Nationwide Building Society

If you haven’t seen the news… Nationwide are the Which? Banking Brand of the Year for 2025 - and we have a new TV ad to celebrate! Richard Warren, Director of Nationwide Brands and Marketing, said: “Being named Which? Banking Brand of the Year is a huge honour and a testament to how we put our members first every day. This ad celebrates that achievement in typically playful A.N.Y. Bank style, while reminding people why being a mutual, not a bank, makes all the difference as we are owned by our members – not shareholders.”

I was honoured to attend the Centrepoint Awards 2025 last night. An inspirational evening celebrating extraordinary young people with experience of homelessness, who are doing amazing things to build the futures they deserve, and the Centrepoint staff, partners and supporters who stand alongside them. Nationwide Building Society were very proud to be headline sponsor for the awards this year including sponsoring the Independent Living Award. It was wonderful to see the incredible Ellie receive this award for her courage and commitment, using her own lived experience to show the progress that is possible and being a true advocate for young people in similar situations. Centrepoint are building a future where every young person has a safe place to call home and the opportunity to fulfil their potential- these awards represent what’s possible when young people are given the opportunity to thrive. Congratulations to everyone involved in the evening and especially to those who won an award last night. I will be taking part in the London Marathon for Centrepoint in 2026, and this event was a powerful reminder of the incredible work that Centrepoint do. It has provided me with even more inspiration to keep on running!

Our CEO, Dame Debbie Crosbie DBE, has received the Freedom of the City of London today, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to financial services leadership during a career spanning over 25 years. Debbie Crosbie DBE, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have received the Freedom of the City. The City makes an incredible contribution to the UK economy and I’m delighted to be part of it. This is a tremendous honour.”

Last month, our NationFried van rolled into Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow, serving up free breakfasts and exclusive merch to thousands of students kicking off their university journey. From bacon butties to brilliant conversations, we loved serving over 1,000 freshers across the UK, as part of our FlexStudent campaign. Our Director of Brands & Marketing, Richard Warren, said: “At Nationwide, we love doing everything we can help to set freshers up for an amazing first year. It’s about showing up in the moments that matter and making a real difference to their experience.”

On behalf of Nationwide Building Society, this afternoon I attended a roundtable at HM Treasury alongside the Economic Secretary, Lucy Rigby KC MP, Matthew Pennycook MP and other mortgage lenders, to discuss how we can continue working together to help first-time buyers.   The government’s recent initiative, along with new FCA-backed mortgage flexibility, could help 36,000 more first-time buyers into their first home in the first year alone. Today we shared views on how innovative products, such as Nationwide’s Helping Hand mortgage, could safely open the door to homeownership for thousands more   We’re committed to working with government and the wider sector to turn these ambitions into reality, making homeownership achievable for more people across the UK.

We’re proud to announce that our pioneering dementia clinics – now available in 200 Nationwide branches across the UK – were featured on last night’s BBC The One Show. Some of the most important conversations happening in our branches aren’t about money. The show shone a spotlight on our impactful partnership with Dementia UK, highlighting how together we’re making a real difference in local communities and supporting those affected by dementia. Find out more here: http://spr.ly/6046AB18G

Yesterday, the Chancellor set out an extensive package of pro-growth reforms that will be well received across UK financial services. This included welcome news for the housing market, with the Chancellor confirming plans for greater flexibility in higher loan to income lending. At Nationwide, first-time buyers will be subject to reduced minimum income requirements from today, giving consumers an immediate and tangible benefit from the reforms. There were also positive announcements for the UK regulatory landscape, with plans to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime and reform the Financial Ombudsman Service. These are areas that we have had constructive conversations with Government on and we hope these changes will now free up the sector’s time to focus more on serving customers brilliantly. Overall, the package has real substance and clear, positive intent. We will continue to work closely with Government as it takes steps to promote inclusive growth across the UK.

As the UK’s leading lender for first-time buyers in 2024, we are dedicated to helping more people take their first step onto the property ladder. From tomorrow, we’re lowering our income criteria for our Helping Hand mortgage. Made possible by recent regulatory announcements, we'll be able to support an estimated 10,000 additional first-time buyers each year. Our Director of Home, Henry Jordan, said: “The Prudential Regulation Authority’s announcement unlocks lending for first-time buyers at what remains a difficult time for homeownership. It has given us the confidence to respond quickly by relaxing our lending criteria on Helping Hand. Our changes mean more people, particularly those on lower incomes, could become eligible for a mortgage. "We also hope our commitment to further lending provides a boost to the UK’s housebuilding ambitions as well as encouraging other lenders to increase support for those looking for a home of their own.” Find out more here: http://spr.ly/60444fWXp * Source based on the number of residential first-time buyer mortgage completions in the UK by banking brand, January to December 2024. Provided by CACI Ltd Mortgage Market Database