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).
Building societies and credit unions are customer-owned mutual organisations. Their culture is focused on their members and communities and this influences their day to day decisions.
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.
UK economic growth remains weak, inflation persists and government borrowing costs rise
News and views on topical issues from the BSA 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
BSA speeches from events and seminars
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.
An introduction to treasury management (30th January 2025)
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.
The National Credit Union Forum (NCUF) is the Credit Union Committee of the BSA.
Find out how building societies have purpose beyond profit
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.
Guest blog by BSA Associate member, law firm TLT
Open banking is driving significant market change by giving consumers control over their financial data, and the power to share that data with third-party providers offering new services. One of the most fascinating trends since PSD2 and open banking came into effect has been the advancement of large tech firms into this space.
Companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple (GAFA) and China's Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT) have substantial resources and unrivalled expertise in big data. They also have an established track record of disrupting various industries worldwide, including payments. In May, Chinese firms Tencent, Alibaba and Xiaomi were granted virtual banking licences by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to launch digital banks – a major development in this changing market.
Although we are yet to see such radical developments closer to home, in many respects the UK has taken the lead in the digitisation of financial services. It would be foolish to think that Big Tech's influence over financial services will end in Asia, and with the major banks.
From a product perspective, the UK has a mature credit and debit card market and many banks and building societies are already integrated with digital wallets, with 'Apple Pay' and 'Google Pay' becoming established methods of payment alongside PayPal. More recently, Apple has teamed up with Goldman Sachs and MasterCard to launch the 'Apple Card' – a credit card, complete with repayment options and cashback facilities on various Apple-related purchases, built into and managed by the Apple Wallet mobile app.
Apple’s entry into the world of financial services through Apple Pay and Apple Card is a logical step when viewing Apple as a tech and lifestyle brand, with a range of integrated services orbiting around the use of core Apple products. Other large tech firms may also recognise the benefits of building open banking channels into their existing business models.
Banking regulation has historically been a major barrier to entry for service providers outside of the building society and banking space. However, PSD2 compels EU banks and payment service providers to make account information available and allows customers to give consent for use by third parties they trust. By registering as Account Information Service Providers (AISPs) or Payment Initiation Service Providers (PISPs) under PSD2, large tech firms can access this information in the EU without the requirement to obtain a full banking licence.
All this sets the stage for a near-future where users of personal digital assistants and smart speakers may be able to ask "OK Google, which is the best mortgage product for me?" and, if they like the answer, "Alexa, switch me!" If that future becomes reality, this presents a considerable challenge to more traditional, established banks and building societies.
As well as developing digital service offerings in-house, the pressure on building societies to innovate and keep competitors at bay has resulted in a flurry of fintech-centric partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions. Strategic partnerships present an attractive opportunity to benefit from specialist tech expertise and a customer experience-focussed and data-led culture.
For all participants, the race is on to find the killer product or the perfect partnership to win market share and establish a leading position in this exciting and unpredictable market.
The BSA is delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the FCA’s review of requirements following the implementation of the Consumer Duty.
The BSA strongly supports the principle of charging a fee to CMCs.