Adam & Company International Conveyancing Panel Information

We only know of a couple of banks that operate a separate approved solicitors panel where the mortgage advance is over a certain level. You should nevertheless check directly with Adam & Company International. At one stage HSBC would only allow Sole practitioners to act for them where the mortgage was below £150,000. We are not sure if HSBC still operate such a condition. In your case it is best to check with Adam & Company International

Although not necessarily published, lenders have varying criteria . We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the Adam & Company International conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):

Full complaints history for each conveyancing solicitor

and Conveyancing Quality Scheme

Firm name, address and contact details including all branches (including evidence of existence through risk-based physical visits and Google Streetview checks)

Number of lender conveyancing panels the firm is currently on

House price discrepancies (declared to lender vs. registered at Land Registry)

Areas of Law covered by the firm

List of all those staff who work within the conveyancing team

List of all those who fund the firm, including non-lawyers if applicable

conveyancer client account(s) details

SRA or equivalent regulator registration number where applicable

The Council of Licensed Conveyancers has entered dialogue with lenders and their representative bodies to see whether and how the risks that lenders wish to mitigate could be addressed through the regulatory framework rather than via ad hoc arrangements that can differ from lender to lender. It is likely that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as Adam & Company International since 2008 which is when lenders started being more restrictive.

Please tread carefully here as what you are suggesting may not be acceptable to the mortgage company. It is possible that you (as a non-panel firm) or the mortgage applicant are not at liberty instruct a panel firm of your choice. Lenders such as Nationwide BS make it clear to their panel firms that where a non-panel member firm is instructed by one of their mortgage applicants, the lender must appoint a panel firm to carry out its instructions and to liaise with the borrower's conveyancer. You also need to make the costs implications and potential for delay very clear to your client.

We would recommend that you supply details of the date of removal, information on the reason for removal, date of appeal and any reason given for reinstatement. This should not negatively affect your application but gives the CQS team viability as to what has gone on.

You need to communicate with Adam & Company International to obtain standard documents. The The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook incorporates an express section for banks to cite who to contact to obtain standard documents. Adam & Company International in their Part 2’s state: It is likely that you will need to disclose your Adam & Company International solicitors panel number.