Looking for information about your firm's panel status?
Birmingham Bank Conveyancing Panel: Recently Asked Questions
What can you suggest we do if we wish to lodge an appeal being removed from the
Birmingham Bank approved solicitor list?
If you are removed from the
Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel and you are unaware of or disagree with the reasons for your removal you should: (a) Contact
Birmingham Bank directly. (b) If there is an appeals process detailed on your letter you should follow the process.
In appealing a decision by Birmingham Bank, it may be useful to provide the following information:
- Full account of your transaction history
- Your COMPLETIONmonitor reports, assuming you use the Lexsure software
- Your recent claims history
- Full details of all staff in your practice and their position.
- Note down if a solicitor has been admitted to the role on completion of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.
- Supply duplicate practising certificates, the firm's current professional indemnity policy and your accountant's certificate, summarising what percentage of the firm's gross fee income is resulting from residential conveyancing
On appeal some solicitors have been able to regain membership to panels notwithstanding the policy by the respective lenders to refuse panel membership to firms with certain profiles or characteristics. Success is primarily due to the firms’ ability to persuade the lender to make an exception if there is sufficient evidence to reassure them that the firm has a healthy attitude towards risk mitigation.
Is it the case that the Law Society has recommended that firms check their status on the
Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel?
The Law Society of Scotland has suggested that solicitors should check their panel status with lenders prior to accepting client instructions to act. The advice is lender-agnostic as it does not relate specifically to solicitors on the
Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel. The recommendation arises from the practice of a number of mortgage lenders who remove solicitors from their panels without prior notice as part of their panel management system, which can lead to some solicitors discovering this only once instructed. This is sensible advice as a client finding out midway through a transaction that their lawyer is not on the approved lender panel is very frustrating and can lead to complaints. Many online consumer forums contain posts where someone is complaining about finding that their lawyer is not on a lender conveyancing panel. Such forums include moneysavingexpert.com
What is the CLC doing to ensure that licensed conveyancers remain on lender conveyancing panels?
The CLC has begun dialogue with banks 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. We expect that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as
Birmingham Bank in the recent past.
My firm is not on the
Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel as well other lenders.
My clients, who are getting a mortgage with Birmingham Bank wish use my firms conveyancing services even though I am not on the
Birmingham Bank panel. Is it fine for me to use a firm down the road to act for
Birmingham Bank on mortgage aspect of the conveyancing?
Please tread carefully here as what you are suggesting may not be acceptable to the lender.
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. Many lenders 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.
Will Conveyancing Quality Scheme acceptance guarantee my firm’s acceptance on to lenders conveyancing panels?
CQS accreditation gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors. A number of Lenders now use the Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation as the starting point for Panel approval such as Santander.
I am on the
Birmingham Bank
conveyancing panel and scheduled to complete a purchase shortly. My papers do not include a Legal Charge for the client to sign.
Who do I contact at Birmingham Bank to get a duplicate Deed?
You need to communicate with Birmingham Bank
to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook incorporates an individual inquiry for banks to enumerate who to contact to obtain standard documents.
Birmingham Bank in their Part 2’s state:
You will need to quote your Birmingham Bank solicitors panel reference.
Find a Lawyer on the Birmingham Bank Conveyancing Panel
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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Birmingham Bank
This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.
| Year | Days* |
|---|---|
| 2024 | [no data] |
| 2023 | [no data] |
| 2022 | [no data] |
| 2021 | [no data] |
| 2020 | [no data] |
| 2019 | [no data] |
* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor
Other related topics:
- CQS policy templates and procedures for accredited Birmingham Bank Firms
- Draft Report on Title precedent for Birmingham Bank borrowers
- Draft Anti Money Laundering PolicyTemplate for Birmingham Bank panel firms to consider
- Dealing with Lender Policy Template panel for CQS accredited firms on the Birmingham Bank lender panel
- Buy-to-Let help for Birmingham Bank
- Consent-to-Let help for Birmingham Bank
- Contractor Mortgages with Birmingham Bank
