Stroud & Swindon Building Society
Encyclopedia
Stroud & Swindon Building Society was the 10th largest building society
in the United Kingdom
, with headquarters in Stroud
, Gloucestershire
and total assets of £2.7 billion as at 31 December 2009. It was a member of the Building Societies Association
until its merger with the Coventry Building Society
in 2010.
Stroud & Swindon Building Society operated through a dedicated team of intermediary business development managers, with a branch network of 22 offices and 22 agencies in Gloucestershire
, Wiltshire
, Somerset
, Monmouthshire
, Devon
and Cornwall
complemented by a contact centre
based in Gloucester
. Stroud & Swindon was a provider of both mortgages
and savings
, as well as offering loans, credit cards and insurance
.
Stroud and Swindon Building Society was originally established in 1850 as the Stroud Provident Benefit Building Society. The first head office was in Rowcroft in Stroud
where the offices of Winterbothams solicitors are now and, indeed, Lyndsey Winterbotham was the first Chairman. After transferring for a period to larger premises in Russell Street, the Society moved in 1990 to its current purpose built head office, less than 200 yards (182.9 m) away from the original location.
Over the years a series of acquisitions of other societies including the Bristol
Permanent Building Society and the Frome
and Selwood Building Society saw the Stroud Building Society develop and grow. Merger with the Swindon
Permanent Building Society in 1986 led to the change of title of Stroud & Swindon.
Stroud & Swindon supported non-profit events and voluntary groups located within its region. Donations or assistance tends to be on a one-off basis and in order to make its support as effective as possible it focuses on projects in areas where it has branches and can make the most impact.
The Society had 22 branches based in Gloucestershire
, Wiltshire
, Somerset
and Monmouthshire
and each branch nominated their own local charity to support for the year. It also supported a number of other local charities which met its overall criteria as well as some major national events such as BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief
.
Stroud & Swindon also developed affinity savings accounts with Bath RFC
, Forest Green Rovers F.C.
, The Willow Trust and The Cotswold Care Hospice.
on 1 September 2010 following an announcement on 23 March and the approval of members on 16 June.. The Stroud and Swindon name continued for a year as a separate and distinct brand. However, the head office functions transferred to Coventry immediately. The former Stroud & Swindon Building Society is now fully integrated with the Coventry.
Building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with headquarters in Stroud
Stroud
Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and total assets of £2.7 billion as at 31 December 2009. It was a member of the Building Societies Association
Building Societies Association
The Building Societies Association is the trade organisation of the building societies in the United Kingdom. In 2011 the 48 building societies in the UK had total assets of over £317 billion. 15 million adults have building society saving accounts and over 2.9 million adults are currently buying...
until its merger with the Coventry Building Society
Coventry Building Society
The Coventry Building Society is a building society based in Coventry, England. It is the third largest in the United Kingdom with total assets of approximately £22.3 billion at 31 December 2010. It is a member of the Building Societies Association.-History:...
in 2010.
Stroud & Swindon Building Society operated through a dedicated team of intermediary business development managers, with a branch network of 22 offices and 22 agencies in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
complemented by a contact centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
based in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. Stroud & Swindon was a provider of both mortgages
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
and savings
Savings account
Savings accounts are accounts maintained by retail financial institutions that pay interest but cannot be used directly as money . These accounts let customers set aside a portion of their liquid assets while earning a monetary return...
, as well as offering loans, credit cards and insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
.
History
Stroud
Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...
where the offices of Winterbothams solicitors are now and, indeed, Lyndsey Winterbotham was the first Chairman. After transferring for a period to larger premises in Russell Street, the Society moved in 1990 to its current purpose built head office, less than 200 yards (182.9 m) away from the original location.
Over the years a series of acquisitions of other societies including the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Permanent Building Society and the Frome
Frome
Frome is a town and civil parish in northeast Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town is built on uneven high ground, and centres around the River Frome. The town is approximately south of Bath, east of the county town, Taunton and west of London. In the 2001...
and Selwood Building Society saw the Stroud Building Society develop and grow. Merger with the Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
Permanent Building Society in 1986 led to the change of title of Stroud & Swindon.
Community Support
The Society had 22 branches based in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
and each branch nominated their own local charity to support for the year. It also supported a number of other local charities which met its overall criteria as well as some major national events such as BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
.
Stroud & Swindon also developed affinity savings accounts with Bath RFC
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
, Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
, The Willow Trust and The Cotswold Care Hospice.
Merger with the Coventry Building Society
The Stroud & Swindon merged with the Coventry Building SocietyCoventry Building Society
The Coventry Building Society is a building society based in Coventry, England. It is the third largest in the United Kingdom with total assets of approximately £22.3 billion at 31 December 2010. It is a member of the Building Societies Association.-History:...
on 1 September 2010 following an announcement on 23 March and the approval of members on 16 June.. The Stroud and Swindon name continued for a year as a separate and distinct brand. However, the head office functions transferred to Coventry immediately. The former Stroud & Swindon Building Society is now fully integrated with the Coventry.