Regulator examines allegations that consumers were signed up without consent
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched an enforcement investigation into Consultation Claims Limited (CCL) amid concerns that consumers may have been signed up to motor finance claims services without their knowledge or consent.
The investigation, announced on 4 June 2026, focuses on the period between April 2025 and December 2025 and follows allegations that some customer signatures may have been forged during the claims sign-up process. According to the FCA, the investigation will examine the entire customer journey, including how consumers were contacted, the information they were given during and after sign-up, and what they were told about potential exit fees.
The regulator stressed that it has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations and has not determined whether CCL breached any regulatory requirements. However, the FCA said it was publicising the investigation to encourage consumers who believe they may have been enrolled without their consent, or who have seen documents allegedly bearing their signature that they did not sign, to come forward and raise complaints with the company.
Consumers dissatisfied with CCL’s response can escalate complaints to the Claims Management Ombudsman. The announcement marks the second publicly disclosed FCA investigation relating to motor finance claims management activity in 2026.
The regulator previously announced an investigation in January and has since intensified scrutiny of the sector amid concerns about marketing practices, consent processes, and fee arrangements. The FCA revealed that CCL was previously subject to a Voluntary Requirement (VREQ) between December 2025 and March 2026.
During that period, the company temporarily stopped accepting new customers and wrote to existing clients offering them the opportunity to cancel agreements without charge. The regulator said the restrictions were lifted after CCL implemented measures designed to prevent customers from receiving contracts that may have contained false signatures and satisfied other FCA requirements.
The latest investigation comes as part of wider regulatory action targeting the motor finance claims sector. In March 2026, the FCA joined forces with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Advertising Standards Authority to create a taskforce addressing concerns about poor handling of motor finance claims by some claims management companies and law firms.
The FCA also launched a broader review of the claims management market in May 2026, identifying consumer sign-ups without consent as one of several issues requiring closer examination.
According to the regulator, enforcement activity in the sector has already resulted in more than 1,000 misleading motor finance advertisements being removed or amended. More than 28,000 consumers have also been able to exit contracts free of charge, while three claims management companies reduced fees described by the FCA as unreasonable, benefiting more than 500,000 consumers. The investigation into CCL remains ongoing.