Anthony Jones (UK) Limited stops regulated activity: check your insurance policy

From 9 July 2026, the insurance broker Anthony Jones (UK) Limited (AJL) agreed with the FCA to stop carrying out any regulated activity - no new policies, no renewals, no advice. If you bought insurance through AJL, the FCA says you should contact the insurer named on your policy documents and check your cover is still in place.

This guide covers what the restriction means, exactly what to check, what to do if a renewal was in AJL's hands, and how to complain if something has gone wrong with your money or your cover.

Key takeaways

• AJL has agreed to stop all regulated activity from 9 July 2026. The FCA says it cannot sell new policies, offer renewals, or advise new or existing customers.
• AJL is a broker, not an insurer - your policy is underwritten by the insurer named in your policy documents, so that insurer is who you contact now.
• The FCA says to confirm two things with your insurer: your policy is valid, and any payments you made have actually been received.
• If a renewal was due through AJL, don't assume it will happen - the firm is not allowed to arrange it.
• Unhappy with how AJL has treated you? Complain to the firm first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service - it's free - if you get no answer within 8 weeks or you disagree with the response.
• The firm has not failed, so this is not (yet) an FSCS case - but if a broker does fail, general insurance distribution claims are 90% protected, rising to 100% for compulsory cover such as third-party motor.

What has happened to Anthony Jones (UK) Limited?

On 17 July 2026 the FCA published a notice urging AJL's customers to check their insurance policies. From 9 July 2026, the firm - an insurance broker - agreed to stop carrying out any regulated activity. In the FCA's words, that means AJL "cannot provide any services on behalf of an insurer, including selling new insurance policies, offering renewals, or providing any advice to new or existing consumers".

The FCA says these requirements remain in force while it continues engaging with the firm. That is worth pausing on: this is a restriction agreed with the regulator, not an administration or insolvency. The firm still exists, and you can still contact it - its details are on the FCA Firm Checker and its entry on the Financial Services Register.

Is my insurance policy still valid?

Check rather than assume. AJL acts as an intermediary - it is not itself an insurer or underwriter. Your actual cover is a contract with the insurer named in your policy documents, which is why the FCA directs customers to that insurer, not to AJL, for reassurance.

Dig out your policy schedule and terms and conditions, find the insurer or underwriter named there, and contact them directly to:

• confirm your policy is valid and your cover remains in place
• check that any payments you have made have been received by the insurer

That second point matters. Premiums often flow through a broker on their way to the insurer. If a payment you made has not arrived where it should, you want to know now - not when you come to claim. If your policy is one the law generally requires, such as third-party motor cover, treat confirming it as urgent: a gap in cover is a much bigger problem than a few phone calls.

Which situation are you in?

What if my renewal was due through Anthony Jones?

The restriction covers renewals, so a renewal that would normally have been arranged by AJL is not going to be arranged by AJL. Nobody else will do this for you automatically. Contact your insurer, tell them your broker has stopped regulated activity, and ask whether you can renew directly or need another broker. Do it before the current policy expires - in many cases insurance simply lapses at the end of the term if nobody renews it.

What if my money never reached the insurer?

If the insurer says a premium you paid has not been received, start a paper trail the same day. Complain to AJL in writing, set out what you paid and when, attach proof, and say what you want - your money back, or the premium passed on and the policy confirmed.

Separately, think about how you paid. If you paid by card and ended up with no policy, you may have dispute routes through your card provider - our guide to chargeback and Section 75 explains both. If payments are still being collected for a service you are no longer getting, our guide to stopping recurring payments covers cancelling the payment and asking for money back.

What evidence helps

• your policy schedule and terms (they name the insurer or underwriter - your key contact)
• proof of premium payments: bank statements, card statements, receipts
• emails, letters or notes of calls with AJL, especially anything about renewals or claims
• the date and outcome of your call with the insurer confirming (or not) that your policy is valid
• if a claim is affected: claim reference, correspondence, and photos or reports you submitted

How to structure the complaint

Keep it short, factual and dated: what you bought, what you paid, what you were told, what has gone wrong, and what you want done. Complaints normally need to be made within 6 years of the problem or, if later, within 3 years of you realising you had cause to complain - so time is rarely the issue, but a clear timeline always strengthens the file. If your complaint is really about the insurer - say a claim being handled badly rather than anything AJL did - direct it at the insurer instead; our guide to challenging a rejected, delayed or underpaid insurance claim covers that route in detail.

When and how to escalate

Complain to AJL first - the FCA's notice says exactly this. Firms generally must give you a final response within 8 weeks. If you disagree with the outcome, or 8 weeks pass in silence, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free and looks at what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances. Where it finds a business treated you unfairly, its approach is to put you back in the position you would have been in, and it can also award something for distress and inconvenience.

One more thing on compensation. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is not in play here, because AJL has not failed - it has agreed to stop regulated activity. But it is worth knowing the safety net exists: if an insurance broker does fail owing customers money, the FSCS says claims involving general insurance are 90% protected - or 100% for compulsory insurance such as third-party motor. The FSCS is free to use.

Sources: FCA news story, Customers of Anthony Jones (UK) Limited urged to check their insurance policy (Last checked: 17.07.2026); FCA, How to complain (Last checked: 17.07.2026); FCA, How to claim compensation if a firm fails (Last checked: 17.07.2026); FSCS, Insurance protection (Last checked: 17.07.2026); Financial Ombudsman Service, Insurance complaints (Last checked: 17.07.2026).

Watch for scams - and for unnecessary middlemen

The FCA's guidance on firms in trouble carries a warning worth repeating here: treat unexpected calls, emails or texts about the firm with caution, even if the caller knows basic information about you. Fraudsters target customers of firms in the news. Check any contact details against the FCA's own pages before acting. And you do not need to pay anyone to complain: a claims management company will charge a fee for something that is free and simple to do yourself.

How HeyRefund can help

A complaint like this is mostly about a clean paper trail: what you paid, when, what you were promised, and what the insurer says actually happened. HeyRefund helps you organise the timeline and evidence and prepare a complaint you can send to the firm - and, if it comes to it, to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Everything above you can do yourself for free. HeyRefund just makes the file easier to build and harder to ignore.