Banks and Clients Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers such as AmTrust. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk management tool.

This software optimises the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their requirements, with alerts on Banks and Clients’s changes. Even though using COMPLETIONmonitor is not a prerequisite for Banks and Clients , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Banks and Clients’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor generates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Banks and Clients

Mortgage companies often change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Banks and Clients are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, frequently:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Banks and Clients has made 1 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 2730.0 days. In total, 0% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Banks and Clients have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.14.1 30/11/2015 CML
Building Insurance
Banks and Clients plc approved lawyers additional requirements concerning building insurance

Last update 20/05/2019

FAQs : The Banks and Clients Solicitor Panel from members of the public

I would like to know the reason why all solicitors aren't included on the Banks and Clients Conveyancing panel?
Lenders point to the fact that solicitor-led fraud is thought to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud every year. The removal of law firms off of lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the Financial Services Authority in 2011. Its outcome included recommendations for lenders to review their conveyancing panels, which kicked off a major policy change in the sector. It led to banks and building societies purging less reputable firms off their books
My wife and I are refinancing our flat with Banks and Clients. We have a son 19 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Banks and Clients .This is solely used to protect the Banks and Clients if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.

It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Banks and Clients had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your directory have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is suspended from the Banks and Clients Conveyancing panel prior to the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
I previously instructed online conveyancers based in Cardiff who are on the Banks and Clients solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £195 for dealing with the Banks and Clients mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Banks and Clients?
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 Banks and Clients but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Banks and Clients will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Banks and Clients as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Banks and Clients would not normally appoint a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Banks and Clients list
Banks and Clients have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Banks and Clients or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Banks and Clients will tell you what documents they want. Banks and Clients will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Banks and Clients will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.