Covers a range of topics relating to mortgages and the wider housing market.
Covers issues relating to savings accounts and payments.
Covers developments in conduct of business regulation
Covers issues relating to the corporate governance and constitution of building societies.
People related matters such as talent development, apprenticeships and diversity.
Internal and external accounting assurance and matters relating to tax.
The regulation and supervision of firms to ensure their safety and soundness under the remit of the Prudential Regulation Authority.
A new legal aid scheme to support borrowers at risk of repossession (member only content).
A wide range of statistics relating to the UK mortgage and housing markets.
Research, analysis and guidance about our members and the issues that affect them.
Retail savings data including net receipts and deposits, ISAs and interest rates.
Operational and financial information about building societies. Includes AGM & financial results and remuneration details.
Submission and publication deadlines for BSA data and reports.
MPC vote to hold rates as inflation and labour market conditions continue to ease
News and views on topical issues from BSA staff and guests.
View our latest press releases and comment here.
The BSA's quarterly magazine covers whats happening in the world of building societies, credit unions and the wider financial services sector.
A quarterly survey that assesses consumer sentiment regarding the UK property market.
View biographies and download photos of the BSA's key spokespeople
View the latest webinars, training and other events open to members, associates and other stakeholders
View our latest BSA Annual Conference and comment here.
View our latest Past events & summaries and comment here.
Learn how to promote your event to the BSA's membership.
Building Societies Annual Conference 2024
Find factsheets on mortgages, savings and the building society sector.
Track building societies that no longer exists and get a link to its successor's website.
Find mortgage instructions and specific requirements setting out individual building society policies.
The UK Savings Week campaign aims to get people engaged in saving.
Toolkits to develop Workplace Savings are available here.
Here you can find our publications, responses to consultation documents, mortgage instructions, statistics and sector job vacancies.
Find out more about the BSA and the sector.
Contact details for each of our 49 members.
Our Associate members include a wide range of companies from insurers, banks, accountants, solicitors, and other business suppliers to BSA members.
View biographies and download photos of our key spokespeople
Vacancies for senior management, executive and other positions at the BSA and its member organisations
Find out the wide range of benefits of joining the BSA as an associate member.
The Building Societies Association is the voice of the UK's building societies.
We provide our members with information to help them run their businesses, and we represent their interests to a wide range of audiences including regulators, the government, parliament, the media, other opinion formers and the general public.
The Building Societies Association or BSA was originally established in 1869. It is the voice for all 42 UK building societies as well as 7 credit unions. Together these organisations serve almost 26 million customers up and down the length of the UK.
The BSA's objective is to champion and support its Members: To push for the best outcomes from new and changing regulation and legislation to ensure that building societies thrive as an essential part of a diverse financial services sector - serving their savers, borrowers and communities.
To do this we work with, amongst others, the UK Government, the EU Commission, Council and Parliament and regulators, especially the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In Europe we are a member of the European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB).
We also speak out on issues that are relevant to building societies and their members (borrowers and savers). We provide technical information to our members on a huge range of topics. Our economists and specialist policy teams have expertise covering mortgages and housing; savings; financial policy and legal, governance and compliance matters.
The BSA is not a regulator itself, nor is it able to deal with complaints about building societies - these are looked after by the Financial Ombudsman Service if they cannot be resolved by the Society itself.
The BSA represents all 42 building societies, as well as 7 larger credit unions.
Building societies serve almost 26 million consumers across the UK and have total assets of over £507 billion. Together with their subsidiaries, they have helped over 3.5 million families and individuals to buy a home with mortgages totalling over £375 billion, representing 23% of total mortgage balances outstanding in the UK.
They are also helping over 23 million people build their financial resilience, holding over £370 billion of retail savings, accounting for 19% of all cash savings in the UK. Building societies account for 40% of all cash ISA balances.
With all of their headquarters outside London, building societies employ more than 51,500 full and part-time staff. In addition to digital services they operate approximately 1,300 branches, holding a 28% share of branches across the UK.
(All financial statistics as at 30 September 2023)
You can read more about building societies' lending and savings figures in the statistics section.
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.
While their businesses must be run as rigorously as any plc bank on the high street - societies operate in the same regulatory environment - their purpose is different. A plc must operate to the benefit of its shareholders, a mutual operates to the benefit of its members and takes business decisions in a different way because of this.
For a brief overview of the sector, see the For People, Not Shareholders leaflet.
The Building Societies Association (BSA) is delighted to be recognised for its responsible business practices through accreditation of the Good Business Charter.
The BSA is proud to have signed up to the Women in Finance Charter.