History

In 2015 we are celebrating our 140th anniversary. We’ve been helping members buy their homes and save for the future. We are proud of our heritage and we are looking forward to another 140 years of helping our members.

New branding and website introduced to support our vision of being the most successful building society in the UK by 2022.

2012 was a significant year for us as we secure our position as the UK’s 5th largest building society. Our total asset size reached a historic high of £10bn.

Peter Hill was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2011. He joined the Society in 2001 and has been successful in both Senior Management and Director positions.

In September 2009, we opened our Silverlink contact centre, 6 miles to the east of Newcastle city centre. The Contact Centre teams consist of over 30 advisors, handling up to 2000 calls each day. Silverlink is the first point of contact for all our existing members to discuss their current needs, as well as identifying ways to meet their future goals.

We opened our Ireland branch in 2008, which was conveniently located in the heart of Dublin.

In 2007, we became the main club sponsor of Leeds Rhinos Rugby Club and we have enjoyed a successful partnership with them since. Our branding can be seen all around Headingley Stadium.

On 1 August 2006, following approval by the Mercantile members and confirmation by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Leeds Building Society merged with Mercantile Building Society. Mercantile members overwhelmingly supported the proposal at the Society’s AGM at the end of April with 97% of the votes in favour of the merger.

In March 2005, at our Annual General Meeting, members made the historic decision to change our name to Leeds Building Society and this became effective on 12 September 2005.

In 2003, we changed to our well-remembered ‘yellow look’ branding

Our first overseas branch opened in Gibraltar in 2002, offering mortgages and savings products in Gibraltar and southern Spain. We currently have around 1,400 Gibraltar branch customers and our colleagues in branch are determined to show local people exactly what we can offer.

In 1999, our Charitable Foundation was established to support communities around our branches by making donations to charities working in those areas. Since it started the foundation has made total donations of over £1,200,000.

In July of this year, the Society expanded its service to provide a fully operational call centre, operating 8am-8pm, 7 days a week, and launched its first website.

There had been a significant growth through branch expansion in the years leading up to 1970. One of the most important later developments was the first London office opening at 73 Kingsway, London West Central.

Assets reached almost £20m and the Board considered it fitting that the Society should have Armorial Bearings. A petition for a Grant of Arms was successful.

Total assets passed the £6m mark and accounts totalled 32,000.

Our branch windows looked significantly different in the 1930s to the windows full of branded posters that you see today.

We have operated in Leeds city centre since 1886, and acquired our current head office site in 1924. By being located in a big city we been at the heart of a number of communities for many years.

New premises were acquired at 51 (later it became 96) Albion Street, Leeds. The Head Office was established here. By the end of the 1800s, assets passed £250,000 and the number of accounts exceeded 2,500.

In 1875 we were formally established and named Leeds and Holbeck (Permanent) Building Society. By the end of our first year, 450 accounts had been opened and we had distributed a total of £16,000 in mortgages. Our first head office was located at the Mechanics Institute in Holbeck between 1875 and 1886

Our commitment to being a mutual building society is something that can be traced back to the first half of the nineteenth century. Although we weren’t formally established until 1875, a group of people formed the Leeds Union Operative Land and Building Society in 1845. Being owned by our members and rewarding them with benefits, is as important to us now as it was in centuries past.