Norwich and Peterborough Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

The information on this page is designed to keep solicitors and licensed conveyancers abreast of latest requirements changes by Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and to assist in remaining on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society Approved Conveyancing Solicitors Panel.

Norwich and Peterborough Building Society Solicitor Panel Information:

What are the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel arrangements?
Unlike the CML the Building Society Mortgage Instructions deal with this. Section A.12 states ‘In order to act on our behalf your firm or company must be a member of our conveyancing panel provided we are a society that operates one – see specific requirements for details of our arrangements. The Special Requirements state:

To be a member of our conveyancing panel you must be CQS accredited, must have submitted an application form, be registered on www.lawsociety.org, produced your current Practising Certificate together with evidence of professional indemnity insurance cover for a minimum of £2m (£3m if the firm is a Limited Liability Partnership or a company). Any panel application is subject to individual assessment and approval.

You must also comply with the terms and conditions of your Norwich and Peterborough Building Society solicitor panel appointment.

Is it probable that Norwich and Peterborough Building Society will select an alternative lawyer on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society solicitor panel for a further advance during the lifetime of a mortgage ?
The Building Society Association Mortgage Instructions relevant to a solicitor on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel indicates that when a further advance is required for alterations or improvements to the property we will not normally instruct a member of the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel but if you are instructed the appropriate provisions of the BSA mortgage instruction must be adhered to .
What sort of information are Lenders such as Norwich and Peterborough Building Society are asking for when it comes to applying to be on their approved solicitor list?
Each lender has different criteria. We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):
  • Whether the firm is able to operate in other jurisdictions
  • Full disciplinary history for each conveyancing solicitor
  • Number of lender conveyancing panels the firm is currently on
  • The percentage of the firm’s business which is conveyancing purchase and remortgage
  • SRA or equivalent regulator registration number where applicable
  • Conveyancer client account(s) details
  • Number of partners per branch of the firm
  • List of all those who fund the firm, including non-lawyers if applicable
  • Details of any accreditation e.g. Lexcel and/or Conveyancing Quality Scheme
What is the CLC doing to ensure that licensed conveyancers remain on lender conveyancing panels?
The CLC has begun dialogue with lenders 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 ad hoc arrangements that can differ from lender to lender. We expect that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as Norwich and Peterborough Building Society as well as the CML
Why has the BSA introduced differing instructions from the CML?
The BSA introduced it’s Mortgage Instructions in 2010 to ensure that licensed conveyancers or solicitors on a building society conveyancing panel had full access to a complete set of standardised mortgage instructions.
The firm that I work for is on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel. I am dealing with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage on a purchase. My borrower client is asking not to disclose an issue to Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. What do I do in this conflict situation?
When a solicitor is acting for both Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and borrower there is potential for conflicts to arise. You owe duties to both clients. All information received by you from your client is confidential and cannot be disclosed without the client’s consent.

In your situation, if the purchaser will not consent to the information being passed on to the lender, the solicitor must cease to act for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and it may well be prudent for you to cease to act for the purchaser as well. You must not inform Norwich and Peterborough Building Society of the reason for termination of the retainer over and above the fact that a conflict has arisen. The fact that you can no longer act should alert even the most somnambulistic of lenders that something is wrong with the borrower and/or purchase. The fact that you have disinstructed yourself should not affect your Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel status.

I rarely receive a copy of a valuation from a lender these days. Do my Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel obligations extend to checking the valuation details where I am acting on a purchase with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society as the lender?
There are various requirements you need to follow if you wish to comply with your lender client’s instructions as set out in the BSA Mortgage Instructions. (I) You must take reasonable steps to verify that there are no discrepancies between the description of the property as compared to an out of date postal address or DX details.
What lender panels do you receive the most questions about?
BSA lenders do not come within the top 20 lenders in terms of frequency of questions. The most popular lender panels in terms of questions are as follows:

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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.
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2024 [no data]
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* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor