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approved by Mortgage Express
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Mortgage Express list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel
Q and A’s regarding the Mortgage Express (No 2) Conveyancing Panel
Can you please explain the reason why all solicitors aren't included on the Mortgage Express (No 2) Conveyancing panel?
Before the recession most lenders had an appetite for risk which was higher than today. The Financial Services Authority in 2010 conducted a thematic review into mortgage fraud which concluded: know the conveyancing solicitors that you are dealing with. Consequently, lenders have regularly sought more information from law firms about their operations and the individuals who work for them and set certain criteria such a completing on a minimum number of transactions. Many firms that have been excluded from lender panels have 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Such firms were never going to meet the criteria of volume of transactions the lenders required.
My solicitor has identified an inconsistency between the information in Mortgage Express (No 2)’s valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My solicitor has advised that as he is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel he is obliged to ensure that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my lawyer’s course or action legitimate?
A precondition to being on the Mortgage Express (No 2) approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Mortgage Express (No 2)) 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.
I note that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for my own conveyancing?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
I am trying to get my ex-wife taken off the mortgage deeds. Can Mortgage Express (No 2) really tell me which solicitor I can or can not retain?
You can use any solicitor you like but Mortgage Express (No 2) then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) solicitors panel
Can you point me to a directory of Mortgage Express (No 2) panel conveyancers on the CML Handbook Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.
I previously instructed online conveyancers based in Birmingham who are on the Mortgage Express (No 2) solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee of £150 for dealing with the Mortgage Express (No 2) mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Mortgage Express (No 2)?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Mortgage Express (No 2) but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Mortgage Express (No 2) will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
My offer on house has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage app going with Mortgage Express (No 2)?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Mortgage Express (No 2) and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.