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First Direct Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Looking for information about your firm's panel status?

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How can my firm apply to be on the First Direct Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status
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How can my firm be reinstated onto the First Direct Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. It is supported by PI insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk management tool.

This software assists the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with notifications given on First Direct’s changes. Even though utilising this technology is not a condition for acceptance on the First Direct panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with First Direct’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, protect your firm’s panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor generates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by First Direct

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from First Direct 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, First Direct has made 253 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the UK Finance Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 10.8 days. In total, 13% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for First Direct have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,
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Frequently asked questions relating to the First Direct Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

On what basis could a firm of solicitors be removed from the First Direct approved conveyancing panel?
According to a recent survey report by the solicitors regulator three quarters of law firms had been excluded from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
  1. Low volume of transactions
  2. the lawyer is a sole practitioner
  3. as part of the HSBC panel reduction
  4. regulatory contact by SRA
  5. accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by First Direct
Much to my surprise my property lawyer is asking me for personal identification documents stating that this is part of his requirements as a conveyancer on the First Direct Solicitor panel. Can you confirm whether this is the case?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that First Direct also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with First Direct CML Handbook requirements last updated on First Direct
Do lenders provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the First Direct conveyancing panel?
The firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the First Direct conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from First Direct directly.
My uncle passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to First Direct , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this possible?
If you intend to re-mortgage then First Direct will insist on your using a conveyancer on the First Direct conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your First Direct conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the First Direct mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as First Direct do solicitors have to be pay a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from First Direct as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the First Direct conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
First Direct do not ordinarily 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 First Direct list
Next month my fiance and I are remortgaging a flat in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon will soon beinstructed. My colleaguesuggested that we make sure that the conveyancing practitioner in Hendon is on the First Direct approved list of lawyers. Surely I don't need to do this, do I?
Not all Hendon conveyancing firms are on the First Direct conveyancing panel. Click here to find a Hendon conveyancing firm on the on the First Direct solicitors pane.

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