FCA opens and publicises enforcement investigation into claims manager

The FCA has opened an enforcement investigation into claims management company The Claims Protection Agency following concerns about its advertising and sales practices linked to potential motor finance claims.

The regulator said it was examining what customers were told about the level of redress they might receive, whether they were informed they could make a claim for free and whether they were pressurised into signing up.

It added that making the investigation public would allow affected customers to consider their options.

The FCA stressed that it had not reached any conclusions on whether The Claims Protection Agency breached regulatory requirements.

The regulator notified The Claims Protection Agency of its intention to publicise the probe on 1 September 2025.

The firm applied for a judicial review on 8 September 2025, but the High Court dismissed the application on 23 October 2025. The Court of Appeal subsequently refused permission to appeal on 19 December 2025. The High Court judgement was published in two parts on 23 October 2025 and 2 January 2026.

The FCA said its enforcement guide stated that it would not usually make public whether it was investigating a firm, but could do so in exceptional circumstances.

It noted that threshold had been met in this case to maintain public confidence in the UK financial system, protect consumers, prevent widespread malpractice and support the smooth operation of the market.

Agreement reached

The Claims Protection Agency advertises motor finance claims and refers potential claimants to law firms for representation. It has traded under a number of names, including My Claim Group, Martin’s Tips, Karen’s Claims, Express PCP and The PCP Guys.

In August 2025, the firm agreed to a voluntary requirements application with the FCA, which took effect from 12 August 2025. Under the agreement, it was required to stop onboarding new customers, cease publishing new financial promotions and withdraw all existing financial promotions.

The investigation comes against a backdrop of heightened regulatory scrutiny of claims management activity in the motor finance market.

In July 2025, the FCA issued a joint statement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority and wrote to claims management companies to set out its concerns. The regulator said its increased proactive monitoring had resulted in more than 740 misleading adverts being removed or amended since January 2024.

In October 2025, the FCA also published a consultation on a proposed motor finance consumer redress scheme, which closed on 12 December 2025. Final rules are expected in February or March 2026.

The FCA said customers with concerns about a claims manager could complain directly to the firm and, if dissatisfied, escalate the matter to the Claims Management Ombudsman or the Legal Ombudsman, depending on the circumstances.