Secure Trust Bank Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software is the only way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with notifications given on Secure Trust Bank’s changes. Notwithstanding that using COMPLETIONmonitor is not a condition for acceptance on the Secure Trust Bank panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Secure Trust Bank’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your firm’s panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Secure Trust Bank

Mortgage companies frequently change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Secure Trust 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, Secure Trust Bank has made 3 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 910.0 days. In total, 1% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Secure Trust Bank 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
6.7.1 07/11/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Secure Trust Bank PLC panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
7.3 15/10/2018 CML
Occupiers at the Property
Secure Trust Bank PLC approved conveyancer requirements for adult occupiers : Do Secure Trust Bank PLC require a consent to mortgage from all occupants aged 17 or over
6.7.1 18/06/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Secure Trust Bank PLC panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes

Last update 08/11/2019

Secure Trust Bank Solicitor Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public

I need to swap lawyers as my lawyer is not on the Secure Trust Bank panel of conveyancing solicitors. Is it advisable to appoint a new law firm?
If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to do anything for you and have just received quotes, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer you're considering.
I am purchasing a brand new flat and my lawyer is telling me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the developer as her practice is on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I dont want to delay deal. Can I insist on an exchange regardless of what my lawyer says about being on the Secure Trust Bank panel?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Secure Trust Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Secure Trust Bank). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Secure Trust Bank solicitor panel.
My lawyers in Leeds have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with Secure Trust Bank. Is it case that being on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Secure Trust Bank Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Secure Trust Bank directly.
Are all Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel?
It is true that some banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Secure Trust Bank mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Secure Trust Bank mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Secure Trust Bank mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Secure Trust Bank in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.
Secure Trust Bank 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 Secure Trust Bank or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Secure Trust Bank will tell you what documents they want. Secure Trust Bank 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. Secure Trust Bank 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.