The Financial Conduct Authority has restricted insurance broker Anthony Jones (UK) Limited, preventing it from carrying out any regulated activity from July 9, 2026 - a restriction the firm agreed to while the regulator continues its engagement. No insolvency has been declared. That sequencing is the analytically significant observation for the broking market: the FCA has stopped a firm's regulated activity before failure rather than after it, a pattern that keeps client money segregation, professional indemnity adequacy and orderly wind-down planning firmly on compliance agendas across the intermediary sector.
A restriction that halts regulated activity does not automatically resolve what happens to money already sitting in a broker's client account. Where a broker does not hold risk transfer agreements with its insurer panel, premium and claims money it collects must be segregated under CASS 5 - the FCA Handbook's client money rules for insurance distribution - and paid away to insurers or clients within set timeframes. That segregation obligation does not disappear when a firm stops trading, which is why insurers and in some cases run-off administrators get involved once an intermediary exits the market. The AJL restriction is a live illustration of why brokers' compliance teams treat CASS 5 adequacy as a standing rather than periodic concern.
The case also touches on Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection, though only if AJL were later declared in default - which the FCA notice does not indicate has happened. Under current FSCS rules, claims against a failed insurance broker or adviser are protected at 100% for compulsory general insurance and 90% for other general insurance. That distinction matters commercially because it shapes how much residual exposure customers and insurers relying on continuity of cover would be left carrying if the situation developed further.
The AJL restriction arrives during a period of sustained FCA attention on intermediary distribution chains. ICOBS 4, which governs the information insurance intermediaries must give customers, was reportedly updated earlier this year, and the regulator has separately set out its expectations around brokers' due diligence on the insurers they place business with. The AJL restriction followed shortly after the FCA confirmed Logbook Lending Limited had entered administration and came in the same week the regulator marked the first anniversary of its current enforcement strategy with a release on tackling illegal promotions and market abuse.
AJL, incorporated in January 1984 under company number 01784409, is listed on the Financial Services Register under reference 304602 with permissions covering advising on and arranging insurance contracts and consumer credit broking. From July 9 it can no longer sell new policies, offer renewals or advise new or existing customers.
AJL operates as an intermediary rather than an insurer, so any policy sold through the firm is underwritten elsewhere. The FCA has told customers to contact their insurer or underwriter directly using the details in their policy schedule or terms and conditions to confirm the policy is valid and that premium payments have reached the insurer. Customers unhappy with AJL's service should complain directly to the firm. If a complaint is not resolved within eight weeks or the customer disagrees with the outcome, it can be escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Further developments can be tracked through the FCA Firm Checker or the Financial Services Register listing for AJL.
