All about us

Bigger and bolder
Nationwide is the largest building society in the world. And though, for you, that means enormous scope, variety and opportunity, there are also many other good reasons to join us.

One of the most compelling is that we’re an accredited 'Investor in People' for the fourth time running – and one of only 36 companies to be recognised as an 'Investor in People Champion'.

On top of this we’re entering a bold new phase in our 160 year history. We intend to aim higher, think smarter and act faster than ever before. And right across our business we’re looking for people with the talent and drive to boost our performance even further.

Mutual benefits
By looking after our people we’ve built a hugely successful business and established ourselves as one of the most familiar names on the High Street. And as well as seeing us there, you may know us through our football sponsorship or the Nationwide Mercury Prize – the UK’s most prestigious music award.

You may even be one of our customers – reaping the benefits of our award-winning products and our mutual status. After all, we have a relationship with one in four households. As the UK’s largest mutual, we’re owned by and run for the benefit of our customers or ‘members’. We don’t have any shareholders to answer to, so we’re genuinely free to put our customers’ interests first.

Growing popularity

We now serve 13 million customers and our reputation for honesty, integrity, fairness and value for money is helping us attract many more. Add a complete range of financial services – savings, investments, insurance, mortgages, loans, pensions, credit cards and banking – and it’s not surprising that we open around 3,000 new accounts every day.

Investing for your future
We invest wisely – and that means investing in our people. We spend millions on training every year, encourage our people to gain transferable skills, provide some fantastic benefits and create plenty of social opportunities to unwind and relax.
Big achievements

We've achieved some fantastic things over the years - including a host of industry firsts. And we're constantly questioning, researching and innovating so we can come up with even more.

Industry leading

  • We are the world's biggest building society
  • We’re the largest mutual organisation in the UK
  • We are the second largest retail mortgage lender in the UK
  • We are the UK's second largest savings provider, and already help one in every six UK children who save
  • We are the UK's 7th largest high street financial organisation
  • We have around 13 million members
  • We are now opening around 3,000 new accounts every day
  • Since 1996 we’ve delivered around £5 billion to members in better interest rates and lower charges
  • We are now four years into a six-year £300 million investment programme designed to make the service and facilities we offer to members the best of any bank or building society in the UK
  • ‘Your Mortgage’ magazine named us Best Lender of All Time (1990 - 2005) for 15 years of impressive standards
  • We’re one of the UK’s top ten Best Big Companies to Work For 2007 according to the Sunday Times Survey
  • In August 2004 we were recognised as an Investors in People Champion


Pace setting
  • We changed the face of retail banking in 1987 when we introduced FlexAccount, the first full service current account to pay interest
  • We were the first to launch a Visa Delta debit card
  • We were one of the first financial organisations to have a site on the Internet
  • We were the first to launch PC home banking
  • We were the first in the UK to launch a retail internet banking service
  • We were the first UK credit card issuer to introduce a 'summary box', outlining all the key rates and charges. As a result, all credit card issuers now have to provide a summary box
  • Last year we introduced signature recognition pads in all of our branches

© Nationwide Building Society