Top 5 Building Societies in the UK (October 2020 ranking) (2024)

By Megha Bhattacharya

October 27, 2020

  • Coventry Building Society
  • Nationwide Building Society
  • UK
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Top 5 Building Societies in the UK (October 2020 ranking) (1)Originally created in Birmingham, a building society is a member-owned, mutually operated financial institution that features many of the services one would find at a conventional bank, with a particular focus on savings accounts and mortgage options. Building societies are usually found in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

UK building societies aim to provide better interest rates on savings, more affordable mortgage options, and often, higher levels of service.

Many of the UK’s leading building society demutualised in the 1980s and 1990s. This meant they are no longer non-profit making societies but can operate as banks. Some examples of demutualised building societies are Britannia in 2009 and Kent Reliance in 2011.

Check out the top 5 building societies in the UK –

  1. Nationwide Building Society

Headquartered in England, Nationwide Building Society is the largest in the world with around 15 million members. It offers household savings and mortgages in the UK and has a 7.7% market share of current accounts.

This year, UK-based mortgage technology solutions provider, Mortgage Brain announced that Nationwide has joined its multi-lender application and submission gateway, Lendex. The development will allow intermediaries to request a Decision in Principle (DIP) and submitting full applications with Nationwide through the Lendex system as a result. Mortgage Brain’s Lendex provides lenders with an affordable digital gateway for advisers and is available to all lenders.

In March, Glasgow-based provider of financial controls and regulatory reporting software solutions, AutoRek announced a partnership with Nationwide for the provision of cloud-based financial controls and data management platform for an initial period of three years with the option of a two-year extension.

Nationwide was formed as a result of many mergers including its merger with Anglia Building Society in 1987 and Portman Building Society in 2007.

  1. Coventry Building Society

Based in Coventry, England, this building society is the second largest in the United Kingdom with total assets of more than £49 billion at 31 December 2019. The society has 1.5m saver-members and a further 350,000 borrower-members.

In 2018, Accenture was selected by Coventry Building Society as its delivery partner in a major transformation of Coventry’s core banking platform. The program involved the implementation of a new system based on IRESS’s and Temenos’s core banking solutions, which will support the society’s mortgage and savings origination, product management and customer servicing.

The organisation is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

  1. Yorkshire Building Society

The third-largest building society in the UK, Yorkshire Building Society currently provides financial services both directly and through a 143-strong branch network and 99 associated agencies across the UK.

Last year, low-code platform solutions provider OutSystems has announced that the Yorkshire has selected the supplier’s solution in a bid to deliver its customer-facing e-commerce platform and mobile applications for its retail banking and broker customers. According to the supplier, the partnership is expected to upgrade the building society’s back-office systems and enhance its customer experience as well as its security posture.

The society also owns the Chelsea Building Society and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, as well as Accord Mortgages and the savings business of Egg, which are referred to as the Yorkshire Building Society Group.

  1. Skipton Building Society

Established in 1853, the Skipton Building Society is the 4th largest in the UK with over 1 million members and 100 branches.

Recently, mortgage technology provider, Twenty7Tec, announced that it is signed an agreement with Skipton Building Society that will support the seamless integration of TwentyTec’s APPLY module with Skipton’s origination platform. Both parties are working on the integration at present with a targeted roll-out planned in Q1 2021. Twenty7Tec will be the first third party to integrate with Skipton.

The Society has several subsidiary companies, mostly in the financial services groups including Connells Group, one of the largest estate agency networks in the UK with 542 branches across the country. In 2010, it merged with the Chesham Building Society, founded in 1845, which was at the time the world’s oldest surviving building society.

  1. Leeds Building Society

Leeds Building Society serves approximately 719,000 customers across the United Kingdom, who together hold £9.9 billion in savings balances and is the fifth largest building society in the UK.

Recently, Leeds added a new ISA – paying a variable rate of 0.80% tax free† p.a./AER* – to its tax-free savings range. The Double Access ISA offers those looking for a better rate without locking their money away for a fixed term the reassurance of knowing they can make two withdrawals per annum without penalty.

The society was registered as the Leeds and Holbeck (Permanent) Building Society in 1875, though the society originated from a group called the Leeds Union Operative Land and Building Society which formed in 1845. The society was renamed to Leeds Building Society in September 2005. It has 65 branches across the UK, with 29 located in Yorkshire, with two international branches located in Gibraltar and Dublin, Ireland.

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Top 5 Building Societies in the UK (October 2020 ranking) (2024)

FAQs

Top 5 Building Societies in the UK (October 2020 ranking)? ›

Nationwide

Nationwide
Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual financial institution, the seventh largest cooperative financial institution and the largest building society in the world with over 16 million members.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Nationwide_Building_Society
, Yorkshire, Coventry, Skipton and Leeds are the top 5 building societies in the UK in terms of assets, deposits, loans, and number of customers and employees.

Who are the top 5 building societies in the UK? ›

Nationwide Building Society, Coventry Building Society, Yorkshire Building Society, Skipton Building Society, and Leeds Building Society are the top 5 UK-based Building Societies in 2021 by Total Assets.

Who are the biggest building societies? ›

The world's largest building society is Britain's Nationwide Building Society.

Which is the most reliable building society? ›

Fitch affirmed the ratings of five building societies with Stable Outlooks in a peer review in November 2021. These were: Coventry Building Society, Leeds Building Society, Principality Building Society, Skipton Building Society and Yorkshire Building Society.

What is the third largest building society in the UK? ›

Yorkshire Building Society is the third largest building society in the UK, with its headquarters in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the Building Societies Association.

What is the number one building society in the UK? ›

NCBS was established in 1896. Nationwide Building Society is the largest building society in the UK.

What is the UK's best new building? ›

“Built to last” university library named UK's best new building – RIBA Stirling Prize 2022. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named The New Library, Magdalene College in Cambridge by Níall McLaughlin Architects, as the winner of the 26th RIBA Stirling Prize.

What is the highest building ranked? ›

Tallest buildings in the world
RankNameHeight
ft
1Burj Khalifa2,717
2Merdeka 1182,227
3Shanghai Tower2,073
48 more rows

What are the top 3 biggest buildings in the world? ›

The top 10 tallest buildings in the world includes Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Ping An Finance Center, Lotte World Tower, One World Trade Center, Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, CITIC Tower, and Taipei 101.

What are the safest banks or building societies in the UK? ›

Top 10 Banks
  • HSBC Holdings.
  • Lloyds Banking Group.
  • Royal Bank of Scotland Group.
  • Barclays.
  • Standard Chartered.
  • Santander UK.
  • Nationwide Building Society.
  • Schroders.
May 9, 2023

Which UK bank is best? ›

  • HSBC. One of the 'big four' banks in the UK, HSBC has an extensive branch network throughout the whole country. ...
  • Lloyds Bank. With roots dating back to 1765, Lloyds Bank is another of the UK's 'big four' banks. ...
  • NatWest. ...
  • Barclays. ...
  • Royal Bank of Scotland. ...
  • Nationwide. ...
  • Halifax. ...
  • Santander UK.
May 10, 2023

What is the oldest building society in the UK? ›

Chesham Building Society
TypeBuilding Society (Mutual)
Founded1845
FateMerged with Skipton Building Society, 2010
HeadquartersChesham, England, UK
ProductsSavings, Mortgages, Investments, Loans, Credit Cards, Insurance
2 more rows

What rank is Skipton Building Society? ›

Market Share and Rank (among Building societies in the United Kingdom) In 2022 Skipton Building Society was ranked the 4th largest building society in the United Kingdomin terms of total assets, having 6.12% of the category's market share.

What are the disadvantages of building societies? ›

What are the disadvantages of building societies?
  • Banks tend to offer a larger range of products than building societies.
  • There are far fewer building societies than there used to be, giving you less choice.
  • Building societies tend not to offer current accounts.
May 18, 2023

Are Yorkshire and Chelsea Building Society the same? ›

On 1st April 2010 Chelsea merged with Yorkshire Building Society, then the UK's second largest building society. Following the merger Chelsea retained the Chelsea Building Society brands and continues to offer a full range of financial products to new and existing customers.

What is the oldest building society in the world? ›

New beginnings. The early origins of the building society movement can be traced back to Ketley's Building Society, which was founded in 1775 by one Richard Ketley and was the first organisation of its type in the world.

Who owns building societies UK? ›

Building societies are owned by their members. Borrowers and savers automatically become a member of their society when they take out a mortgage or open a savings account.

Which UK banks and building societies are linked? ›

Linked Banks and Creditors
  • Allied Irish Bank. First Trust Bank (NI)
  • Bank of Ireland. Post Office. ...
  • Bank of Scotland. Birmingham Midshires. ...
  • Barclays Bank. Barclaycard. ...
  • Co-Operative Bank. Britannia. ...
  • Family Building Society. National Counties Building Society.
  • HSBC. First Direct. ...
  • Nationwide Building Society. Cheshire Building Society.

What is the oldest building still in use in England? ›

Saltford Manor House, Somerset – 1148

England's oldest continuously inhabited home, this Grade II listed building was built by the 2nd Earl of Gloucester in the 12th century.

What is the famous white building in England? ›

The Tower of London is an internationally famous monument and one of England's most iconic structures. William the Conqueror built the White Tower in 1066 as a demonstration of Norman power, siting it strategically on the River Thames to act as both fortress and gateway to the capital.

What is the number one building in the world? ›

Burj Khalifa is The Tallest Building in the world with a Height of 2,717 ft and Floors 163 (+1 below ground) and Completion Date was 2010.

Which is the future largest building in the world? ›

Located on the north side of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it is planned to be the first 1 km (3,281 ft) tall building, and the centrepiece and first phase of a development and tourist attraction known as Jeddah Economic City.

What is the number one tower in the world? ›

Tallest Buildings
RankNameCity
1Burj KhalifaDubai
2Shanghai TowerShanghai
3Makkah Royal Clock TowerMecca
4Ping An Finance CenterShenzhen
38 more rows

What is the highest apartment building in USA? ›

Tallest residential buildings
RankNameCountry
1Central Park TowerUnited States
2111 West 57th StreetUnited States
3432 Park AvenueUnited States
4Marina 101United Arab Emirates
60 more rows

What is the largest building in America? ›

One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan is the tallest building in the United States and the Americas.

What is the strongest building in the world? ›

Torre Mayor is one of the strongest buildings on Earth in terms of earthquake resistance, being designed to withstand earthquakes measuring 8.5 on the Richter Scale. The U.S. Bank Tower in earthquake prone Los Angeles, California by comparison, is designed to withstand an 8.3 intensity earthquake.

Which country has the best buildings in the world? ›

Italy, Spain, UK, France, Gemany, Russia, the list goes on... ALL the European countries have superb, historical architecture second to none. Italy is amazing period.

What are the 3 tallest buildings in the United States? ›

One World Trade Center is the tallest building in America by standard height or structural height, if judged by roof height, it's only the 4th tallest, after Central Park Tower, Willis Tower and 432 Park Ave, and more skyscraper projects ongoing in New York City will surpass it, but its structural height of the ...

What is the 3rd most expensive building in the world? ›

List of most expensive buildings
BuildingCityInflation-adjusted cost, 2021 ($USbillion)
One World Trade CenterNew York City4.49
Marina Bay Financial CentreSingapore3.99
Lotte World TowerSeoul4.31
Emirates PalaceAbu Dhabi4.16
57 more rows

Where is the safest place to put your money UK? ›

The safest places to keep your money are savings accounts or electronic money institutions (EMIs) that are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), your savings will be protected even if the bank goes bust.

Which British bank is safest? ›

1. Credit ratings
BankS&P's long-term rating
HSBCAA- (Very strong)
BarclaysA+ (Strong)
LloydsA+ (Strong)
Nationwide BSA+ (Strong)
2 more rows
Jul 2, 2011

What is the most reliable bank in England? ›

Best High Street Bank in the UK by Service Quality in 2023.

The best high street banks in the UK based on overall service quality include Metro Bank, Nationwide, and Lloyds Bank.

What is the most elite bank in the UK? ›

Coutts, the most well-known “exclusive bank” and part of NatWest, falls around the middle; you need £1m of investable assets or you need to borrow £1m in order to bank with it.

What are the top 5 banks in Britain? ›

HSBC Holdings Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Barclays Plc, Standard Chartered Plc, and NatWest Group Plc are the top 5 UK-based Banks in 2021 by revenue.

How safe are UK banks at the moment? ›

Even better, UK regulation brought in after the last financial crisis not only forces banks to be more resilient, but savers also have FSCS protection if a bank does collapse. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects up to £85,000 per individual in each individually licensed bank or building society.

Is HSBC a building society or bank? ›

It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 trillion in assets under custody (AUC) and $4.9 trillion in assets under administration (AUA). HSBC traces its origin to a hong trading house in British Hong Kong.

Are building societies safer than banks? ›

Are building societies safer than banks? Both are safe. Banks and building societies are regulated by the PRA and FCA and therefore subject to strict supervision.

Who is the oldest building firm in the UK? ›

Starting in 1591, the firm that became R. Durtnell & Sons Limited had been handed down from father to son as a private company for thirteen generations.

How safe is Skipton Building Society money? ›

Your eligible deposits with Skipton Building Society are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. Any deposits you hold above the £85,000 limit are unlikely to be covered.

Why is Skipton famous? ›

As the gateway to the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, people travel the length and breadth of the country to visit this charming market town. With its famous 900 year old castle, romantic ruined priory and historic cobbled High Street, Skipton is endlessly rich both in history and outstanding natural beauty.

Who are the famous residents of Skipton? ›

Notable people

Thomas Spencer, the co-founder of Marks & Spencer, was born in Queen's Court, Skipton in 1858. The American mathematician Thomas William Edmondson was born in Skipton in 1869. Geoffrey Dawson, editor of The Times from 1912 to 1919 and from 1923 until 1941, was born in Skipton in 1874.

Where is the safest place to keep your money? ›

What are the safest types of investments? U.S. Treasury securities, money market mutual funds and high-yield savings accounts are considered by most experts to be the safest types of investments available.

Is my money safe in a building society? ›

All banks and building societies authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). It's an independent service that protects your money if your financial service provider goes bust.

Which bank owns Skipton building society? ›

Important Information. The payment details may show up as Barclays, as we use them for our banking services. As we're a building society we use a generic account number for all transaction, your 'Reference' ensures the payment reaches your specific Skipton account.

What happened to Chelsea Building Society? ›

Following the merger on 1st April 2010, we became part of the YBS Group, one of the largest Building Societies in the UK.

Is Yorkshire Building Society closing down? ›

The closures will hit branches in Batley, Holmfirth, Lindley in HuddersfieldHuddersfield, Penistone, Slaithwaite and South Elmsall. It proposes closing all six Yorkshire branches in February. In total, YBS is closing 12 UK branches.

What building societies are left in UK? ›

Current
NameNumber of
branches
1Nationwide Building Society620
2Coventry Building Society64
3Yorkshire Building Society132
40 more rows

Who is the biggest building company in UK? ›

Major Projects

The first and top company to feature in the construction companies in UK list is definitely Balfour Beatty. The London-based multinational construction company is one of the biggest construction companies in the UK & Europe that operates in over 80 countries.

What are the big 5 banks in the UK? ›

The top 5 largest banks in the UK are HSBC Holdings, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Barclays, and Standard Chartered. These banks hold most of the monopoly on many financial services. However, there's a total of 10 banks that stand out from the crowd.

Where is the safest place to keep your money UK? ›

The safest places to keep your money are savings accounts or electronic money institutions (EMIs) that are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), your savings will be protected even if the bank goes bust.

Who is the richest builder in the UK? ›

The 10 wealthiest house builders in The UK (2018 Sunday Times Rich List)
  • John Bloor, Bloor Homes, Triumph motorcycles, £1.858bn ▲ £404m (on 2017)
  • Steve Morgan, Redrow, £942m ▲ £111m.
  • Clinton, Spencer and John McCarthy, Churchill Retirement Living, McCarthy & Stone, £635m ▲ £30m.
May 14, 2018

What is a Tier 1 builder? ›

Tier 1 builders are the industry leaders, usually with international presence and a turnover of over $500 million to the multi-billions. They work on the largest and most significant building and infrastructure projects, and even fund some of their projects as the developer.

Who builds the most houses in England? ›

Barratt remained the UK's biggest builder by turnover, Persimmon the one generating the most operating profit.

Who are the Tier 1 banks UK? ›

Since December 2020 the Core Indicator has been Tier 1 capital. The group currently includes Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander UK, Standard Chartered and Virgin Money.

What are the Big 4 investment banks UK? ›

The Big Four (EY, Deloitte, KPMG and PWC) certainly have plenty going for them, but are they really an alternative to the ever-so- exciting world of banking?

What are the big 6 UK banks? ›

Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest and Santander have now come to the end of their implementation. Charlotte Crosswell/OBIE. Six of the UK's largest banks have completed their rollouts of open banking, as the project celebrated its 5th anniversary since launch today.

What is the best return on investment in the UK? ›

One of the best high-return investments for UK investors is Stocks and Shares Individual Savings Accounts, or Stocks and Shares ISAs for short, which, as the name suggests, are aimed at the stock market.

Where to save $100,000 UK? ›

Where to invest £100k
  • Cash. People rarely think of keeping money in the bank as an investment. ...
  • Stocks. Stocks and shares represent small pieces of equity in businesses. ...
  • Bonds. ...
  • Real estate. ...
  • Annuities. ...
  • Stocks and Shares ISA. ...
  • Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP)
Apr 23, 2023

How many people have $3,000,000 in savings? ›

1,821,745 Households in the United States Have Investment Portfolios Worth $3,000,000 or More.

What is the best bank to be with in the UK? ›

The best bank accounts in the UK for 2023
  • Starling Bank: Best all rounder and for overseas spending.
  • Kroo: Best for in-credit interest.
  • Lloyds Bank: Best for payment features.
  • Monzo: Best for budgeting tools.
  • first direct: Best for linked savings account.
  • TSB: Best for cashback.

Which banks are least likely to fail UK? ›

1. Credit ratings
BankS&P's long-term rating
HSBCAA- (Very strong)
BarclaysA+ (Strong)
LloydsA+ (Strong)
Nationwide BSA+ (Strong)
2 more rows
Jul 2, 2011

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