Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Banks & Clients list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the Banks and Clients plc
Conveyancing Panel
Common questions asked concerning the Banks and Clients Solicitor Panel
On what basis would a law firm be removed from the Banks and Clients approved conveyancing panel?
A survey recently commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority found that three quarters of solicitor practices had been removed from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
lack of transactions
the lawyer is a sole practitioner
as part of the HSBC panel reduction
regulatory contact by SRA
accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by Banks and Clients
My lawyer has uncovered a difference between the assumptions in Banks and Clients’s valuation survey and what is in the title deeds. My lawyer says that as he is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel he needs to ensure that the bank is with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my solicitor’s stance right?
A precondition to being on the Banks and Clients approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Banks and Clients) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Banks and Clients directly.
We're in Birmingham, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Banks and Clients , but our lawyer is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
Can I be sure that the solicitor on the Banks and Clients panel is any good?
obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Banks and Clients. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about Banks and Clients. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Banks and Clients branches or the Customer Care Team at Banks and Clients head office. Ordinarily complaints to Banks and Clients are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Banks and Clients mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Banks and Clients mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Banks and Clients mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Banks and Clients in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.