What Mortgage 1st does

Mortgage 1st is a UK whole-of-market mortgage brokerage and insurance advisory firm founded in 2008 by Jon Stones and headquartered in Barlborough, Chesterfield. The company arranges residential, buy-to-let, and specialist mortgage products (first-time buyer, remortgage, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, bad credit, 100% no-deposit, holiday let, and limited company BTL) through access to a network of over 80 lenders, and provides protection and insurance products (life, critical illness, income protection, mortgage protection, building & contents, trusts & wills) via its sister brand Protection 1st. Its core technology is a whole-of-market broking platform built around FCA-regulated advisory relationships and panel access; no proprietary AI or automated decisioning is disclosed. The firm operates as an appointed representative of Stonebridge Mortgage Solutions Ltd and is the second-largest firm in that 700+ firm network.

Mortgage 1st generates revenue through transaction-based commissions paid by lenders on placed mortgages and by insurance providers on protection products, with no upfront fees charged to clients (freemium initial consultation). Its go-to-market is sales-led: advisers are distributed across 50+ UK cities and towns, supported by SEO-driven location landing pages, content marketing, paid search, social media, email, events, referral programs, and a community/schools outreach program. Customer segments span first-time buyers (primary), home movers, buy-to-let investors, remortgagors, and borrowers with non-traditional credit profiles. Following the June 2023 acquisition of Peak Mortgages & Protection, the firm has grown to over 70 staff and has arranged £1.67 billion of cumulative lending across 10,000+ mortgages since inception. Recognition includes the 2024 Mortgage Strategy Best Broker (8-50 advisers), Financial Reporter Broker Firm of the Year (11-50 employees, two consecutive years), and L&G Mortgage Club Best Broker for Overall Quality awards, alongside a 5.0 rating across 2,058 reviews on reviews.co.uk.

Name

Mortgage 1st

Legal name

Mortgage 1st Limited

Website

https://mortgage1st.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mortgage 1st is a UK whole-of-market mortgage brokerage and insurance adviser. Founded in 2008, it arranges residential, buy-to-let, and specialist mortgages across 80+ lenders and provides protection insurance via its sister brand Protection 1st, serving individual consumers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mortgage Broking

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Residential Mortgage Brokers (Purchase & Refinance) (FSALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale Mortgage Lending (Broker Channel) (FSALACAA), Residential Mortgage Brokerage (Purchase & Refinance) (FSAEAEAA)

Keywords

• Mortgage broking services
• Insurance advisory services
• Whole-of-market lending
• Buy-to-let financing
• Protection insurance advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Advisory Services: Commission-based mortgage broking services providing whole-of-market mortgage advice and arranging mortgages with over 80 different lenders. Revenue generated through lender commissions on placed mortgages.
2. Insurance Advisory Services: Insurance products including life insurance, mortgage protection, critical illness cover, income protection, trusts & wills, and building & contents insurance. Revenue generated through insurance provider commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Mortgage 1st is a whole-of-market mortgage broker and insurance adviser providing personalised mortgage and protection advice across the UK. The firm arranges residential, buy-to-let, holiday-let, and specialist mortgages (including bad credit and 100% no-deposit products) with access to over 80 lenders, and delivers life, critical illness, income protection, mortgage protection, building & contents, and trusts & wills cover through its sister brand Protection 1st. Services are delivered by advisers across 50+ UK locations via the Stonebridge Mortgage Solutions appointed representative network, with revenue earned through lender and insurer commissions.

Product overview

Mortgage 1st is a whole-of-market mortgage broker and insurance adviser providing professional mortgage advice and protection services throughout the UK. The company operates as a single integrated advisory service combining mortgage broking across residential, buy-to-let, and specialist mortgage products (including first-time buyer, remortgage, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, bad credit, 100% no-deposit, holiday let, and limited company BTL mortgages) with a comprehensive insurance offering (life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, mortgage protection, trusts & wills, and building & contents insurance). Services are delivered through their core Mortgage 1st brand and sister brand Protection 1st, with adviser locations across the UK. The company provides online tools including a free mortgage quote form and stamp duty calculator, and is an approved broker for the Own New new-build scheme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Protection 1st: Sister insurance brand providing protection and insurance advisory services
• Peak Mortgages & Protection

Products and services

• Mortgage Advice Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.0 rating from 2058 reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stonebridge Mortgage Solutions LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMortgage 1st is an appointed representative of Stonebridge Mortgage Solutions Ltd, one of the largest independent mortgage networks in the UK with over 700 firms and over 1000 advisers. Mortgage 1st is currently the network's second largest firm and has been part of the network for over 14 years.
• 80+ Mortgage LenderscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWhole-of-market access to over 80 different lenders for arranging mortgages including HSBC and other major UK lenders. Some lenders only accept applications through brokers.
• Own New SchememinorGTM or Marketing PartnerApproved broker for the Own New scheme which offers exclusive mortgage deals with reduced rates and lower deposit requirements for new build property purchases.
• Peak Mortgages & ProtectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired by Mortgage 1st in June 2023. Peak was established by Rhys Schofield in 2018 and had grown in both size and stature as a Derbyshire broker firm. This acquisition increased Mortgage 1st to over 70 staff.
• Protection 1stcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand launched by Mortgage 1st providing specialist protection insurance services. Launched alongside the acquisition of Peak Mortgages to offer advice to even more customers nationwide.
• Bluebell Wood Children's HospiceminorOthersChosen charity partner for 2023. Mortgage 1st raised £2,589.51 through a Charity Fives football tournament for the hospice.
• Legal & General Mortgage ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through Legal & General Mortgage Club. Mortgage 1st won Best Broker Firm for Overall Quality at the L&G Mortgage Club Awards. Lisa Stones participates in Women's Key Partner Forum hosted by Legal & General.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• London & Country Mortgages (L&C): L&C is the UK's largest fee-free whole-of-market mortgage broker with a similar commission-based model and FCA-regulated appointed-representative structure. It competes head-to-head with Mortgage 1st on the same retail residential and BTL proposition and serves the same first-time buyer, home-mover, and remortgage segments across the UK.
• Mojo Mortgages: Mojo Mortgages is a fee-free, whole-of-market UK mortgage broker that arranges lending across a broad lender panel. It overlaps directly with Mortgage 1st on retail residential and BTL products and competes on similar value propositions of lender breadth and no upfront fees.
• John Charcol: John Charcol is a long-established UK mortgage broker specialising in complex and high-value residential, BTL, and professional borrower cases. It competes with Mortgage 1st's specialist mortgage offering for borrowers with non-standard profiles or larger loans.
• SPF Private Clients: SPF is a UK whole-of-market mortgage broker operating across residential, BTL, and specialist segments via a network of advisers. Its model of adviser-led whole-of-market advice and commission-based revenue closely mirrors Mortgage 1st's structure and customer base.

Others

• Stonebridge Mortgage Solutions Ltd: Stonebridge is the appointed-representative network through which Mortgage 1st holds its FCA authorisation and accesses lender panels. It is a critical infrastructure and partner for Mortgage 1st, and also competes indirectly by aggregating 700+ member broker firms.

Emerging players

• Habito: Habito is a UK digital-first mortgage broker offering whole-of-market access via an online platform with human adviser support. It targets the same first-time buyer and remortgage segments as Mortgage 1st but competes more on technology and convenience than on local adviser relationships.
• Tembo: Tembo is a UK digital mortgage broker focused on helping customers buy sooner, including family-assisted and specialist mortgage products. It overlaps with Mortgage 1st on the first-time buyer and specialist mortgage categories and competes on digital-first advice.
• MPowered Mortgages: MPowered is a UK mortgage broker combining an online application journey with human adviser support for residential and BTL lending. It targets the same segments as Mortgage 1st with a more technology-led proposition, representing a digital adjacency to traditional broker models.
• Trussle: Trussle is a UK online mortgage broker providing whole-of-market access with a primarily digital customer journey. It targets the same remortgage and home-mover segments as Mortgage 1st and represents a digital-channel threat to traditional adviser-led broker models.

Regional players

• First Mortgage Direct: First Mortgage Direct is a UK whole-of-market mortgage broker with an appointed-representative structure similar to Mortgage 1st's. It operates on comparable commission-based economics and a broad lender panel, serving a similar UK retail mortgage customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mortgage1st
• Facebookfacebook.com/Mortgage1st
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mortgage-1st-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/mortgage1st/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mortgage 1st