Santander recently announced that it was changing its policy on panel membership. From 31 March 2013, Santander will require all member firms to have Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation.
The Law Society is in ongoing dialogue with Santander, however we would encourage any firm wanting to remain or become a member of Santander's panel to apply for membership of CQS as soon as possible in order to ensure the application is determined prior to the deadline.
The CQS application process is consciously thorough and comprehensive. Fully completed applications currently take 12 weeks. Early contact with the CQS team is advisable.
CQS application details