The Building Society Industry

In this book which has become the standard work on building societies, the author takes into account both economic and regulatory changes which took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The book is aimed primarily at students in the industry, and also those undertaking relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses at university. In addition, this book will be invaluable to those working inside the building society industry and to those organizations which come into contact with societies.

In this book which has become the standard work on building societies, the author takes into account both economic and regulatory changes which took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The book is aimed primarily at students in the industry, and also those undertaking relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses at university. In addition, this book will be invaluable to those working inside the building society industry and to those organizations which come into contact with societies.

Building societies are at the forefront of the enormous changes and challenges taking place in industry. This book charts these changes and attempts to explain why they have taken place, and what the significant issues are, for the future development of the industry.

This book presents an analysis of the role of UK building societies, their strengths and weaknesses, and their contribution to the industry, at a time where public confidence in banking is low. Chapters present the results of an empirical analysis of the comparative performance of UK building societies, since the large-scale demutualisation process ended in the year 2000. The authors highlight the substantial impact of the financial crisis on the sector, with 2008 and 2009 being particularly difficult years. The book discusses banks and building societies in the context of the improving economy and show that both groups have recovered some profitability, although not at the pre-crisis level. The reader will discover that building societies in particular have recovered well from the financial turmoil and they appear less risky than banks on a variety of measures.