Methodology
How we know what your lender actually required, and when
Lexsure has monitored and retained historical UK mortgage lender requirements since 2007. This page explains how lenders’ complete Part 2 records are captured, verified and retained, so that a historical record can be traced back to its source.
Scope
What we capture
Lexsure captures and retains each lender’s complete Part 2 record: the lender-specific requirements each lender sets for conveyancers, as distinct from the general Part 1 instructions that apply across the panel. These instructions were published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) until 1 July 2017, when the CML merged into UK Finance and the CML Handbook became the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook.
Archive coverage begins in 2007, across the 194 lenders represented in the archive, including lenders that have since merged, withdrawn, or ceased lending.
Provenance
How the archive record is captured and retained
Every record in the archive carries the same chain of evidence, so a historical answer can be traced back to what was actually captured, and when.
01
Source Part 2 record
The lender’s complete Part 2 record captured as published at the time.
02
Applicable date
The date for which the captured Part 2 record is held in the archive as applying.
03
Capture timestamp
The precise date and time at which Lexsure recorded the Part 2 record, and the source from which it was obtained.
04
Archive reference
A unique, persistent identifier under which the historical record is retained and can be re-verified.
Why the exact date matters The archive records requirements to the day. Because lender instructions can change at any time, a Part 2 record for one transaction date should not be treated as evidence of the requirements applicable to another. Each date of interest should be checked independently. In a contested transaction, more than one date may be material, for example exchange of contracts, the issue of the Certificate of Title, or completion, depending on the instruction or conduct being investigated.
Verification
How a record is verified
Captured Part 2 records pass through editorial and structured data verification before they are treated as recorded in the archive. Each capture is checked against the following before it is accepted as a verified archive record:
Each capture is date- and time-stamped at the moment Lexsure records it, providing a precise audit trail of when that Part 2 record entered the archive. The archive therefore records the source material with greater temporal precision than a month- or version-based historical record.
Then, not now
Not reconstructed from today’s rules.
Historical records are retrieved from Lexsure’s retained archive. They are not recreated by working backwards from a lender’s current Part 2 requirements.
Heritage
Our history
This historical record originates from Lexsure’s LENDERmonitor service, the first lender-requirement monitoring and notification service to receive CML endorsement. LENDERmonitor was promoted through the CML’s own website as a compliance tracking service, alerting law firms whenever a lender updated its requirements.
Lexsure’s lender compliance services have a long history of being promoted by professional indemnity insurance brokers, PI insurers and lenders themselves, including reference on PI insurance proposal and renewal forms. Lexsure’s specialists have also spoken at CML conferences, leading breakout sessions on lender handbook compliance.
Transparency
Coverage & limitations
Archive coverage from 2007 to mid-2009 varies by lender. Some lender histories are complete across this period; others reflect only the records captured by Lexsure at the time. From mid-2009 onward, archive coverage is comprehensive across the lenders monitored. Each lender page identifies the coverage available for that lender.
Reports are produced to evidential standards with a documented chain of provenance. Admissibility of any evidence is a matter for the court and cannot be guaranteed by Lexsure.
Ready to check a specific date?
Check the archive, or get your historical record for a specific lender and date.