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approved by BankOfScotlandPrivate
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the BankOfScotlandPrivate list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Bank of Scotland Private Banking Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Bank of Scotland Private Banking Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Bank of Scotland Private Banking Conveyancing Panel
Frequently asked questions relating to the Bank of Scotland Private Solicitor Panel
What is the rationale as to why all property lawyers are not on the Bank of Scotland Private Conveyancing panel?
Even though it may seem unfair for Bank of Scotland Private to restrict who can act for them from the public’s or solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. As a result of this concern Bank of Scotland Private have restricted their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a manageable size. The Bank of Scotland Private lawyer panel is not the most restricted
Much to my surprise my lawyer is asking me for identification documents asserting that this forms part of his obligations as a conveyancer on the Bank of Scotland Private Conveyancing panel. Can this be correct?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Bank of Scotland Private also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Bank of Scotland Private CML Handbook requirements last updated on Bank of Scotland Private
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Bank of Scotland Private , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Bank of Scotland Private will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Bank of Scotland Private mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Bank of Scotland Private do solicitors have to be pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
Is it the case that all solicitor firms on the Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
My brother and I have had an offer accepted on a flat I spoke to a conveyancer previously used by my dad and he suggested using a solicitor approved by Bank of Scotland Private. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Bank of Scotland Private if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Bank of Scotland Private suggested that either practice can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Bank of Scotland Private 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Enquire of Bank of Scotland Private for conveyancing panel firms in your area. Lenders have them all over the country. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Bank of Scotland Private conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Bank of Scotland Private’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.