A request by Lloyds Banking Group for members of its conveyancing panel to provide client account information has sparked fears that firms could be in breach of confidentiality rules.

Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said he was ‘urgently liaising’ with the group to clarify the information being requested, and said the Society would issue guidance to the profession this week.

Hudson advised solicitors to comply with the Solicitors Code of Conduct, whatever the risk in terms of panel membership.

He added: ‘On the information I have, it is not clear what [Lloyds] are asking for. If they want the full journal entry of the client account, that would be problematic, but if they want a monthly closing balance, that isn’t necessarily a breach.’

A Lloyds spokeswoman confirmed that the group was conducting a pilot exercise to verify and collect ‘relevant data’ about firms that represent the bank and its customers. She said Lloyds is trialling different methods of data collection, including face-to-face meetings with firms, and said the information being requested had been carefully considered.

‘While we have asked [firms] to make client accounts available where possible, they are not obliged to do so,’ she said.

She added that the group acknowledges the obligations of client confidentiality, and confirmed that no firm would be removed from its panel if it did not provide client account information.

See Gazette news page for the latest update on the Law Society’s guidance.