Nationwide

Company: Nationwide Building Society

Brand value: US$1,367 million

Headquarter city: Swindon

Industry: Banks (including building societies)

Year formed: 1846

The Nationwide has its origins in the Provident Union Building Society, which launched in Wiltshire in 1846, and has been known as Nationwide since 1970. Through mergers with two other building societies, Nationwide has become the world’s largest mutual financial institution. It is the UK’s second-largest mortgage provider, as well as providing savings accounts, current accounts, credit cards, ISAs and personal loans. It serves 15 million customers through around 500 branches, and pioneered internet services with an online launch in 1997. It has recently been trialling a new layer of biometric security that identifies individuals by the way they move. The Nationwide sets itself apart from banks because as a building society its profits are shared with members, which fosters consumer trust; it aims to help ordinary people come together and achieve things they couldn’t do alone. Nationwide’s long-running tagline “On your side” changed last year to “Building Society Nationwide”. It has invested in research to help it improve the customer experience based on how people feel about the brand, and in late 2016 launched its “Voices” TV campaign, which features spoken-word artists talking about important issues in everyday life. Nationwide is listed on the London Stock Exchange.