Originally published in BSA Society Matters magazine.

Like everyone, building societies have had to rapidly adapt to a new normal in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our sector has weathered numerous storms in its 250 year history – not to mention two World Wars.

However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector was able to continue running almost uninterrupted thanks to technology and ‘the mutual difference’.

As the country went into lockdown, our sector moved its head office functions and many call centre staff to home working.

Branches were adapted to prevent the spread of the virus and as key workers, branch staff made their way into work to help members with urgent queries.

In addition to the logistical challenges posed by lockdown measures, millons of mortgage payment holidays were also processed, further increasing workloads in a bid to help those vulnerable to the financial impacts of Covid-19.

And now, as we enter the ‘new normal’, post-peak of the pandemic, we take stock of just some of the examples of how our sector has adapted, and continues to thrive for its members.

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