Added: 09 November 2021
With immediate effect, Ipswich Building Society will now be known as Suffolk Building Society. The new name and branding represent a significant milestone in the Society’s 172-year history and is testament that mutuality remains as relevant as ever in today’s financial services market.
Since 1849, the Society has been providing a safe home for members’ savings and has operated an individual approach to mortgage lending, as well as supporting its local communities. The new name is a reflection of this history; a name that is inclusive, allowing the Society to connect to a broader community; and will better serve the Society in its aspiration to grow independently and responsibly.
Richard Norrington, CEO, Suffolk Building Society, commented: “Careful consideration went into selecting our new name to ensure it is inclusive, sustainable and appealing. It is reflective of the fact that our member base is much wider than Ipswich alone, allowing us to retain a connection to the place we call home but giving us a fantastic springboard from which to support a greater number of people with their financial needs across a broader geographic area.”
Branch network
Suffolk Building Society’s branch network will remain a core channel for its local residents: following the rebrand, it will invest in its branches across the county to ensure they continue to serve the needs of their communities in the friendly, face to face and straightforward manner in which members will be familiar.
Mortgages and Savings
The Society will also be enhancing its mortgage and savings propositions through investment in technology and increasing the availability of its services through online access, both of which will enhance, not replace, the branch experience.
The Society will continue to operate its common-sense, personal approach to lending rather than being led by algorithms. Manual underwriting will remain at the heart of the new Suffolk Building Society, so whether an individual is a first time buyer, older borrower, a self builder, self employed, or small-portfolio landlord, it will still consider every application on its merits.
New branding
The new logo and brand style are inspired by the characteristic sights of Suffolk, the homes the Society originally helped build, and the heritage colours of the county featuring the iconic ‘Suffolk Pink’.
Richard Norrington continued: “Our new website, which is now live at www.suffolkbuildingsociety.co.uk, features an evolved colour palette, fonts and imagery that better showcase our character, personality and county home. It has also been designed to be more intuitive with an improved user experience in mind.
The new visual identity is also reflected in the Society’s social media channels too which can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
Sustainability
The evolution to Suffolk Building Society has been a very carefully managed and gradual process so that existing branded materials have been wound down to reduce unnecessary expense and crucially to minimise the Society’s carbon footprint.
Richard Norrington concluded: “Without the requirement to report to shareholders, we are driven to do what is right for our members, staff and communities. By investing in our new look and feel, in our branches and in technology, we are setting ourselves on the best possible course to meet bold ambitions for our future and for that of our stakeholders.”