Birmingham Bank Conveyancing Panel Information

Birmingham Bank’s answer to this question can be found at section 6.4.4 of their CML Part 2 requirements

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (or the BSA) do not involve themselves in training although they do provided a number of general conveyancing related conferences which are attended by firms on the Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel. We do intend to run specific lender focused seminars in the near future including a webinar on Birmingham Bank’s Part 2 requirements. Practitioners on the Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel will be invited. Information about the webinar will be communicated as part of the LENDERmonitor P2 change Notifications.

You need to be careful here as what you are proposing may not be acceptable to the lender. 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 will 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.

During 2013, 0 sections of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook P2 were changed by Birmingham Bank. Some changes are more important than others but as a firm on the Birmingham Bank conveyancing panel you are of course obliged to comply with individual lender requirements, as set out in Part II of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. Locktons have recently pointed out in an article that non-compliance with Part 2 requirements account for a number of high value claims, and it is therefore important to be aware of any particularly onerous terms that an individual lender may impose.

Remember: CML requirements are not guidelines; they are the lender client’s instructions.

CQS accreditation is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of firms. Some Lenders now use CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as Astra Mortgages.

You should contact Birmingham Bank to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has a specific section for lenders to reveal who to contact to obtain standard documents. Birmingham Bank in their Part 2’s state: It helps to quote the firm’s Birmingham Bank solicitors panel reference.