Book Review: Conveyancing Quality Scheme Toolkit
I have read the Conveyancing Quality Scheme Toolkit 2nd Edition with considerable interest and enjoyment. That enjoyment probably means I am not getting out quite as much as I should, but to all those that earn their livelihoods from conveyancing this toolkit will either endorse or challenge your own practices. It doesn’t just hold benefit […]
Co-operative engage PR firm
The legal arm of the Co-operative (CLS), has appointed Fishburn Hedges to help raise awareness of the firm. The firm was the first consumer brand to gain alternative business structure status (ABS) under the new Legal Services Act. They are yet to confirm what the status will mean for their conveyancing offering. However the engagement […]
Search Code being seen as quality benchmark
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has confirmed their Search Code has reached its 100th subscriber. The Search Code offers reassurance to those relying on the information provided in property search reports that the searches they commission will be conducted in a professional and timely manner. It also offers protection to reduce the circulation […]
Should conveyancers help plug Legal Aid gap?
Impending cuts to Legal Aid have led to the suggestion that interest from lawyers’ trust accounts (IOLTA) should be used to help fund access to justice. The director of the Law Centres Federation, Julie Bishop, has reignited the idea that client money held by firms is pooled, and the interest generated used to fund law […]
More than 2000 firms could fail in next year
Financial pressure, a crowded market and ABS leave firms in risky position. Many smaller high street firms are on the brink of failure. Research by R3 using data from Bureau van Dijk’s ‘Fame’ database, finds that 29.1% of firms in the UK and Ireland are at risk of failure in the next 12 months. The […]
Blacks Connect team up with Ingard
The broker-focused conveyancing provider Blacks Connect has been appointed to the legal services panel of leading network Ingard Financial Limited. Members of Ingard will now be able to refer business to Blacks Connect, and benefit from competitive income opportunities, cutting-edge technology, and a Search Promise that guarantees to pay the client’s search fees if their […]
Reaction to possible interest rates cut
SmartNewHomes and Assertz give very different reactions to calls for a 0.25% reduction in interest rates. The Monetary Policy Commision (MPC) is due to announce tomorrow whether interest rates will be altered. The MPC, chaired by Bank governor Sir Mervyn King, last month considered cutting rates below current levels in a drastic move. They have […]
Consultation opens on solicitors working with financial advisors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) consultation, regarding the rules governing how solicitors work with financial advisers, will be open until 10 September. Views are sought from all interested parties on three options the SRA has drawn up to deal with changes to Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations and the SRA’s own new outcomes-focused regime. FSA […]
Santander panel cuts saga continues
Santander has commented on its decision to cut several hundred firms from its conveyancing panel, whilst industry backlash continues. Firms right across the country are angry at the news they have been removed from the panel with many threatening to challenge the decision. For local firms such as A P Bassett Solicitors, the only law […]
SRA warning: Acer Solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have issued the following warning regarding Acer Solicitors. The email address matthew.shiels@gmx.co.uk and mobile telephone number 07924 551313 are not legitimate contact details for solicitors practice Acer Solicitors. The SRA has been informed that a number of individuals have been sent emails purportedly from Matthew Shiels of Acer Solicitors from […]
SLC reacts to Santander panel cuts
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) responds to Santander’s decision to reduce its conveyancing panel. The SLC have joined those expressing disappointment at Santander’s decision to cut its conveyancing panel by several hundred firms. The SLC made the following comments: “This latest news is disappointing and will come as a blow to many conveyancers, across […]
SRA confirms consumer focus
The SRA have confirmed that clients’ needs are a vital part of the regulation process for solicitors. They drew attention to the Outcomes-Focused Regulation and in particular the re-written Solicitors Code of Conduct, as evidence of its commitment to consumers. Antony Townsend, SRA Chief Executive, said: "As we stressed when we launched outcomes-focused regulation, it […]
Lloyds commits to lending £5bn to first time buyers
The bank has pledged to lend £5bn by the end of 2012 to first time buyers. This could amount to helping 50,000 people get on the property ladder. In the first six months of 2012 Lloyds provided mortgages for more than 25,000 first time buyers. Recent figures from property website Rightmove show that there has […]
SRA begins considering nominations
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has started to consider law firms’ nominations for two key roles in the move to outcomes focused regulation. Nominations closed today for Compliance Officers for Legal Practice (COLPs) and Compliance Officers for Finance and Administration (COFAs). The SRA has now begun the task of assessing all those who’ve been put forward. […]
Casting a long shadow
The well-known case of Highcross v. Heaney has left developers with more uncertainty than ever in relation to rights of light. The decision by Judge Langan QC to issue a mandatory injunction against the developer, Highcross, in September 2010 sent shockwaves through the development community. It was the first time that such action had been […]
Anger as Santander cuts conveyancing panel
The Law Society confirmed today that Santander will cut its conveyancing panel by several hundred firms. The cuts are based on the number of transactions firms have carried out specifically for Santander. Firms affected have expressed anger at the news. One affected solicitor said: “I’m angry that we’ve been struck off despite paying £199 to […]
Land Registry to reduce fees
On 22 October 2012 the Land Registry will reduce their fees by an average of 10 per cent. They have been able to reduce their fees thanks to the efficiency savings they have made over the last five years. Fees will be reduced by an average of ten per cent. They are lowering scale and […]
Thank you from DevAssist
DevAssist would like to thank everybody for the attending and supporting our Annual Polo Day in support of the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal. This is second year that we have done this as a tribute the to the late Lt. Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE who was killed in Helmand Province, and to all the other […]
100,000 may default on mortgages
UKAR, the state-backed lender that took on Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock mortgages, has confirmed it has more than 100,000 customers with no credible plan to repay interest-only home loans. The controversial loans, where customers simply pay interests costs rather than capital, account for 60% of their 600,000 borrowers loans. Two-thirds of those with […]
Buy-to-let lending on the up
Buy-to-let lending has seen a 40% increase in the first half of 2012 compared to 2011, figures from Blemain Finance show. Investment has gradually increased in the last six months for buy-to-let second charge cases, showing landlords are still happy to invest in the market. The news comes as strict mortgage criteria and house prices […]