Delroy Anthony Roberts (50), from Birmingham, was a director of three debt management companies: Haydon Associates Debt Management Consultants Limited, Sterling Financial Security Limited and Clear View Finance Limited.
He was appointed a director of each of the companies, between January 2012 and March 2013, and all three held approved licences to provide consumer credit activities. However, during Delroy Roberts’ tenure the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) received several complaints.
Customers had a range of grievances, including not receiving updates about changes to their debt plans and despite making regular payments, the money they owed to their creditors didn’t go down. At the same time, creditors were not paid the full amount and on occasions, they were not paid at all.
The majority of these complaints were upheld and as a result, the three companies were ordered by the FOS to refund the customers. But while some were refunded, other customers were not.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) also issued warnings to Delroy Roberts but he failed to ensure the three companies adhered to regulated guidance, the companies did not provide written statements to customers setting out their debt positions and they also failed to provide information about customers to the FCA.
The three companies entered into liquidation in December 2015 following the issues with the FCA, as well as experiencing financial difficulties. Not only did existing customers leave the three companies but Delroy Roberts had also agreed with the FCA that the debt management companies would not enter into any new contractual arrangements and as a result, had not generated any new income.
In July 2018, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Delroy Roberts after he did not dispute that he had failed to ensure that the three debt management companies complied with requirements by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Effective from 6 August 2018, Delroy Roberts is now banned for 12 years from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.
Anthea Simpson, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:
People who turn to debt management companies are often in need of urgent help with no-where else to turn to but Delroy Roberts failed to provide an adequate service to his customers.
Delroy Roberts is banned from running companies for over a decade and this should send a clear warning to other directors that if they run a business in a way that is detrimental to either its customers or its creditors then we will take strong action against them.
Notes to editors
Mr Roberts is of Birmingham and his date of birth is 29 July 1968
Company numbers:
- Sterling Financial Security Limited – 05456199
- Clear View Finance Limited – 07098691
- Haydon Associates Debt Management Consultants Limited – 04725109
A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:
- act as a director of a company
- take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
- be a receiver of a company’s property
Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.
Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.
The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.
Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.
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Link: Press release: Birmingham debt management boss disqualified for 12 years
Source: Gov Press Releases
