Allied Irish Bank Conveyancing Panel Information

The CML, along with Allied Irish Bank and other stakeholders created a standard set of instructions where a conveyancer is representing a lender such as Allied Irish Bank alone in a residential conveyancing transaction. These obligations are contained at Part 3 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook and are to be read together with Part I and II. The CML have published an example requirements letter to the borrower’s conveyancer for use by the lender's conveyancer, and sets out to the borrower's conveyancer, the documentary and information requirements of the lender's panel solicitor.

The Law Society of Scotland has advised that solicitors should check their panel status with lenders before accepting client instructions to act. The advice is lender-agnostic as it does not relate specifically to solicitors on the Allied Irish Bank conveyancing panel. The recommendation arises from the practice of a number of mortgage lenders who remove solicitors from their panels without prior notice as part of their panel management system, which can lead to some solicitors discovering this only once instructed. This is sensible advice as a client finding out midway through a transaction that their lawyer is not on the approved lender panel is very frustrating and can lead to complaints. Many online consumer forums contain posts where someone is complaining about finding that their lawyer is not on a lender conveyancing panel. Such forums include mumsnet.com

The Council of Licensed Conveyancers has initiated discussions with banks and their representative bodies to see whether and how the risks that lenders wish to mitigate could be addressed through the regulatory framework rather than via ad hoc arrangements that can differ from lender to lender. We expect that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as Allied Irish Bank since 2008 which is when lenders started being more restrictive.

Please tread carefully here as what you are intending may not be acceptable to the mortgage company. It is possible that you (as a non-panel firm) or the mortgage applicant are not at liberty instruct a panel firm of your choice. Many lenders make it clear to their panel firms that where a non-panel member firm is instructed by one of their mortgage applicants, the lender must appoint a panel firm to carry out its instructions and to liaise with the borrower's conveyancing firm. You also need to make the costs implications and potential for delay very clear to your client.

Your insurance brokers are your best port of call to address this question. The chances are that on the basis that you have not been removed for fraud or negligence reasons that there will be little or no impact. The main reason why a firm would be removed off of a lender panel is due to low volume of conveyancing cases although there may be a number of criteria for Allied Irish Bank solicitor panel membership. Please remember that it is always important that you complete your insurance forms accurately.

You need to contact Allied Irish Bank to obtain standard documents. The The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook includes an express section for banks to reveal who to contact to obtain standard documents. Allied Irish Bank in their Part 2’s state: You will need to quote the firm’s Allied Irish Bank solicitors panel reference.