Countrywide announces results
The firm has declared its financial results for the quarter ended 30th June 2012. Despite a challenging quarter Countrywide Holdings Ltd describes its conveyancing offering as “industry leading”. They saw a 4% increase in income from their conveyancing division but a 13% reduction in EBITDA compared with the corresponding period in 2011. The Q1 […]
Law Society comment on HSBC conveyancing panel
We announced yesterday that HSBC and the Law Society were in the final stages of agreeing the process of incorporating Conyeyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) firms onto its mortgage conveyancing panel. The new process will be piloted on August 14 and rolled out across England and Wales on August 29 2012. Today the Law Society chief […]
Thomson Reuters to support Co-operative legal services expansion
Thomson Reuters today announced that Co-operative Legal Services has selected a Thomson Reuters product to support its front office matter management needs. It’s been a big week for Co-op with the announcement that they are set to grow to nearly 1,000 branches with the purchase of parts of the Lloyds Banking group. The Co-op was […]
CML publishes top 20 lenders list
Lending remains heavily concentrated across the six largest lenders (Lloyds Banking Group, Santander, Barclays, Nationwide BS, The Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC). Lloyds Banking Group tops the 2011 list with a 19.9% market share. The six largest lenders advanced mortgages worth £113.8 billion in 2011, up from £110.8 billion in 2010. Despite this increase […]
HSBC Conveyancing Panel Update for CQS Members
The Law Society and HSBC are in the final stages of agreeing the processes that will ensure that the bank’s systems incorporate all Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) firms onto its mortgage conveyancing panel. The new process, agreed in May, will be rolled out across England & Wales on the 29th August following a pilot of […]
Co-operative shakes up banking market. Is conveyancing next?
In a deal worth £750m the Co-operative Group is set to grow to nearly 1000 branches. The move sees the acquisition of Verde, TSB and Cheltenham & Gloucester brands, in what the BBC’s business editor Robert Peston described as “the deal of the millennium”. Lloyds and Co-op agreed commercial terms in June and announced last […]
Data driven crime hits record levels
The latest Fraudscape Bulletin, which analyses records of the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service (CIFAS), shows that over the last year fraudulent activity has reached new highs. £· 130,706 confirmed frauds were recorded to the National Fraud Database by CIFAS Members in the first half of 2012; a 5% increase from the second half of 2011. […]
New homes market performing strongly
According to the SmartNewHomes index the average price for a new home in June was £232,292. The index records the price of new homes for sale by region and type of property and is mix adjusted, as well as tracking consumer demand for properties on a monthly basis. This figure is down 1.2% from May […]
Solicitors hit by fraudsters
From the Barking and Dagenham Post Nearly £1m is missing after fraudsters targeted a Romford solicitors’ firm, the Recorder has discovered. Fowkes & Son, based on Eastern Road, Romford was holding £1.7m of clients’ money in an account when its owners Olatubosun Daramola and Nefisa Mamudu sold it, in good faith, to the crooks, having […]
Remortgaging price wars hit market
In the last week many lenders have introduced new deals to the market. Santander is offering a record-breaking five-year fix at 2.99%, to borrowers with a 40% deposit. The deal is extremely similar to HSBC’s new offering, although HSBC are willing to take on non-customers. Both deals demand hefty deposits or equity and bring a […]
Young property lawyer up for new award
Emma Alsop, a property lawyer with Lanyon Bowdler, has been selected as one of three finalists shortlisted for Young Conveyancer of the Year at the 2012 LFS Conveyancing Awards. This is the launch year for the awards. They have been organised to recognise and reward those in the industry that have provided an outstanding service. […]
Rents rise across almost all of England and Wales
According to the latest buy-to-let Index from LSL Property Services PLC rents rose in nine out of ten regions of England and Wales in June. These rises marked the third consecutive month of increases, bringing the average rent in England and Wales up 0.9% to £718 per month. This is just short of the record […]
Housing costs third highest in Europe
Research by housing charity Shelter has shown families in the UK are among the worst off in Europe, with one in six people in the UK overburdened with housing costs. The Shelter report uses data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Standards to calculate the percentage of people living in a household […]
Keay & Anor v Morris Homes (West Midlands) Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 900 (11 July 2012)
Introduction We welcome again solicitor Mr Anis Waiz who continues his critical review of recent case law. This case raised again the provisions of section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 (“the Act”). A section which has certainly troubled the Courts on a number of occasions. By the proceedings the Keays […]
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms
As part of its award-winning telephone answering provision for the legal sector, Moneypenny will be offering a dedicated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery product to law firms from July 2012. This new product will ensure firms comply with Lexcel v5, adhere to the Code of Conduct and maintain client experience. Moneypenny recognises that a major […]
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms
Moneypenny Launches Dedicated Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Product For Law Firms As part of its award-winning telephone answering provision for the legal sector, Moneypenny will be offering a dedicated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery product to law firms from July 2012. This new product will ensure firms comply with Lexcel v5, adhere to the […]
Majority of landlords planning to expand portfolio
According to specialist mortgage broker, Mortgages for Business, 60% of landlords are planning to increase their portfolios over the next six months. With LSL Property Services confirming a third month of rent rises across most of the UK, landlords are looking to capitalise on increasing demand in the rental market. David Whittaker, managing director of […]
Conveyancing Data Services sponsor olympic rower
The firm have announced their sponsorship of Olympic rower, Will Satch. Will is part of the Great Britain rowing team and has won a number of medals in the past few years including silver in last year’s World Cup. Although Will is funded by the National Lottery through UK Sport, the firm are providing extra […]
Ombudsmen expects backlash over complaints data
The quarterly data on more than 700 legal entities is still being checked by the Legal Ombudsman. A spokesperson for the ombudsman was unable to confirm an exact date but said publication was unlikely to be too far away. When asked if the data was likely to be controversial they said: “We expect a backlash […]
Building societies still trusted
Whilst confidence in banks has plummeted, a survey of 2,000 adults has shown trust in building societies remains solid. Independent research by the Building Societies Association shows that – 79% of consumers say their trust in building societies has stayed the same or increased, whereas – 66% of consumers say that their trust in banks […]