Swansea Building Society delivers record results The Society achieved its highest growth in assets

11 March 2025

Swansea Building Society has achieved the highest growth in total assets and saving balances in its history, supported by record profits.

The Society achieved double digit growth in its total assets, mortgages, savings and capital for the fourth year running, despite the difficult economic environment.

For the year to December 31, 2024, total assets and savings both grew by 14%, while mortgages grew by 11%. Total assets increased by £86.7m to £693.7 million and savings balances increased by £81.8 million to £647.3 million, while mortgage balances grew by £52.3million to £530.1 million, driven by gross mortgage completions of £111.0 million.

The Society’s growth was supported by record profits before tax of £6.3 million, beating the previous record of £6.2 million achieved in 2023. This increased the Society’s capital reserves by 12% to £44.5 million. This is vitally important, as it provides greater reserves to support members achieve their financial goals.

The Society remains one of the few financial institutions in the UK that receives no wholesale funding or support from the Bank of England in the form of cheap funding. Its balance sheet is funded entirely by customer savings balances and its own capital reserves built up from retained profits over many years.

Alun Williams, Chief Executive of Swansea Building Society, said:

“The Society has continued to meet the needs of both savers and borrowers, while delivering another record set of results. Our record asset growth supported by record profitability has further strengthened our foundations for future sustainable growth in order that we can help more members to buy their own home or reach their financial savings goals. This has been achieved while investing in the Society to ensure it remains sustainable, scalable and relevant in the future.

“I am delighted with the dedication and care shown by my colleagues to deliver the level of service our existing and new members deserve, while through our charity and volunteering work, we have supported those people in our communities who need help the most.

“The Bank base interest rate remained at a 16-year high, at 5.25% for the majority of the year, before reducing to 4.75% as at the end of December. We are mindful that many of our customers have never experienced such a high interest rate environment and were considerate of the impact that these rates could have on both new and existing borrowers.

“The economic conditions have meant that the Society’s flexible lending policy has been in high demand, and the Society exceeded its gross lending targets for the year. At the same time, our mortgage book has shown great resilience to the high interest rate environment and other cost of living pressures with our arrears statistics remaining excellent during the year. As we head into a forecast downward interest rate curve, I hope to see these pressures subside further for our mortgage borrowers.

“One of the Society’s key aims is to help savers to reach their financial goals and to deliver sustainable returns over their long relationship with us. In December 2023, we increased our savings interest rates by 0.25% without any corresponding increase in mortgage interest rates. While this decreased our net interest margin ratio for 2024, we felt it was the right thing to do for our members and has helped to deliver record growth in savings in the year.

“The Society has a very strong internal culture that reflects our purpose of serving our customers. Our people play a vital role in the continued success of the Society and our members and professional contacts benefit from dealing with loyal, motivated, and well trained staff. Our staff have once again shown the right skills, behaviours and values that have been key to the Society’s success. Every single colleague at the Society has worked hard to provide members with our usual high standard of service, and the Society’s customer satisfaction score of 98% suggests that we have continued to be successful in doing so.

“A key element of the Society’s purpose is to be socially responsible and to make a positive difference to the local community. As a member-owned business, community is close to our hearts and we offer support not only through the products and services we provide, but also by donating our time, skills, and resources. After a three-year successful and highly rewarding partnership with Maggie's Cancer charity, we have chosen Prostate Cymru as our Charity of the year in 2025 as we look to support the vital care the charity provides in our communities.

“In 2024 we enhanced our Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy to see how we can contribute to the Wales We Want report which was a culmination of a year-long conversation with Welsh people. The Wales we Want Report asked people to discuss the Wales that they want to leave behind for their children and grandchildren, considering the challenges, aspirations and ways to solve long-term problems to create a Wales that they want by 2050. As a Mutual that has existed for 101 years and wants to continue for another 100 years, this resonated significantly with the Society.

“The Society’s future has never been brighter. In 2024 we signed a multi-proposition contract with our IT service provider as we continue our digital transformation and embrace change by investing in our people and technology. Our members will therefore continue to see improvements in the way the Society delivers its products and services in the coming years.

“We remain fully committed to our branch network, and our objective of ‘opening and not closing branches’. We will continue to support mortgage niches which the wider mortgage market lacks the resources or knowledge to do so.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues for their contribution to a record performance in 2024, and I look forward to delivering on our plans in 2025 as we continue to look after the needs of our members and communities.”

The Society will hold its annual general meeting at the Swansea.com stadium on Thursday 24th April 2025. Members can vote ahead of that meeting or attend the meeting in person and the Society will donate a pound to Prostate Cymru for every vote received.