The CLC expressed some interesting views concerning conveyancing panels
The webinar hosted by CLC chair Anna Bradley but it was it’s Sheila Kumar as its Chief Executive Sheila Kumar who had the most to say about lender panels.
Applying get onto or removal from lenders panels is a concern for every conveyancing professional.
Ms Kumar acknowledged having spoken to very many practices who have lost work because of a lenders decision, not to include them on their panel and clearly that’s something and therefore the CLC is taking the issue very seriously.
The CLC took the opportunity to make it clear about what the role of the CLC is in this, because as a regulatory body rather than as a representative body.
Kumar asked delegated to get in touch with any issues as the CLC want make sure that there are no issues that are with lenders at the moment, which often may just be misinformation that may prevent licensed conveyancers getting into panels. She went on to say “..where we think that there are, perhaps, some systemic issues, perhaps some overhang from previous practices, we are dealing with those things. We’re in strong conversations with the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Building Societies Association, and indeed lenders specifically to raise awareness of what licensed conveyances are, but also to address some of the issues that sometimes have existed. And those sometimes just fall into the category of people being asked to provide a solicitor’s role number which is clearly not something that a licensed conveyancer was ever able to do”
The CLC sought to clarify that as a regulator what they can not do is to intervene on specific issues that are, in a sense, the, the, more of the representative side for any particular practices having a difficulty.