The lender has not disappeared—but the name shown on applications, customer accounts and search results has changed.
Search for Finio Loans and the results can look contradictory. The old name still appears in customer reviews, Financial Ombudsman decisions and existing loan records, yet the official lending website now promotes OakbrookAdvance.
That is not evidence of a shutdown or company sale. It reflects a formal rebrand announced in December 2025, with Oakbrook retiring the Finio Loans customer-facing name while keeping existing agreements in place.
For prospective borrowers, the more important question is not simply whether Finio Loans still exists. It is whether the replacement product is legitimate, affordable and competitive against cheaper forms of credit.
Finio Loans is no longer taking new applications under that name. Oakbrook transitioned the brand to OakbrookAdvance in December 2025, while existing Finio agreements and terms stayed unchanged. OakbrookAdvance is operated by FCA-authorised Oakbrook Finance Limited and currently offers unsecured personal loans of up to £5,000.
Information checked: 1 August 2026.
What Happened to Finio Loans?
Oakbrook announced the transition from Finio Loans to OakbrookAdvance on 11 December 2025. A customer-facing announcement followed on 15 December, confirming that the Finio name was being replaced rather than the underlying lending business being closed.
Oakbrook described the change as an attempt to bring its consumer-lending product under a clearer Oakbrook identity. The company said existing Finio customers would continue to receive support and that their contractual terms would not be rewritten merely because of the rebrand.
“Financial inclusion isn’t just about access to money; it’s about the service and respect you receive once you are a customer.”
— Richard Payne, Oakbrook Chief Operating Officer
The rebrand timeline
- 2 November 2011: Oakbrook Finance Limited was incorporated in England and Wales.
- Before December 2025: Finio Loans operated as one of Oakbrook Finance Limited’s consumer-lending trading styles.
- 11 December 2025: Oakbrook publicly announced that Finio Loans would transition to OakbrookAdvance.
- 15 December 2025: OakbrookAdvance published its customer update and confirmed that existing agreements and terms would remain unchanged.
- 2026: New applications are promoted through OakbrookAdvance, while the Finio name remains visible in historical records, Ombudsman decisions and some regulatory disclosures.
Existing borrowers can manage their accounts through the My Oakbrook Hub. OakbrookAdvance also lists a customer-service number of 0208 080 6457 and offers online and email contact options through its official support pages.
Finio Loans vs OakbrookAdvance
The change is primarily a brand transition. The regulated legal entity behind the product remains Oakbrook Finance Limited.
| Feature | Previous Finio Loans | Current OakbrookAdvance |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-facing name | Finio Loans | OakbrookAdvance |
| Current application status | Retired for new applications | Accepting eligibility checks and applications |
| Legal lender | Oakbrook Finance Limited | Oakbrook Finance Limited |
| Company number | 07831517 | 07831517 |
| Regulatory position | Operated by an FCA-authorised firm | Operated by the same FCA-authorised firm |
| Existing agreements | Continue under their original terms | Serviced through Oakbrook’s systems |
| Current advertised amount | Historical offers varied | £500 to £5,000 |
| Current advertised term | Historical agreement-specific terms | 12 to 36 months |
| Representative APR | Depended on the offer date | 39.9% representative APR |
| Account access | Oakbrook customer account | My Oakbrook Hub |
| Customer support | Oakbrook Finance Limited | OakbrookAdvance/Oakbrook support |
OakbrookAdvance, Finio Loans, Likely Loans and OakbrookOne are listed as trading styles of Oakbrook Finance Limited. The official site identifies the registered office as The Poynt North, 45 Wollaton Street, Nottingham, NG1 5FW.
The rebrand therefore did not create a separate lender. It changed the name through which the lending product is presented and marketed.
OakbrookAdvance Loan Details
OakbrookAdvance currently advertises unsecured personal loans from £500 to £5,000, repayable over 12 to 36 months. The headline representative APR is 39.9%, while available rates are stated as ranging from 20% to 69.9% APR, depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
| Product detail | Current published information |
|---|---|
| Loan type | Unsecured personal loan |
| Loan amount | £500–£5,000 |
| Repayment period | 12–36 months |
| Representative APR | 39.9% |
| Advertised APR range | 20%–69.9% |
| Eligibility search | Soft search |
| Formal application | Full credit and affordability assessment |
| Application fee | No fee advertised |
| Guarantor | Not required for the standard no-guarantor product |
| Decision speed | Decisions may be available within minutes |
| Funding speed | Same-day payment is an aim after approval; delays can extend to five working days |
The lender’s representative example shows a £2,000 loan over 24 months at 39.9% APR, with 24 monthly repayments of £116.07 and a total repayment of £2,785.68. That produces a total borrowing cost of £785.68 in the example.
The representative rate is not a guaranteed personal rate. The amount, APR and repayment term offered can change according to the lender’s assessment of the applicant’s credit profile, income, expenditure and ability to maintain repayments.
A borrower offered the maximum advertised 69.9% APR could face a materially higher total cost than the representative example. The personalised quotation and total repayable figure therefore matter more than the headline monthly payment.
OakbrookAdvance advertises loans for expenses including essential repairs, home improvements, vehicle costs, life events and debt consolidation. Borrowing for discretionary spending should still be approached cautiously when the offered APR is high.
Who May Be Eligible?
The current OakbrookAdvance application page states that applicants must:
- Be between 18 and 73 years old
- Be resident in the United Kingdom
- Hold a UK personal bank account
- Believe they can afford the proposed monthly repayments
Meeting those basic conditions does not guarantee approval. Applications remain subject to creditworthiness, identity, eligibility and affordability assessments.
A poor credit history is not presented as an automatic rejection. OakbrookAdvance markets part of its service to applicants who may have difficulty accessing mainstream lending, but the company still performs credit checks and can decline applications where its criteria are not met.
Factors likely to influence the decision include:
- Verified income
- Existing credit commitments
- Housing and essential living costs
- Recent arrears, defaults or County Court Judgments
- Current debt levels
- Disposable income after the new repayment
- Information supplied during the application
- Data obtained from credit-reference agencies
Published Financial Ombudsman decisions show that Oakbrook has historically used declared information, credit-file data, income verification and statistical expenditure estimates when assessing Finio applications. The precise checks can vary according to the applicant and the risks identified.
Applicants should give accurate income, expense and debt information. Approval based on incomplete or unrealistic figures does not make the resulting repayment affordable.
Application and Payout Process
1. Select the amount and term
The process begins with the online calculator, where the applicant chooses how much they want to borrow and over what period.
2. Complete the soft-search eligibility check
OakbrookAdvance uses a soft search at the initial eligibility stage. A soft search is not visible to other lenders and does not affect the applicant’s credit score. It provides an indication rather than a final approval.
3. Review the personalised quotation
Eligible applicants can see the proposed APR, monthly repayment and total amount repayable before deciding whether to proceed. The personalised rate may be higher or lower than 39.9%.
4. Submit the formal application
Moving from eligibility checking to a full credit application normally triggers a hard credit search. A hard search is recorded on the credit file and can be visible to other lenders for 12 months.
5. Complete verification and affordability checks
Oakbrook may verify identity, bank details, income, current credit commitments and expected expenditure. Some applicants could be asked to provide additional information when the automated checks do not give the lender enough confidence to make a decision.
6. Sign the agreement
Approved applicants receive a regulated credit agreement showing the interest rate, repayment dates, total borrowing cost and other contractual conditions. This document should be read before acceptance.
7. Receive the funds
OakbrookAdvance advertises decisions in minutes. One of its current product pages states that the lender aims to transfer funds on the same day after approval, although busy periods or additional checks can extend payment to five working days.
“Decision in minutes” should not be interpreted as guaranteed instant funding. Bank processing, verification requirements and application timing can all affect when the money arrives.
Finio Loans Reviews
OakbrookAdvance’s Trustpilot profile displayed a 4.8 out of 5 rating from approximately 12,400 reviews in the latest available July 2026 snapshot. At that time, 92% of ratings were five-star reviews and approximately 2% were one-star reviews.
Trustpilot also states that the current profile has been merged with one or more earlier profiles. This means some reviews displayed under OakbrookAdvance may have originally been submitted under Finio Loans or another company profile connected with the rebrand.
What positive reviews commonly mention
Recent reviewers frequently describe:
- A simple online form
- Quick decisions
- Clear application steps
- Prompt payments
- Helpful customer-service interactions
- Repayment dates that can be selected or managed
- Approval despite an imperfect credit record
These themes broadly match OakbrookAdvance’s marketing claims, but reviews remain personal accounts rather than independent verification of approval rates, affordability or average payout times.
What critical reviews raise
Lower-rated reviews include concerns about:
- The first repayment being taken sooner than expected
- High interest costs
- Communication during payment difficulties
- Applications being rejected after eligibility checks
- Customers misunderstanding repayment dates
- Dissatisfaction with arrears or default handling
A positive rating does not establish that the product is inexpensive. One recent reviewer praised the process while still describing the interest as high, illustrating the difference between a smooth application experience and a competitively priced loan.
Review totals and ratings change continuously. Any article quoting them should include the date on which the figures were checked.
Complaints and Financial Ombudsman Decisions
OakbrookAdvance publishes a formal complaint process. Complaints can be submitted online, through the customer account, by email or by phone. The company says it will attempt to resolve straightforward cases within three working days and issue a full response within eight weeks where further investigation is required.
A dissatisfied customer can normally refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of the lender’s final response. Referral is free to the consumer.
What Oakbrook’s complaint data actually shows
| Reporting period | Complaints per 1,000 active loans | Opened | Closed | Upheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January–June 2025 | 32.5 | 3,026 | 2,625 | 16% |
| July–December 2025 | 18 | 2,302 | 2,695 | 16% |
| January–June 2026 | 13.5 | 1,923 | 1,872 | 16% |
The complaint rate and number opened declined across these three periods, while the percentage upheld remained at 16%. However, these are Oakbrook Finance Limited figures covering multiple trading names. The first half of 2026 included Likely Loans, Finio Loans and OakbrookAdvance, so the numbers must not be described as Finio-only complaint statistics.
Ombudsman decisions do not produce a single verdict on Finio
Published decisions show different outcomes according to the borrower’s circumstances.
In decision DRN-6088834, the Ombudsman did not uphold a complaint concerning a £5,000 Finio loan. The decision found that Oakbrook had verified income, reviewed credit commitments and estimated expenditure proportionately based on the information available.
By contrast, decision DRN-5616300 upheld a complaint involving two £1,000 loans. The Ombudsman concluded that Oakbrook’s reliance on statistical expenditure estimates had missed signs of financial instability that more detailed questioning or Open Banking checks could have exposed. Oakbrook was directed to refund interest and charges, add statutory interest and remove adverse credit information related to the loans.
These cases establish two important points:
- The presence of an Ombudsman decision does not prove that every Finio loan was irresponsibly issued.
- FCA authorisation does not prevent individual lending or servicing decisions from being challenged and, in some cases, overturned.
Each complaint turns on the information available to the lender, the checks it performed and whether the resulting repayments were sustainably affordable for that specific borrower.
Is Finio Loans Legitimate?
Finio Loans was a legitimate trading style of Oakbrook Finance Limited, not an anonymous loan-comparison site.
Oakbrook Finance Limited is an active private limited company, registered in England and Wales under company number 07831517. Companies House records its incorporation date as 2 November 2011 and its registered office in Nottingham.
The Financial Conduct Authority Register lists Oakbrook Finance Limited as an authorised firm. Its firm reference number is 707357.
The current OakbrookAdvance website also identifies Oakbrook Finance Limited as the operator and states that it is authorised and regulated by the FCA.
Legitimacy checklist
Before submitting financial or banking information, verify that:
- The website uses the official OakbrookAdvance domain
- The legal entity is Oakbrook Finance Limited
- The FCA reference number is 707357
- The company number is 07831517
- Contact details match those listed on official and regulatory pages
- The lender is not requesting an unexpected upfront transfer
- The credit agreement names the correct legal lender
The FCA has previously warned about a clone firm that used branding and details connected with Oakbrook’s Likely Loans name. That historical warning does not accuse Oakbrook Finance Limited of wrongdoing; it demonstrates how fraudsters can copy the details of a legitimate authorised business. (FCA)
Editorial assessment: Finio Loans was legitimate, and OakbrookAdvance is its legitimate successor brand. That answers the identity question—not whether the loan represents good value for a particular borrower.
Pros and Cons
Potential advantages
- Soft-search eligibility: Checking likely eligibility does not affect the applicant’s credit score.
- Clear personalised figures: The rate, monthly repayment and total repayable amount are shown before the applicant commits.
- Applicants with poor credit can be considered: A past credit problem is not an automatic rejection.
- Fixed repayment structure: Instalments are spread over a defined term.
- No guarantor required: The standard product does not make another person responsible for the debt.
- No application fees advertised: The main website promotes the loans as having no fees.
- Online account management: Customers can manage details and seek support through the Oakbrook account system.
- Regulated legal entity: The lender is operated by an established FCA-authorised company.
Potential disadvantages
- High borrowing cost: The 39.9% representative APR is substantially higher than rates commonly available to strong-credit applicants from mainstream banks.
- Rates can reach 69.9% APR: The personalised offer could be considerably more expensive than the representative example.
- Limited maximum amount: The current main product is advertised up to £5,000.
- Approval is not guaranteed: Passing the eligibility stage is not the same as receiving final approval.
- A full application leaves a hard search: That search can be visible to other lenders.
- Longer terms increase total interest: A lower monthly payment can still produce a higher overall repayment.
- Bad-credit positioning does not make the loan affordable: Applicants may be accepted at a rate that is difficult to sustain.
- Borrowing to repay existing debt can postpone the underlying problem: Consolidation is only beneficial when the new total cost and repayment structure genuinely improve the borrower’s position.
The strongest reason to pause is the APR range. A fast application and positive customer rating do not offset an unaffordable repayment.
Alternatives to OakbrookAdvance
Before accepting an OakbrookAdvance quotation, compare the total amount repayable, the APR, the repayment term and any consequences of missing a payment.
Mainstream personal loans
Banks and building societies may offer lower rates to eligible borrowers. Using soft-search eligibility tools allows applicants to compare likely offers without creating multiple hard searches. MoneyHelper recommends using eligibility calculators before making formal credit applications.
Credit-union loans
A local credit union may offer smaller loans at lower rates than many high-cost alternatives. In England, Scotland and Wales, credit-union interest is capped at 3% per month, equivalent to 42.6% APR; Northern Ireland applies a lower cap. Membership requirements vary.
An authorised overdraft or credit card
For a short, controlled borrowing period, an authorised overdraft or promotional credit-card offer may cost less. The comparison must include fees, the post-promotional rate and whether the balance can realistically be cleared before higher interest begins.
Employer or benefit-related support
Some employers offer salary advances, hardship funds or employee-assistance programmes. People receiving certain benefits may also qualify for government-backed advances, depending on their circumstances.
Free debt advice
Borrowing another loan to pay rent, utilities, food or existing credit can indicate that the problem is a monthly shortfall rather than a one-off expense.
MoneyHelper’s Debt Advice Locator connects UK consumers with free and confidential advice online, by telephone or face to face. A debt adviser can review benefits, creditor negotiations and formal or informal debt options before further borrowing is added.
Frequently Asked Questions About Finio Loans
Is Finio Loans still trading?
Finio Loans is no longer the active customer-facing name for new applications. Oakbrook Finance Limited transitioned the brand to OakbrookAdvance in December 2025. Existing Finio agreements remain valid and continue to be serviced by Oakbrook, while prospective borrowers are directed to the OakbrookAdvance application process.
What is Finio Loans called now?
Finio Loans is now called OakbrookAdvance. The rebrand replaced the public product name but did not replace the underlying legal lender. OakbrookAdvance and Finio Loans are both listed as trading styles of Oakbrook Finance Limited, company number 07831517.
Can I still log in to my Finio Loans account?
A Finio customer can manage the loan through the My Oakbrook Hub, Oakbrook’s online account system. The portal allows customers to view and manage their Oakbrook account, update personal details and access support. Existing borrowers should use official Oakbrook contact channels when login or account information is unclear.
Is Finio Loans the same as OakbrookAdvance?
Finio Loans and OakbrookAdvance are different customer-facing names connected with the same legal lender, Oakbrook Finance Limited. OakbrookAdvance replaced Finio for new business, while the old name remains attached to historical agreements, reviews, complaint records and Ombudsman decisions.
Does OakbrookAdvance accept bad credit?
OakbrookAdvance considers applications from people with imperfect credit, but bad-credit acceptance is not guaranteed. The lender reviews affordability, credit history and other application data before making a decision. A poor score may result in rejection, a smaller loan or a higher personalised APR.
Will checking OakbrookAdvance eligibility affect my credit score?
Checking eligibility uses a soft credit search and does not affect the applicant’s credit score or appear to other lenders. Submitting the full application involves a hard search, which is recorded on the credit file and can remain visible to other lenders for 12 months.
The Verdict: A Legitimate Rebrand, Not a Cheap Loan
Finio Loans did not vanish after a regulatory shutdown. It became OakbrookAdvance through a planned brand transition, and the same FCA-authorised legal company remains behind the product.
The legitimacy question is therefore relatively clear.
The value question is harder.
A soft eligibility search, transparent quotation and quick online process are useful features. Yet the representative APR of 39.9%—and possible maximum of 69.9%—means convenience may come at a substantial cost.
OakbrookAdvance could be an option for a borrower who has compared alternatives, understands the total repayment and can comfortably meet every instalment. It should not be treated as an automatic solution for persistent debt, essential monthly bills or a budget already under pressure.
The most important number is not how quickly the application is approved. It is how much the borrower will repay after the final instalment.
Sources & Verification
- Oakbrook’s official December 2025 announcement confirming the transition from Finio Loans to OakbrookAdvance and continuity for existing customers.
- OakbrookAdvance’s customer-facing rebrand announcement.
- OakbrookAdvance’s official homepage, current product details and regulatory footer.
- OakbrookAdvance’s published APR guide and representative loan example.
- Financial Conduct Authority Register and authorised-firm information for Oakbrook Finance Limited.
- Find and Update Company Information
- OakbrookAdvance’s official complaints procedure and firm-level complaint disclosures.
- Financial Ombudsman decisions DRN-6088834 and DRN-5616300.
- OakbrookAdvance’s Trustpilot profile, reviewed as a user-generated source rather than regulatory evidence.
- MoneyHelper guidance on credit unions, eligibility checking and free debt advice.
Editorial Disclaimer: This article provides general editorial information, not personal financial, legal or debt advice. Loan rates, eligibility rules, review scores and product terms can change. Approval is not guaranteed. Readers should verify current terms directly with the authorised lender and seek free, regulated debt advice where borrowing could worsen financial difficulty.
