Fowler Smith Mortgages & Protection

Fowler Smith Mortgages & Protection: mortgage brokerage in Colchester

Fowler Smith Mortgages & Protection is a brokerage based in Colchester, in the English county of Essex, providing mortgage and protection advice. Its work covers searching the whole market for finance and handling the case through to mortgage offer stage and even through to final completion.

Client profiles and types of transaction

The firm serves first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let investors and limited companies, among others. Its stated experience includes residential and buy-to-let mortgages, as well as more complex cases such as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), expatriate lending and private finance. It also offers specialist advice on complex mortgages and cases with impaired credit histories.

Protection products and complementary finance

Alongside mortgage advice, the company offers life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection, as well as home insurance and landlords insurance. In the area of short-term finance, it provides bridging loans and development finance. The firm notes that some buy-to-let products are not regulated by the FCA and that certain services are referred to third parties.

Structure and team

The company was founded by Jonathan Fowler, Managing Director, and Charlie Smith, Sales Director. Fowler comes from the property markets of East London and West Essex, and later moved into arranging property finance, with experience in complex cases, short-term lending through private banks and expatriate finance. Smith worked in the property sector in Essex and Suffolk before moving into financial services; his mortgage advice career focused first on new build and later on clients with credit issues.

The team of advisers also includes Joanna Everett, Travis Legge, Ashleigh Sinclair, Jermaine Bernard, Tara John, Callum Fowler and Elizabeth Obiji, all with the title of mortgage and protection advisers. Several of them have more than five or six years of experience in financial services. Their stated specialisations include adverse credit, complex finance, foreign clients, investors, contractors and limited company directors, as well as complex income structures.

Regulatory framework and registration

Fowler Smith Mortgages & Protection Ltd acts as an appointed representative of Mortgage Intelligence Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under number 305330 for mortgage, insurance and consumer credit mediation activities. The company is registered in England and Wales under number 13742633 and its registered office is at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ. The firm states that its advice is covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service and that clients can complain to this independent body if issues are not resolved internally.

Publications and resources

The company's website includes a news section with articles on broker introducer relationships, the firm's approach to client care, changes in mortgage rates and a guide to base rates, swaps and lender pricing. It also has a Foremost calculator and a quick enquiry form.

Location and contact

First Floor, 145 High Street Colchester CO1 1PG · Phone: 01206 635 550 · Email: info@fowlersmith.co.uk