Monmouthshire Building Society, one of Wales’s largest and most successful financial institutions, has opened an agency in the Caerphilly offices of Howells Solicitors.
Located at 72 – 74 Cardiff Road in the town centre, the Caerphilly agency is the latest addition to the growing number of Monmouthshire Building Society agencies and branches covering the whole of South Wales from Chepstow to Swansea.
Andrew Lewis, Chief Executive of Monmouthshire Building Society, said, “As a regional building society, we remain committed to providing the best possible customer experience and part of that commitment is to maintain our planned growth strategy to increase our high street presence.”
He continued, “Howells Solicitors are one of the largest, established legal practices in Wales. We are delighted to be joining forces with them in their Caerphilly premises to further extend our competitive products and services into local communities.”
Mark Hobbs, Managing Partner of Howells Solicitors welcomes the addition of Monmouthshire Building Societies products and services. He said, “Both organisations pride themselves on providing the highest levels of customer service. We have had an office in the town for over 30 years and established strong relationships with the residents. We are delighted to now be able to offer the products and services of the Monmouthshire Building Society as an alternative to those provided by the high street banks. We have dedicated space in our Caerphilly office for Monmouthshire Building Society and our staff are very excited about launching the new services.”
The Newport-based mutual Society recently announced another excellent set of annual results, in which its assets grew to a record £819M, up from £742M the previous year. In the twelve months to 30th April 2012, it experienced 10.3% growth, whilst profit after tax reached £2.7m, as customers continued to respond to the Society’s secure track record, quality of service and competitive product range.
In the picture are Mark Hobbs, Managing Partner of Howells Solicitors with Richard Miles, General Manager of Monmouthshire Building Society, outside the Howells Solicitors practice in Caerphilly.
The team at Howells Solicitors is very pleased to announce that we have secured membership to the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme - the mark of excellence for the home buying process.
Howells underwent rigorous assessment by the Law Society in order to secure CQS status, which marks us out as offering high levels of service in the residential conveyancing process.
Law Society President John Wotton said that the Law Society introduced CQS to promote high standards in the home buying process.
“CQS improves efficiency with common, consistent standards and service levels and enables consumers to recognise practices that provide a quality residential conveyancing service.
"Buying a home is one of the largest purchases anyone will make in their lifetime, so it is essential that it is done to the highest standard by a solicitor. There are many different conveyancing service providers out there, making it difficult for home buyers to identify those which can ensure a safe and efficient level of service.”
Mark Hobbs, an Equity Partner at Howells Solicitors, says: “Here at Howells we are delighted to have secured CQS status. It is recognition of the high standards we provide to our residential property clients and is a signal to future home buyers of the excellent service level we provide at what is often a stressful time for many people.
“The overall beneficiaries will be clients who use Howells when buying a home. They will receive a reliable, efficient service as recognised by the CQS standard."
The scheme requires practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self reporting, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is open only to members of the Law Society who meet the demanding standards set by the scheme and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Building Societies Association, Legal Ombudsman and the Association of British Insurers.
Swansea City, whose stylish approach to Premier League football has impressed spectators and pundits alike this season, took their biggest scalp thus far, as they dented the title winning prospects of a star-studded Arsenal side with a 3-2 win, and Howells Solicitors were delighted to be able to get in on the action!
Philip Howell, equity partner and manager of Howells’ Swansea branch, was delighted to be able to sponsor the match ball, as the Liberty Stadium played host to one of the most enthralling matches of the season so far.
The match itself ebbed and flowed, with Arsenal taking an early lead thanks to the precise finishing of Robin Van Persie. The Swans were not phased however, outplaying the visitors for much of the match and grabbing a well deserved equaliser from the penalty spot. Nathan Dyer, who is enjoying a fine season, then put the hosts in front.
The threat from Arsenal’s frontline was a constant thorn in the Swans’ side, and Theo Walcott managed to slip through to chip a neat finish over an advancing Michel Vorm. With the match poised on a knife-edge, it was then left to Danny Graham to seal a memorable victory.
After the match and in high spirits, Philip Howell attended a fundraising dinner for the Alzheimer’s Society and kindly donated the match ball. The ball fetched £350 for the society and now for the time being has pride of place in the Days van rental office in Swansea. Days van rental now plan to raffle the ball off to customers and raise even more money for the charity!
Philip and his wife Theresa have been active supporters of the work of the Alzheimer’s Society for many years, having completed the Cardiff half Marathon last year, raising much needed funds for the society. And just in case they’re hoping we haven’t noticed, it’s coming up to that time when they need to don their running shoes and get training, especially if they are going to achieve their aim of beating last year’s time and raising even more money!
The new 5 pence for a bag rule in the supermarkets and shops across South Wales is a well thought out initiative which we welcome with open arms. It is crucial we look after the environment in every way we can, and reducing the amount of waste caused by plastic bags is an important step on the ladder. However, it’s not just the environment that benefits: the 5 pence charge for plastic bags goes straight to charity, so good causes across Wales will reap the rewards too.
It’s not until such a scheme comes along which really makes you think about your habits, you realise just how wasteful we are with plastic bags. Hopefully this timely reminder will really make a difference.
The trouble with plastic bags is they never fully decompose as there are no bacteria able to break down plastic. Rather than biodegrade they are left to photodegrade. Photodegradation is a much lengthier process which can take anywhere from 500-1000 years to remove all trace of the bag.
In response to this initiative, here at Howells Solicitors we have given each of our team a bag for life, so they can do their bit for the environment too
This article is taken from the Western Mail New Homes supplement:
Galliard Homes has written off more than £4m from the existing price list at its luxury development Hayes Point, at Hayes Road in Sully.
This superb gated development set in some 45 acres and with the majority of apartments enjoying stunning sea views will be offered for sale at vastly reduced prices on July 9 and 10.
Galliard Homes is intent on disposing of all remaining stock at Hayes Point on this weekend and to prove its intent a two-bedroom two bathroom apartment offering more than 1,000 square feet of living space is on offer at the phenomenal price of £129,995.
Hayes Point has been designed to provide the ultimate living environment for those that seek a truly unique lifestyle.
The development has something special for first time buyers to seniors alike – whether it is rural seclusion, privacy and security, recreation and fitness, or a combination of them all, amid a glorious stretch of private coastline boasting spectacular views from dawn to dusk.
The lifestyle that could be yours will include an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis courts and beautifully landscaped gardens.
This is surely an opportunity not to be missed. Galliard Homes is well known throughout the industry for delivering good quality at sensible prices in great locations.
Hayes Point will prove to be a truly unique opportunity to acquire a superb apartment at a phenomenal price in view of the massive reductions on offer.
Howells Solicitors have been appointed as the preferred solicitor to act for potential purchasers on the development, due to our experience with conditional exchanges at previous launches for other national property developers.
If you are interested in an apartment at Hayes Point then call Howells' conveyancing solicitors in Cardiff on 02920 404020.
