1. About this Document

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent regulator of financial services. The FCA requires us to provide you with a document called an Initial Disclosure Document. This document provides information about us, the products we offer, the services we will provide, what we charge for our services, who regulates us, what to do if you have a complaint, and details about the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Please read this document carefully and retain it for future reference.

2. What services do we provide?

We will provide you with either comparable details of firms most appropriate to your lending or purchase requirements, or general information relating to finance products. In assessing your requirements, we may seek such information about your personal circumstances and objectives as might be relevant in order to enable us to identify your needs. It is important that you provide us with accurate and relevant information.

You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us. However, we may ask questions to narrow down the selection of firms offered, from which you can more easily make your own choice if you so wish.

We are a credit broker, not a lender, and operate as an appointed representative of Moorgate Finance Limited. We provide product information and introductions to lenders on our selected panel, rather than personal advice or recommendations.

We will try to secure the right finance arrangement for you; however, you should not consider us as giving you advice or making recommendations to you.

3. Whose products do we use?

Where you are looking to finance an asset purchase or to arrange a business loan, we have commercial arrangements with a panel of lenders we can introduce you to. We are legally acting as a "credit broker" when we do this.

We will only offer products from this carefully selected panel of finance providers. We do not provide whole-of-market advice across every lender in the UK — we will introduce you to lenders on our panel who are most likely to be able to meet your requirements.

Lenders we work with may pay us fixed or variable commission. This may affect the cost of your finance; its effect depends on the lender and product. See our Commission Disclosure for details.

4. Do we charge for our services?

For most commercial finance transactions — including asset finance and business loans — Sorbus Finance does not charge a broker fee directly to the client. We are remunerated by commission paid by the lender upon completion of a Finance Agreement.

Where a broker arrangement fee is applicable, this will be clearly disclosed to you in advance and set out in the Confirmation of Instructions before you proceed. Any applicable fees will be:

Disclosed to you in writing before you commit to any application;
Only payable upon completion of a Finance Agreement; and
Subject to your informed consent.

We may receive commission or other remuneration from a lender. The amount and method can vary by lender and product, creating a potential conflict of interest. We disclose the nature and amount of our remuneration before submitting your application and ask for your informed consent before proceeding. If the proposed terms or remuneration change, we provide an updated disclosure.

5. Who regulates us?

Sorbus Finance Limited is an appointed representative of Moorgate Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference number 662419). The reference number 662419 belongs to Moorgate Finance Limited, our principal, not to Sorbus Finance Limited.

You can verify this on the Financial Conduct Authority's Register by visiting register.fca.org.uk or by contacting the FCA on 0300 500 8082.

Sorbus Finance Ltd is incorporated in England and Wales (Registration Number: 14329357) with its registered office at Sunny Bank, 12 Albion Road, Chesterfield, S40 1LJ.

Not all commercial finance activities or agreements are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Regulatory protections depend on the activity, agreement and customer circumstances. Our appointed-representative status does not mean every service we provide is regulated or every customer is eligible for the Financial Ombudsman Service or Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

6. What do I do if I have a complaint?

If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, please contact us in the first instance:

By email: hello@sorbusfinance.co.uk
By telephone: 01246 383500
By post: Sorbus Finance Ltd, Sunny Bank, 12 Albion Road, Chesterfield, S40 1LJ

We will acknowledge your complaint promptly, normally within five business days, and keep you informed. For complaints subject to the usual eight-week rules, we will provide a final response or explain the delay and any referral rights by the end of eight weeks. Different rules may apply to certain complaints, including some motor-finance commission complaints. Complaints about our appointed-representative activities will be referred to our principal, Moorgate Finance Limited. See our Complaints Procedure for eligibility and referral details. Where eligible, you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS):

Website: financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 023 4567

7. Financial Services Compensation Scheme

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is the UK's statutory fund of last resort for customers of authorised financial services firms. Eligibility for FSCS compensation depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim.

You should not assume that a commercial finance agreement or our credit-broking service is protected by the FSCS solely because we are an appointed representative of an authorised firm. Any entitlement depends on the specific activity, provider and circumstances. Ask us about the protection applicable to the service you are considering and check the FSCS at fscs.org.uk.

8. Conflicts of Interest

As a credit broker, we may receive commission or other remuneration from lenders. This creates a potential conflict of interest in that we could be incentivised to introduce you to lenders who pay higher commission rather than those who are most suitable for your needs.

We manage this conflict by:

Disclosing the nature and amount of our remuneration before submitting your application;
Assessing your needs independently of commission levels;
Presenting you with the most suitable options available on our panel for your circumstances; and
Obtaining your informed consent before proceeding on any application.