About Lexure Contact us

National Westminster Bank Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Looking for information about your firm's panel status?

Card image cap
How can my firm apply to be on the National Westminster Bank Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status
Card image cap
How can my firm be reinstated onto the National Westminster Bank Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. It is supported by professional indemnity insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system is the only way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with alerts on National Westminster Bank’s changes. While utilising the tool is not a condition for acceptance on the National Westminster Bank panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with National Westminster Bank’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your panel status.

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

Find a Law Firm approved by National Westminster Bank

Lenders often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from National Westminster Bank 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, National Westminster Bank has made 738 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the UK Finance Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 3.7 days. In total, 67% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for National Westminster Bank have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,
Book a Personalised Demo

Examples of recent questions relating to the National Westminster Bank Solicitor Panel from members of the public

Can you please explain the reason why all solicitors are not on the National Westminster Bank 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
Our conveyancer has identified a problem with the lease for the property we are purchasing. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a solution. We are content with insurance and will pay for it. Our solicitor says that as he is on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is National Westminster Bank?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from National Westminster Bank does not mean to say that the property will be meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the CML Handbook Requirements. You and National Westminster Bank are the client. The appropriate lender requirements have to be complied with by the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and National Westminster Bank
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the National Westminster Bank solicitor panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
What happens if my solicitor is removed from the National Westminster Bank Solicitor panel prior to the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. 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.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as National Westminster Bank do solicitors have to be pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
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.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property? Or I've read lots of mortgage guides,I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
National Westminster Bank will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually National Westminster Bank will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with National Westminster Bank you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
We are are taking a long lease of a terraced house in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon are about to beappointed. My agentadvised that we enquire that the conveyancer in Hendon is on the National Westminster Bank approved list of lawyers. Surely I don't need to do this, do I?
A limited percentage of Hendon conveyancing practices are on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel. 5 people a month use our search tool to search for a Hendon conveyancing practitioner on the on the National Westminster Bank approved list of lawyers.

Copyright © Lexsure Limited, 2026

Privacy