Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

The information on this page is designed to keep solicitors and licensed conveyancers abreast of latest requirements changes by Ecology Building Society and to assist in remaining on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel.

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How does my firm apply to be on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel?

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How can my firm be reinstated onto the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel?

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Ecology Building Society Solicitor Panel: Recently Asked Questions

Can you recommend what we should do if we wish to lodge an appeal being removed from the Ecology Building Society solicitor panel?

Should you firm be removed from the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel and you are unaware of or disagree with the reasons for your removal you should: (a) Contact Ecology Building Society directly. (b) If there is an appeals process detailed on your letter you should follow the process.

In appealing a decision by Ecology Building Society, it may be useful to provide the following information:

Comprehensive disclosure of your transaction history
Your COMPLETIONmonitor reports, assuming you use the Lexsure software
Your recent claims history
comprehensive details of all employees in your firm and their position.
Note down if a solicitor has been admitted to the role on completion of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.
Provide duplicate practising certificates, the firm's current professional indemnity policy and the firm’s accountant's certificate, summarising the % of the firm's gross fee income is generated from residential conveyancing transactions

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. Such an achievement 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.

A recent SRA survey reveals that 76% of solicitors have been removed from a lender conveyancing panel. Ecology Building Society and other lenders have restricted their panel over the years. Why?

In operating open conveyancing panels, lenders such as Ecology Building Society face a number of fraud and negligence risks. While there is no authoritative source of data on lender exposure to solicitor–led mortgage fraud, anecdotal evidence from lenders indicates exposure on individual cases are often in the millions of pounds. The National Fraud Authority estimates that £1bn per year is lost in mortgage -related frauds in total, which is seen as a conservative estimate.

These risks are exacerbated by the lack of a comprehensive set of data on all conveyancing firms (which, for the avoidance of doubt, would include solicitors and conveyancers across the UK) which is in a readily accessible format. Currently, lenders vet the suitability of their panel firms against a variety of disparate, incomplete and potentially inaccurate sets of information. One top 5 lender pointed out to us that it is almost impossible to track individual fraudsters who move from firm to firm, especially where they are no longer registered or no longer hold a valid practicing certificate.

Ecology Building Society and other lenders are in varying stages of reviewing their approach to vetting firms on their conveyancing panels, to ensure their ongoing exposure to unsuitable firms is reduced. There is also regulatory impetus on lenders to ensure that they have satisfactory oversight of their third party panels, including a due-diligence process.

Who do building societies allow to be on their Conveyancing Panels?

In the same way that there is a unique Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel most building societies, operate a conveyancing panel for solicitors and other conveyancers that the lender will instruct. Terms and Conditions and criteria for inclusion on a building society conveyancing panel vary from lender-to-lender. Having CQS accreditation may be a requirement. Institutional lenders, such as a building society, is a client and is entitled to instruct the solicitor or conveyancer of its choosing (who, in turn, is free to accept or refuse instructions). Therefore, if lender and borrower cannot agree which solicitor or conveyancer should represent them jointly, they would usually proceed on a separate representation basis. The BSA have not published the equivalent of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Part 3s.

My PI renewal application this year contained the following question: ‘Has your Firm been asked by a lender to agree to more onerous terms and conditions than provided for in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook?’ My firm is on a number of bank panels including the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel. We have Terms and Conditions of appointment which we are duty bound to comply with. Do I disclose these these Terms ?

The concern here is if you are expect to enter into ‘more onerous’ conditions that than the Handbook obligations. You have to try and take an objective view as to whether the Terms relating to the Ecology Building Society conveyancing appointment (or other terms for other lenders) are ‘more onerous’ than the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Conditions. Depending on the Terms you may need to provide details on your renewal form. If you are in any doubt please call your broker to discuss before completing the answer.

In conducting leasehold conveyancing do Ecology Building Society panel solicitors have to consider if there is a missing freeholder?

Given that your firm in is on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel and you are representing them in relation to a leasehold property, you must report to them if it becomes apparent that the landlord is either absent or insolvent. If Ecology Building Society are to lend, they may require indemnity insurance. In any event,you will need to check Ecology Building Society’s specific requirements. Notwithstanding whether Ecology Building Society will lend in such circumstances you still need to advise the borrower (unless you are acting for Ecology Building Society alone) as to the risks of buying a property with an insolvent or absentee landlord.

We had our Ecology Building Society panel membership suspended but we have not yet been given an explanation yet. I am completing a CQS renewal questionnaire what details must I report?

In this situation please clarify on the form what action you have taken to discover the reasons behind cancellation of your Ecology Building Society panel membership. In particular please provide details if you have received communications from the lender. E.G. before termination of your panel membership did you receive any letters or calls from the lender informing you as to why they reached this decision?

My firm is listed on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel and scheduled to complete a remortgage shortly. My file does not contain a Mortgage Deed for the client to sign. Who do I contact at Ecology Building Society to obtain duplicate documents?

You should get in touch with Ecology Building Society to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has an express question for lenders to set out who to contact to obtain standard documents. Ecology Building Society in their Part 2’s state:

Please remember to quote your Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel number.

Find a Lawyer on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel

Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Ecology Building Society

This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.

Year	Days*
2026	[no data]
2025	[no data]
2024	[no data]
2023	[no data]
2022	[no data]
2021	[no data]

* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor

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