Insurance multi-millionaire Neil Utley has emerged as a 3% shareholder in payday lender Non-Standard Finance, according to This is Money.

Utley’s stake is worth around a cool £2.1m, a small slice of his estimated  £250m fortune.

The firm has struggled this year, with profit warnings and shares tumbling to an all-time low. 

Utley made his money after leading the revamp of Hastings from small-time broker to one of the largest motor and home players on price comparison sites.

He also bought a major shareholding in stockbroker Peel Hunt. 

The 57-year-old made headlines in 2014 after snapping up David and Victoria Beckham’s ‘Beckingham Palace’ country mansion for £11.million.

Utley has used his wealth on a wide variety of tastes including backing fledlging musicians, buying a golf courses and a holiday park.

Lloyd’s censured Utley and he faced £130,000 in costs following under-reserving at Lloyd’s insurer Equity, which he was in charge of between 2005 and 2010.

Utley told Insurance Times at the time it was a difficult time following a 30-year career with no blemishes.