Nationwide Building Society

On a cold day in January 1884, a group of men gathered with the aim of doing something to change their world. They wanted to help people save their money, buy their own homes and improve their lives. So, they founded the Southern Co-operative Permanent Building Society.

We’ve grown a lot since then, merging with around 250 other building societies. And although our name has changed, our aims have remained the same.

We’re a mutual, which means we’re owned by our members and focus on what’s best for them. It’s what we’ve always done. And what we will continue to do.

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When the Southern Co-operative Permanent Building Society was first formed, our founders chose an image of the stepped pyramid of Saqqara in Egypt as its logo. To them, it represented stability and permanence.

The pyramid was used as our logo for the next 100 years. When we became Nationwide in 1970, we adapted it to have a pound sign within it. This was to show that our customers’ money was safe with us.

We merged with Anglia in the 1980s, leading to new branding. We chose a stylized village scene with a tree, house, and a tall building in the background to represent industry. We wanted to show that we were caring and approachable, as well as secure, efficient and progressive. And the village remained our logo until 2023.

Our updated logo draws on our heritage but is simpler and more modern. We wanted something that shows us as an organization that supports people throughout their lives. We think a rising sun behind a home does that.