HMLR is accepting QES and encourages conveyancers to ‘start using now’
HM Land Registry has announced it is accepting Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) and is encouraging conveyancers to start submitting applications signed using the digital tool straight away. ‘QES are the most secure form of electronic signature – no paper or witness needed’, HMLR said. Pointing out that the signature tools use ‘long-established, well-regulated technology’, the […]
No holiday for AML enforcement as SRA shares details of penalties totalling £275,000 in July
Decisions shared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in July reveal 13 firms have been fined a total of £275,170 for AML breaches dating back to 2011 – with one firm fined £114,006. Amphlett Lissimore Bagshaws in London received the hefty sanction for failing to implement adequate policies, controls and procedures (PCPs) and failing to conduct […]
Solicitor struck off for ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance’ with AML regulations
A solicitor has been struck off and ordered to pay costs of £29,775.84 for multiple breaches of Money Laundering Regulations that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said represented ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance with critical regulations’ amounting to systemic failures. The judgment was issued against William Joseph Harris following an application by the Solicitors Regulation Authority detailing […]
Law Society ‘disappointed’ with HM Treasury’s money laundering consultation response
As the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s AML enforcement team continues its crackdown on regulation breaches, the Law Society of England and Wales has said it is ‘disappointed’ with the government’s response to the 2024 consultation on Money Laundering Regulations. In the foreword to the response – published last month – economic secretary to the Treasury Emma […]
Transaction times edging back up towards 2022 peak
The time it takes to exchange on a property is creeping back up, according to the latest Housing Insight Report from Propertymark, with 39% of estate agents reporting transaction times of 17 weeks or more. The company’s June report – based on responses to a monthly survey of around 100 Propertymark member agents across the […]
Later life lending ‘increasingly mainstream’ with better education needed for consumers
The increasing number of mortgage applications from older borrowers means later life lending should be considered more mainstream, according to James Tucker, CEO of mortgage tech firm Twenty7tec. The claim is supported by the number of mortgage searches conducted through the Twenty7tec platform. In the first five months of 2025 alone, over-55s accounted for: 122,000+ […]