By Stuart Miller, Chief Executive Officer, The Cumberland Building Society

When I joined The Cumberland as Chief Executive, one of the first things I wanted to do was get out and meet our customers and hear what they had to say. As a customer owned business, I wanted to get a deep understanding of what our customers, colleagues and the communities we serve value from The Cumberland so that I could ensure our future strategy was fully aligned to delivering on these priorities. 

After visiting all of the 31 communities where we have a branch presence where I talked to colleagues, customers and local stakeholders, we set up our green sofa in a pop-up shop in Carlisle city centre. We invited people to stop by and tell us what mattered most to them about the way they bank. That was the start of Community Conversations, a listening programme we've since taken across Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and South-West Scotland.
 

Listening to what communities value

There we some very clear themes that came out from all of the conversations we had but the feedback that really stood out was simple: keep your branches open!

People told us how important our physical presence was to their communities. They told us that operating current accounts for personal customers and small businesses and providing support with access to cash, savings and lending and financial education was critical to maintaining a vibrant high street and wider financial resilience in their community. 

That’s why we had made the decision to go public with our commitment to maintaining a physical presence in all 31 communities where we have a branch. No end dates, no caveats, just a 100% commitment to be there for the communities we serve.  

Indeed, were going further with a multi-million pound investment programme in our branch network. We've already completed major refurbishments at our Carlisle English Street, Carlisle Rosehill, Egremont, Annan and Barrow branches. Whitehaven is currently undergoing a major overhaul, with completion expected later this year.

Going further still, we’re now looking for opportunities to innovate and partner with like-minded organisations to expand our presence further.
 

Why branches still matter 

The scale of what's happening on the high street is easy to understate. We have 31 branches across our region. Today, we're the only remaining financial institution in 19 of those communities. That figure will rise to 20 later this month (August), when Santander closes its Whitehaven branch. In those towns, if we weren't there, there would be nothing.

Our research backs this up, with 28% of people in Cumbria and 32% in Dumfries and Galloway stating that high street decline is a top issue facing their community. Across the North-West and Scottish Borders, more than a quarter of people said the same.

Those numbers matter. When the last branch in a town closes, customers lose the option of face-to-face support, and small business owners lose somewhere to pay in cash. Staff also lose the chance to notice when a vulnerable customer is struggling, whether that's confusion, distress or signs of financial abuse.

The BSA's own research states that 91% of people say their local branch matters to their financial wellbeing, 75% say it makes managing money easier, and 96% believe branches help keep high streets thriving. That's not just customer preference. It's what a branch does for a community. It gives people somewhere to raise a concern face-to-face, and a reason to walk down the high street rather than avoid it.

Each refurbished branch is designed around how customers want to bank today, combining face-to-face service with areas for private conversations. That means they remain a base for the community for years to come.
 

The customer-owned difference

I'd argue being customer-owned makes this easier for us than it might be for a shareholder-owned bank. We don't answer to external investors chasing branch-closure savings. We answer to our customers, and our customers have told us what they want. Supporting local businesses through relationship-managed commercial lending is part of that same commitment. So is continuing to fund charities and good causes across our heartland, where we've given more than £1.5m over the past five years, including £350,000 last year alone.

Other organisations will make their own decisions about where their branch networks go next. We understand the commercial pressures behind those calls. But we think there's a different answer available, and we're choosing it. 

Our view is simple, as a customer owned business we must obsess about returning value back to our customers and the communities we represent. Our customers have been clear about what they value which is why we have made this public commitment. 


*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 1,432 adults across Cumbria, Lancashire, Preston and Dumfries and Galloway. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20 March and 2 April 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in selected area (aged 18+). Respondents were asked to identify the three biggest issues currently facing them and/or their local community.

Cumberland Building Society serves customers across Cumbria, South-West Scotland, North Lancashire and Northumberland. Founded in 1850, it is owned by its members rather than shareholders. As well as current accounts and savings products for individuals and families, it supports local businesses through relationship-managed commercial lending and business banking, including savings and current accounts.  

For more information, please visit cumberland.co.uk.