Legal Counsel - Mortgages

OSB Group; Chatham; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company is seeking a Legal Counsel - Mortgages to provide legal and regulatory advice related to retail and commercial mortgages. The ideal candidate will have experience in retail banking and a qualified solicitor status. This role offers a starting salary of £65,000 and a comprehensive benefits package including bonuses and hybrid working options.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus up to 15%

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Contributory pension

Life Assurance

Access to Private Medical Insurance

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Post Qualified Experience in retail banking or mortgages.
• Detailed knowledge of retail mortgage lending regulations.
• Understanding of property conveyancing related to mortgage lending.

Responsibilities

• Advise on legal and regulatory matters for mortgages.
• Draft mortgage terms and monitor changes in legislation.
• Troubleshoot legal-related issues in the banking operations.

Skills

Retail banking knowledge

Mortgage security expertise

Property conveyancing understanding

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Education

Qualified Solicitor of England and Wales

Job description

About the team

This role sits within the Legal and Governance team. The team provides commercial and pragmatic advice to the Group within a dynamic and fast-moving environment.

The team consists of qualified legal professionals covering Products (savings / mortgages), Corporate, Employment, Litigation, Data Protection, Technology, Contracts and Capital Markets. Qualified governance professionals cover Board and Committee support, Corporate Governance and Shareholder Services.

We believe that your career and how you progress is as unique as your individual personality. We continually support our people so they can become the best version of themselves. The team is passionate about personal development.

This position can either be based in Chatham in Kent or in London

What you will be doing?

As the Legal Counsel - Mortgages, you will have the opportunity to advise the Group on legal and regulatory matters relating to retail and commercial mortgages, conveyancing, and other aspects of retail and commercial lending operations as well as real estate.

This role includes an element of advising on the broader spectrum of non-banking legal issues supported by the Legal team as a lean in-house team in a rapidly growing business, including retail savings products, commercial / IT contracts, treasury, litigation, and intellectual property.

Your responsibilities will include…

• Being a Legal advisor to the Group on all aspects of Residential, Buy-to-let and 2nd Charge Mortgage laws and regulations as well as lending operations and mortgage servicing, conveyancing and other legal aspects of secured lending
• Advising the Group in relation to general real estate matters and legal issues around security for mortgaged properties and a range of post-completion mortgage enquiries ensuring this is in line with the Group's strategic priorities
• Assisting with drafting of mortgage and other product terms and conditions and ancillaries
• Working within the Legal team to monitor and report on changes in legislation and regulation that impact upon the business
• Proactively identifying and reactively troubleshooting legal-related issues, processes and policies within the front-line of the business and working closely with the business to implement practical and legally compliant solutions
• Developing and maintaining self-help resources for business including training sessions, Legal intranet resources, and processes/checklists
• Identifying and troubleshooting legal-related issues, processes and policies in the front-line banking operations of the business
• Providing any other legal assistance that is required by the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary and Group Heads of Legal across a broad range of matters including assessing and reporting to senior management on legal risk across the business

What's in it for you?

We offer a base salary depending on Post Qualified Experience with a starting salary of £65,000 for a newly qualified Legal Counsel and a competitive benefits package including:

• Discretionary annual bonus opportunity of up to 15%
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Contributory pension (8% employer 5% employee)
• Life Assurance (4x salary) plus Group Income Protection
• Access to Private Medical Insurance and Medical Cash Plan
• Additional benefits such as Hybrid working, Cycle Purchase scheme, Technology Purchase scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Holiday purchase / sell schemes, Employee Perk Portals, Payroll giving and Save as you Earn scheme

About us

At OSB Group, we understand how much our people bring to our organisation, which is why we try our best to give back too! Our Purpose is to help our customers, colleagues and communities prosper and we are on a transformation journey to become 'the bank of the future'.

Our commitment to professional development, flexible working, and employee well-being fosters a dynamic and supportive workplace.

Do you have the skills?

We are looking for talented individuals who have the experience and knowledge set out below:

• Post Qualified Experience gained in an in house or in a private practice in one of more of the following: retail banking, banking regulatory, property/real estate, mortgages and mortgage security
• Detailed knowledge of:
  • The law and regulation/regulatory guidance around retail mortgage lending
  • Property conveyancing, particularly in relation to mortgage lending, and real estate
• Qualified Solicitor of England and Wales between 0 and 5 years PQE and holds current SRA practising certificate