMAP (or an equivalent recognised mortgage qualification), the right to work in the UK, and to meet the FCA's fit and proper standards — which covers honesty and integrity, competence and capability, and financial soundness. We carry out identity, credit, criminal record and regulatory reference checks as part of due diligence. Advisers who are not yet CAS are welcome; we will discuss the supervision arrangements with you.

Yes, this happens more often than people expect. A DA firm that no longer wants to run its own compliance function can apply to become an AR. It involves cancelling or varying your existing FCA permissions in a controlled sequence so there is no gap in cover, and we will plan the timings with you and our compliance partners before anything is submitted.

Yes. We work with sole traders and with firms that have several advisers or administrative staff. Where a firm has more than one adviser, we agree the supervision structure, who is responsible for oversight within your firm, and how file checking and training and competence will work across the team.

We work with advisers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Meetings and mentoring run remotely as standard, with network meetings held periodically in person, so your location is not a barrier.

Our charging structure is straightforward and we set it out in full before you commit — there are no hidden charges. Costs typically consist of a monthly fee and an agreed share of commission, and they vary with the size and shape of your business, so we discuss your actual numbers with you rather than quoting a headline figure that may not apply. You will always see the full fee schedule and the AR agreement before you are asked to sign anything.

We will confirm any one-off onboarding costs, along with third-party costs you pay directly, such as your professional body membership, sourcing subscriptions where they are not covered, and any qualification fees. All of it is set out in writing up front.

It depends on your circumstances and on FCA processing times, so we cannot promise a fixed date. Broadly: an initial conversation, then mutual due diligence, then the written agreement and the notification to the FCA, then onboarding. Subject to due diligence, the written agreement and FCA notification requirements, an AR may be able to begin trading sooner than a firm applying for direct authorisation.

Commission is paid to you on an agreed regular cycle once received from the lender or provider, with a clear statement showing every case. The payment cycle and the commission split are set out in your AR agreement.

We operate a whole-of-market mortgage panel covering the mainstream residential and buy-to-let lenders, together with specialist, adverse credit, bridging and commercial routes through recognised packagers and distributors. If a client's circumstances need a lender you cannot see, raise it with us — we would rather look at adding a route than see a client badly served.

We hold the permissions for protection and general insurance advice, and provide access to a protection panel covering the main UK providers. Protection is a core part of the FEAR Academy rather than an afterthought, because it matters for your clients and for the resilience of your income.

You do. Our view is that you should have 100% client ownership, without question. Your clients are yours during the relationship and they remain yours if you leave. This is written into the AR agreement rather than left as a verbal assurance.

You take your client data with you, subject to data protection law and to us retaining the records we are legally required to keep for regulatory purposes. We will not hold your client bank hostage.

The notice period is stated clearly in the AR agreement and applies equally to both sides. We do not use punitive exit fees. If FEAR is no longer the right home for your business we would far rather help you leave well — including coordinating the FCA notification and the handover of pipeline cases — than trap you.

Professional indemnity cover is arranged at network level and its scope is explained during onboarding, including what it covers, the excess and what happens to run-off cover after you leave. You will also need your own business insurances, such as public liability where relevant.

Yes. FEAR Financial Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA reference number 1012718. Compliance is supervised in partnership with Rockstone Compliance.

The Route to CAS (Competent Adviser Status) is your formal regulatory journey, run alongside our Academy by Rockstone Compliance. Competent Adviser Status provides formal confirmation that an adviser has demonstrated the required level of competence under the supervision of the principal firm; the Academy develops practical operational competence.

Enough to keep you and your clients safe, and no more than that. Expect file checks — more frequent while you are pre-CAS or newly onboarded, reducing as your file quality is evidenced — along with training and competence records, annual attestations and support whenever you are unsure about a case.

The 12 core modules are designed to be completed over an initial 12-week Foundation Phase. From there, months four to six focus on business development and balance, and month seven onwards moves into longer-term mentoring and network integration.

The programme combines scheduled weekly live sessions with supporting materials you can work through, or revisit, in your own time. There is no compulsory order in which the supporting content must be covered, so you can prioritise the areas that best match your current business needs and case mix.

Ad hoc mentoring from Ross McMillan and Craig Skelton as required, monthly and quarterly network meetings, and group sessions alongside the other ARs.

We are a growing community of like-minded AR firms — deliberately small enough that everyone knows everyone, and growing carefully with the right people.