The Mortgage Business Solicitor Panel Example Support Desk Enquires from members of the public
I am progressing with the sale of my house and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the purchasers are changing their law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that The Mortgage Business will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only engage with certain law firms?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
I am buying a new build flat and my conveyancer is informing me that she is duty bound to reveal incentives from the developer as her practice is on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing panel. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and my preference is not to prolong the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the The Mortgage Business approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on The Mortgage Business). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the The Mortgage Business approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the The Mortgage Business solicitor panel.
We're in Birmingham, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is The Mortgage Business , but our solicitor is on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
I have today made my last payment due on mortgage with The Mortgage Business. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the The Mortgage Business panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your The Mortgage Business mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the The Mortgage Business mortgage from the register. The Mortgage Business,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the The Mortgage Business has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the The Mortgage Business has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your The Mortgage Business mortgage has been paid off.
I have a mortgage with The Mortgage Business. My father has just retired and wants to pay off my mortgage. After The Mortgage Business is paid, I want to transfer the property to my mother's name; How long will it roughly take? Do we need two separate solicitors on the The Mortgage Business conveyancing panel? I do not intend to live at the property once the The Mortgage Business mortgage is discharged.
Although you do need to retain the services of a lawyer they dont
need to be on the The Mortgage Business panel.
You will need a solicitor to draw up the transfer and
to deal with the Land Registry formalities. The only thing you need to
consider is that by selling at an undervalue so ask your lawyer about
the implications. There could be an inheritance tax issue if you die
within 7 years of this. As the property is your main residence you need
not pay CGT but you should speak with your accountants in any event.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place with a mortgage from The Mortgage Business. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about The Mortgage Business. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the The Mortgage Business branches or the Customer Services Team at The Mortgage Business head office. We understand that complaints to The Mortgage Business are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.