Wellington Court Financial Services Limited arranged pension transfers into GMTC Orbis SIPPs and Forthplus SIPPs via cold-calling operations. The FOS upheld every single complaint received against Wellington Court since March 2021 — a 100% uphold rate. Wellington Court has failed to satisfy FOS awards. The FSCS is now considering direct claims.
Start your free assessment →Wellington Court Financial Services Limited was an Irish-registered financial adviser with a UK establishment in Devon. It operated a cold-calling model targeting British savers and expats, arranging pension transfers into Guinness Mahon Trust Corporation (GMTC) Orbis SIPPs and Forthplus SIPPs — both of which subsequently failed due to their own due diligence failures.
Client pension funds were invested in high-risk, unregulated assets including Dolphin Capital and other overseas property schemes. The FCA issued an order to Wellington Court to cease pension transfer advice in 2020. The firm closed its UK establishment on 31 December 2021.
The FOS has upheld 100% of the 31+ complaints received since March 2021. Wellington Court has failed to pay the resulting FOS awards. The FCA has been notified. The FSCS has already paid out over £260,000 in five successful claims and is now actively evaluating whether Wellington Court's activities meet the threshold for formal FSCS claims under its rules.
The following decisions are a matter of public record held in the FOS decisions database. Summaries are factual and based on published ombudsman findings. Decision references can be verified at financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
The ombudsman found Wellington Court had given unsuitable advice to transfer a personal pension to a SIPP in 2015. The claimant's transfer proceeds were placed into an overseas property investment that subsequently failed. The FOS found Wellington Court had not demonstrated the pension switch was suitable for the claimant's circumstances and directed full compensation.
The ombudsman found Wellington Court had arranged the transfer into the GMTC Orbis SIPP and collected a 1% advice fee from the claimant's SIPP. The FOS found there was insufficient evidence of what advice, if anything, Wellington Court had provided. The fact that Wellington Court denied any involvement while simultaneously receiving fee payments from the SIPP was found to be highly significant.
The FOS has upheld 100% of complaints against Wellington Court since March 2021. If you have not yet brought a FOS complaint, this route remains the first step — an upheld FOS decision strengthens any subsequent FSCS claim.
Up to £455,000Wellington Court has failed to satisfy FOS awards. The FSCS has already paid out over £260,000 in five successful claims and is now evaluating whether direct Wellington Court claims meet its threshold. Additionally, the GMTC FSCS default provides a separate compensation route for the SIPP operator failure.
Up to £85,000 per firmWhere Wellington Court directed your transfer using an unregulated introducer or where the adviser chain was compromised, FSMA s.27 may provide a direct civil court remedy for the full uncapped transfer value.
Uncapped — s.27 FSMAWellington Court closed in December 2021 and has refused to satisfy FOS awards. Time limits are the critical issue: the FOS six-year absolute clock on the original transfer advice runs from when the advice was given. For transfers arranged between 2014 and 2017, this clock has expired or is close to expiry for the FOS route. However, the FSCS route and FSMA s.27 civil route operate differently. Act immediately. See redressadvisory.com/time-limits for the full limitation framework.
Figures are indicative only and based on typical case profiles. Your actual position depends on your specific circumstances, the transfer value, and the applicable claim route. Not a guarantee of outcome.
Yes. Wellington Court had a UK establishment and held temporary FCA permissions. Its advice activities in relation to UK pensions fall within FOS jurisdiction. The FSCS is also evaluating Wellington Court claims under its rules. UK compensation routes are available.
Wellington Court's failure to satisfy FOS awards has been notified to the FCA. The FSCS has already paid out over £260,000 in five successful direct claims and is continuing to evaluate further claims. Contact the FSCS directly or use the RA assessment to confirm your current options.
Yes. Multiple clients confirmed they were initially cold-called by Wellington Court. Cold-calling to arrange pension transfers is consistent with the pattern of unsuitable advice the FOS found in every complaint it considered. The fact of a cold-call is relevant background to the suitability analysis.
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