Independent Mortgage Store

What Independent Mortgage Store does

Independent Mortgage Store Ltd is a privately owned, FCA-authorised (FCA Register No. 301002) independent mortgage broker founded in 1998 and headquartered at 93 Byres Road, Glasgow. The firm delivers whole-of-market mortgage and protection advice to UK consumers across first-time buyer, home-mover, remortgage, buy-to-let, offset, professional, student, retirement and family-assisted use cases, plus life assurance and general insurance. Specialist verticals are built around NHS professionals, teachers, and qualified professionals such as doctors, dentists, solicitors and accountants, with dedicated quoting capability for special-category medical conditions including diabetes, mental health conditions, BMI up to 55, heart attack, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV.

The firm runs an advisor-led, project-managed distribution model: clients receive face-to-face consultations at the Glasgow store or remote advisory via phone and email, while advisors handle the full application process including liaison with lenders, surveyors, solicitors and estate agents. Core technology comprises the Mortgage Brain sourcing system (updated twice daily by lenders) for product research, the checkmyfile three-bureau credit check service (30-day free trial, then £14.99/month) and the Source Home Insurance comparison panel. Pricing is a one-off mortgage advice fee of approximately £399 (or up to £1,500 if the client elects to receive the lender commission themselves), supplemented by lender procuration fees, insurance commissions, and a £50-per-referral Love2Shop voucher programme.

The team is small (approximately 4-10 staff) including Director Paul McGowan, Senior Mortgage and Protection Advisor Gerry Hughes (35+ years' experience across Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley, and Slater Hogg & Howieson), Office Manager Laura Carson and Mortgage Advisor Lewis Campbell, with combined sector experience of over 90 years. The firm has accumulated 26 years of brand history, 250+ five-star Google reviews with testimonials dating back to 2008, and a string of awards including Best Regional Broker Glasgow (2021-22 and 2024-25), Independent Mortgage Broker of the Year Scotland 2021/22, and Highly Commended for Best UK Broker 2022 at the Wealth Management Awards.

Name

Independent Mortgage Store

Legal name

Independent Mortgage Store Ltd

Website

https://independent-mortgage-store.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Mortgage Store is a Glasgow-based, FCA-authorised independent mortgage broker delivering whole-of-market mortgage, protection and insurance advice to UK consumers across first-time buyer, remortgage, buy-to-let, professional, NHS, teacher, student and retirement segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mortgage Brokerage Services

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Mortgage Brokerage (FSAEAEAB), Mortgage Comparison, Marketplace & Rate-Shopping Platforms (FSALABAJ)

Keywords

• Mortgage brokerage services
• Remortgage advice
• Buy-to-let mortgages
• Life insurance products
• Protection insurance advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Advice Fees: Fees charged for mortgage advice services. Standard fee estimated at £399. Clients have the option to pay a fee and receive any commission paid by the lender, estimated at £1,500.
2. Lender Commission: Commission received from mortgage lenders for placing mortgage business. Clients can choose to pay the firm a fee instead and receive the commission.
3. Insurance Products: Life assurance, critical illness cover, income protection, family income benefit, accident sickness and unemployment cover. Uses Source Home Insurance comparison service for general insurance products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Independent Mortgage Store is a Glasgow-based, privately owned independent mortgage broker that provides whole-of-market mortgage and insurance advice to individual consumers across Scotland and the UK. The company specialises in researching and arranging residential, buy-to-let, professional, and specialist mortgages, and supplements this with life assurance and general insurance products, completing the full application and liaison process with lenders, surveyors, solicitors and estate agents on the client's behalf.

Product overview

Independent Mortgage Store is a multi-award winning independent mortgage broker offering whole-of-market mortgage and insurance advice from their Glasgow-based office. The core offering consists of specialized mortgage products including First Time Buyer, Home Buyer, Remortgaging, Buy-to-Let, Offset, Professional, Student, and Retirement mortgages, supplemented by specialized services for NHS professionals and teachers. Insurance products include Life Assurance and General Insurance sourced through the Source comparison system. Additional services include credit score checking via checkmyfile and a Refer a Friend incentive program. The company operates with a team of advisors having over 90 years combined experience and works with thousands of mortgage products including exclusive broker-only deals, with fees estimated at £399 or up to £1,500 depending on client preference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Time Buyer Mortgages Mortgage products tailored for first-time buyers with options up to 95% LTV, including agreement in principle prior to property search.
• Home Buyer Mortgages Mortgages for second-time buyers and those moving to a new property after selling their previous home, including affordability assessment and loan-to-value analysis.
• Remortgaging Remortgage products to switch from standard variable rates or existing deals to more competitive fixed or tracker rates, including product transfers and equity release for home improvements or debt consolidation.
• Buy-to-Let Mortgages Investment mortgages for landlords including 80% LTV options, expat and foreign national mortgages, HMO properties, impaired credit cases, and portfolio landlord services for up to £5,000,000 across unlimited properties.
• Offset Mortgages Mortgages linked to savings accounts where the savings balance reduces the interest charged, allowing flexibility to access funds while potentially shortening the term or reducing monthly payments.
• Professional Mortgages Specialised mortgage products for qualified professionals such as accountants, actuaries, barristers, dentists, doctors, engineers, optometrists, pharmacists, solicitors, teachers and vets, offering enhanced income multiples up to 5x+ salary, lower deposits and exclusive rates.
• Student Mortgages Mortgages available to university students requiring a property-owning guarantor, with a minimum 10% deposit on a capital repayment basis and term calculated to the guarantor's 70th birthday.
• Retirement Mortgage Options Mortgages for older borrowers including standard mortgages up to age 80-99 and Retirement Interest Only (RIO) mortgages where only interest is repaid and capital is settled when the property is sold or the borrower dies.
• Mortgages for NHS Professionals Specialist mortgage advice for NHS staff including GPs, locum doctors, trainee doctors, newly qualified and self-employed dentists, and nurses with complex income structures incorporating overtime, bank work and temporary contracts.
• Mortgages for Teachers Mortgage advice service for education professionals including fully qualified teachers, supply teachers, teaching assistants, newly qualified teachers and student teachers, with access to exclusive professional mortgage deals.
• Life Assurance Life insurance products including critical illness cover, life cover, income protection, family income benefit, and accident, sickness and unemployment cover, with whole-of-market search and the ability to quote for customers with medical conditions including diabetes, mental health issues, heart attack, stroke, cancer, MS and HIV.
• General Insurance Home and contents insurance, landlords insurance and specialist home insurance products sourced through the Source Home Insurance comparison service from providers including Aviva, RSA, Ageas, Towergate, Pinnacle, Jubilee, Allianz and Axa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 years of service with 26th anniversary in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Source Home InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUses Source Home Insurance Quote comparison service for clients to compare products from leading UK insurers including Aviva, RSA, Ageas, Towergate, Pinnacle, Jubilee, Allianz, Axa.
• Professional Mortgage LenderscoreOthersLenders offering exclusive professional mortgage products including enhanced income multiples, better rates, and flexible terms for qualified professionals such as doctors, dentists, solicitors, accountants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• London & Country Mortgages: One of the UK's largest independent mortgage brokers, offering whole-of-market mortgage and protection advice. Directly comparable business model — fee-based and commission-based, FCA-regulated, multi-product origination — though London & Country operates nationally at substantially greater scale.
• SPF Private Clients: A specialist UK mortgage broker focusing on high-net-worth, professional, and complex income clients. Comparable specialisation in professional and high-income segments, offering access to niche lender panels and bespoke advisory — a clear like-for-like competitor in the professional-mortgage niche.
• John Charcol: A long-established London-based independent mortgage broker specialising in complex cases and professional clients (especially high-net-worth and City professionals). Directly comparable advisory-led brokerage model and professional-niche focus, with similar reliance on bespoke service and specialty lender products.

Broad incumbents

• Mortgage Advice Bureau: A national network of mortgage advisers listed on AIM, offering whole-of-market advice across the UK. Comparable on mortgage brokerage activity and FCA-regulated intermediation, but operates as a large-scale franchised network rather than a single boutique advisory firm.

Emerging players

• Habito: A digital-first UK mortgage broker offering whole-of-market advice through an online platform. Comparable whole-of-market positioning and FCA-regulated intermediation, but a fundamentally different (digital-only) delivery model targeting consumers who prefer online service over face-to-face advisory.
• Trussle: An online UK mortgage broker focused on remortgaging and first-time buyers with a streamlined digital journey. Overlaps in core mortgage broker activity and whole-of-market product access, but competes primarily on convenience and technology rather than personal advisory service.
• Drewberry: An independent UK mortgage and protection broker serving professional and higher-income clients with advice on mortgages, life cover, and income protection. Comparable niche focus on professional clients and bundled protection product offering, but with a stronger digital/telephonic advisory posture.

Regional players

• First Mortgage Direct: A Scotland-based independent mortgage broker operating across the Scottish market with a similar advisory-led model. Comparable Scottish regional footprint and whole-of-market intermediation, though with a different geographic concentration and product emphasis.
• Connect Mortgages: A Scottish independent mortgage broker headquartered in Glasgow, offering whole-of-market advice across Scotland and the UK. Most direct geographic peer with overlapping Scottish regional market, professional client focus, and similar FCA-regulated advisory-led brokerage model.

Others

• Source Home Insurance: A home insurance comparison and distribution platform used by Independent Mortgage Store to source general insurance products. Included as a channel/infrastructure partner rather than a competitor, illustrating the firm relies on outsourced technology platforms to access non-mortgage product panels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IndependentMortgageStore
• Instagraminstagram.com/independentmortgagestore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-mortgage-store-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Independent Mortgage Store