three directors fined in first cases

Three company directors have been fined in the first prosecutions brought by the Insolvency Service for failing to comply with Companies House identity verification requirements.

Jill White and Marc Dillon, directors of White (Reading Properties) Limited, and Modinat Banjo, director of J Isogony Apparel Limited, were sentenced at City of London Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The Insolvency Service said the convictions serve as a warning to directors that they must verify their identity or risk prosecution.

Identity verification is a central part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which strengthened the powers of Companies House to improve the accuracy of the company register and tackle the misuse of UK companies for criminal purposes.

Newly appointed directors have been required to verify their identity with Companies House before acting as a director since 18 November 2025. According to the government’s guidance on the changes to UK company law, that date also marked the start of a 12-month transition period.

Existing directors are required to verify during that transition period, when filing the company’s next confirmation statement. Business Matters has previously reported on the rollout of the identity checks for directors and people with significant control.

White, 62, of Speen, Buckinghamshire, acted as a company director despite not verifying her identity, according to the Insolvency Service. She participated in board-level decision making and signed company accounts while unverified.

She completed identity verification in early September 2026, around nine months after the deadline and shortly before appearing in court.

Dillon, 62, of Atlanta Close, Benson, Oxfordshire, had verified his own identity. He was prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent White from continuing to act as a director while unverified, despite being aware of the legal requirement.

The Insolvency Service said that, as a director of White (Reading Properties) Limited, he had a legal responsibility to ensure the company did not allow an unverified individual to continue acting as a director. Both were also convicted after the company failed to file a confirmation statement on time.

White was fined £166 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £66. Dillon was fined £307, with costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £123.

Banjo, 50, of Thornham Street, London, continued acting as a director despite failing to complete the mandatory process. She signed and delivered company accounts on behalf of J Isogony Apparel Limited while unverified, and completed verification on or around 28 May 2026.

She was also convicted after failing to file a confirmation statement within the statutory period. Banjo was fined £80 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £32.

Daniel Hart, senior criminal lawyer at the Insolvency Service, said: “Identity verification is a legal requirement for company directors and forms a key part of efforts to improve the accuracy of the Companies House register and tackle economic crime.

“These prosecutions demonstrate that directors have responsibilities not only for their own compliance but also for ensuring unverified individuals do not continue acting as directors on behalf of a company.”

He added: “In both cases, multiple opportunities were provided for the directors to comply with the requirements before enforcement action was taken.

“There is no option to opt out. Directors who continue to act without verifying their identity risk investigation and prosecution.”

Martin Swain, director of intelligence and law enforcement engagement at Companies House, said the cases “mark an important milestone in strengthening the integrity of the UK’s company register”.

“These cases send a clear message that identity verification is not optional,” he said. “The vast majority of directors and people with significant control will comply with the new requirements, but where individuals fail to meet their legal obligations, Companies House will take appropriate enforcement action.”

Experts had predicted when the rules took effect that the corporate register would shrink under the new director verification requirements, and the checks were followed by a fall in new company registrations.

The Insolvency Service said verification can be completed online through Companies House free of charge or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

About the author

Jamie Young

Jamie Young is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, covering SME finance, employment law and Westminster policy since 2016. He has reported on every Budget and Autumn Statement since 2018, helped make sense of the ‘covid era’ and the bounce-back loan scheme from launch through the fraud investigations, and broke the magazine’s coverage of the 2024 late-payment reforms. He joined Business Matters straight from completing his BA in Administration from Exeter University and is NCTJ-qualified. Reach him at jyoung@cbmeg.co.uk

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