National Westminster Bank Conveyancing Panel Information

The requirements to join the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel is likely to be fairly detailed and is unlikely to include signing up to LENDERmonitor alerts.

Criteria differ from lender to lender. We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):

Areas of Law covered by the firm

Whether the firm is able to operate in other jurisdictions

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

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

Full complaints history for each conveyancing solicitor

List of all solicitors within firm

Whether the firm has ever accepted instructions in respect of property clubs and investment schemes

top-up split and history of any refusals

Full disciplinary history for each licensed conveyancer

Solicitor

The CLC 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. We expect that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as National Westminster Bank since 2008 which is when lenders started being more restrictive.

In the same way that there is a unique National Westminster Bank 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.

CQS membership gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors. Some Lenders now use the Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC.

You should communicate with National Westminster Bank to obtain standard documents. The The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook contains a specific section for banks to enumerate who to contact to obtain standard documents. National Westminster Bank in their Part 2’s state: It helps to disclose the firm’s National Westminster Bank solicitors panel reference.