LEEK CROWNED BRITAIN’S BEST BUILDING SOCIETY

Leek Building Society has been named Best Building Society at the British Bank Awards.

Coming off the back of a record year in 2022, the local business saw its market-leading customer service standards recognised as it beat all-comers to this highly valued accolade. For good measure, Leek also won the award for ‘Best Building Society Savings Provider’, reinforcing its focus on providing members with competitive products and interest rates at a time when there has been a volatile rate environment and when the cost-of-living crisis has meant that a fair and balanced approach to the pricing of both deposits and mortgages has been more important than ever.

Leek Building Society is headquartered in Leek, Staffordshire and provides mortgages, savings, insurance and financial planning services nationally. The Society recently published its 2022 accounts which saw its deposit base exceed £1 billion for the first time, as well as record mortgage balances and capital levels at the same time as a record level of investment was undertaken in new technology, branches and the local community. Member satisfaction at 98% was a record high, as was staff satisfaction at 97% and the Society’s newly-established Charitable Foundation saw it support the local community more than ever, to the tune of over £100k, at a time when this was very badly needed.

Commenting on the Best Building Society award, Andrew Healy, Leek Building Society’s Chief Executive, said:

“This is a hugely prestigious national award which is particularly special as it’s based on reviews completed by those who matter most – the customers and members who have had first-hand experience of the wonderful service, support and outcomes that our staff deliver day in and day out. Every one of our people across the business – branches, head office, customer facing, non-customer facing – has contributed to this success which represents an unprecedented team effort.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues most sincerely at all levels for consistently living our organisation’s values and for delivering, in testing circumstances, exceptional service while maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance, compliance and risk management. And to our loyal members, thank you most sincerely for your ongoing support and words of encouragement. We’ll continue to be here for you and constantly seek to anticipate and meet your needs. This year sees the Society celebrate the terrific milestone of 160 years of service and I have no hesitation in saying that we’re stronger and more committed than ever to supporting you.” 

Darren Ditchburn, Deputy Chief Executive added:

“We’re delighted to have received not one, but two prestigious awards at The British Bank Awards, including ‘Best Building Society’. As a mutual organisation, our number one priority is our members, therefore winning these awards based on their feedback makes the wins extra special. I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to our members for taking the time to vote for us and to share their positive experiences. Receiving accolades such as this only motivates us to strive for further excellence and to provide the best possible service to members.”

The achievements don’t stop there for the Leek as they were the only building society to be named as a finalist in this year’s Top 50 Inspiring Workplaces awards which took place in May. They have also been announced as a finalist in two categories – Best Medium to Large Business and Best Employer – at the upcoming Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce awards.