British company Aston Lark acquires Dublin-based mortgage broker

The deal marks the 14 acquisition of an Irish company by Aston Lark since 2021. 

British broking group Aston Lark has continued its spree of acquisitions in Ireland by announcing a deal to take over Dublin-based mortgage broker Finance Solutions.

Finance Solutions was founded in 2011 by Ken Murray and specialises in mortgage broking as well as insurance and pensions. It employs 40 staff and services around 7,000 clients.

Mr Murray said this acquisition will allow the company to grow further and “enable us to create more choices and an even better experience for our valued customers”.

The company will be folded into Aston Lark Ireland which is set to be rebranded as Howden Ireland in the coming weeks. The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approval.

Robert Kennedy, chief executive of Aston Lark Ireland, said Finance Solutions will make a “fantastic addition” to the company.

Aston Lark was formed in 2018 following the merger of insurance broking companies Aston Scott and Lark Group. In 2021, after it had been acquired by US banking giant Goldman Sachs, it made its first move into the Irish market by acquiring North County Brokers.

Since then, the company has made 13 further acquisitions across Ireland.

In 2021, Goldman Sachs sold the company to Howden Broking for €1.3bn.