Mutual: Issue 8

JUL 10, 2026

Harpenden wins ‘Best Local Building Society’ at the 2026 What Mortgage Awards

Harpenden Building Society wins ‘Best Local Building Society’ for the 12th year in a row, as well as being marked ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Best Specialist Lender’ and ‘Best Large Loan Lender’ categories.

APR 22, 2026

Member Notice – Staff training 23rd April

APR 17, 2026

A Q&A with our CEO Tracie

Here’s a quick Q&A from our CEO Tracie Meadows diving into our new rebrand.

JAN 22, 2026

We celebrate our new branch opening in Harpenden

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new branch, located right on the High Street, in one of the busiest areas of Harpenden. The doors opened on the 15th of January, with the event being kicked off by celebrations and excitement from colleagues and members alike. Local members were offered the chance to visit and be a VIP guest to see the grand opening and were greeted by some food and hot drinks while they got to have a look around the new branch or ask our branch team any questions that they had. It was lovely to see so many members come and show their support for us. Also there to show their support were colleagues from the Harpenden Hopper, a local charity that we have supported for a few years. We were also joined by both the Mayor of Harpenden as well as our local MP. After some lovely speeches from our Chair and the Mayor all about the community-focus of the branch, the ribbon was cut, and our new Harpenden branch was declared officially open. You might notice a refreshed look to our brand both inside and outside the building. Our new branch aims to deliver confidence to our members. Being a mutual, our focus will always be about putting our members first. The branch is a nod to our heritage within Harpenden, as well as our renewed commitment to the community and our members. The customer experience is always at the front of our minds, and the new branch has been designed with this in mind. The colourful interior, while looking refreshed and playful, creates a welcoming atmosphere for our friendly branch team to help customers in the best way they can. This branch also comes with a technical upgrade, with iPads and digital screens to aid in the member's experience. With these new upgrades, we can assure our members that the clarity and trust they hold with the Society is still there and isn't going away any time soon. Our branch colleagues are as can-do and helpful as ever, but with a larger and more prominent location, we are setting our sights on an improved future. Tracie Meadows, the CEO of Harpenden Building Society said: "We at Harpenden Building Society always put our members first. Our new branch is just that. It's us giving back to our members and the community in Harpenden." She continued that, "We're giving our customers a better experience, while still being the friendly building society that's always ready to lend a hand. We want people to leave the branch feeling confident in us, and in their financial decisions." Our new Harpenden branch represents an exciting next step for the Society, and is just the beginning - there's definitely more to look forward to in the future.

DEC 01, 2025

FSCS protection limit increase

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) has increased the protection limit from £85,000 to £120,000 from 1st December 2025. This means if you hold deposits or savings with a building society, bank, credit union, or other UK-authorised financial firm, and they go out of business, FSCS can provide compensation up to £120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm. Temporary high balance protection also applies for up to six months, covering up to £1.4 million for large one-off deposits from events like property sales, redundancy payments, or inheritances. We will be communicating this change to our members shortly and will revise our materials to reflect the increase in due course. For further information visit www.fscs.org.uk.  

SEP 22, 2025

What is UK Savings Week?

UK Savings Week 2025 UK Savings Week is all about getting people to think about savings, whether they’re frequent savers or first-timers. Even for those who are unable to save at the moment, UK Savings Week encourages us to take a closer look at our finances and understand what we’re seeing. This week, we urge you to join the savings conversation. Even with the cost-of-living crisis, understanding how savings operate is crucial. No matter what your circumstances are or where your finances are at, savings are key. Savings are really important. It doesn’t matter if they’re stored away for a rainy day, or you’re saving for a dream holiday, they have to be looked after. How much you’re saving, for how long and how much will vary from person to person. UK Savings Week is all about helping individuals save what they can, where they can. Even if it is a little bit here and there, once you’ve built the savings habit, they’ll start to grow. UK Savings Week aims to help everyone; they have tips and tricks for first-time savers, as well as advice to current savers to help make the most of their accounts. From understanding the financial jargon to picking the right savings account for your needs, UK Savings Week wants to help make a big financial difference to each saver. Take a look at the UK Savings Week page here.

SEP 22, 2025

UK Savings Week – types of savings accounts…

What are the main types of savings accounts? With so many different types of savings accounts out there, it can be quite daunting to make sure you’re picking the right one. Here are some of the main types of savings accounts to help keep you informed. Easy Access Accounts: Also known as instant savings accounts, these allow you to take out your money at any time. Usually, these accounts only need a small amount of money to open, and you have access to your money whenever you need it. While these accounts have low interest rates, they are an accessible place to keep your emergency funds. Notice Accounts: These accounts tend to have higher interest rates than easy access accounts, and might need a higher deposit amount to open a notice savings account. You also need to give the account provider an advanced notice before you’re able to withdraw money, which can range from around 30 to 120 days. Be careful though, as withdrawing money before the notice period could lose you interest. Regular Savings Accounts: These accounts usually ask you to commit to depositing into a regular savings account every month for a set period of time. Keeping up with payments means that the interest rates on regular savings accounts is higher, but if you miss a payment the rates could decrease. You could also be limited on the amounts of times you can withdraw from these accounts. Fixed Rate Accounts: These accounts, also known as fixed rate bonds, require you to deposit a single lump sum for a set period of time, which could be anything from one year to five years or longer. You’re unable to make withdrawals until the fixed term is up, with a loss of interest or a penalty to pay if you do decide to withdraw. Fixed rate accounts are usually a fixed interest rate so you’ll know exactly how much interest you’ll earn over a term. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs): ISAs are the same as other savings accounts, except that they allow you to save without tax being deducted. There are different types of ISAs, including easy access ISAs, fixed rate ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs. Your savings are tax-free and you are able to make regular payments or one-off deposits without affecting the interest rate. There is a limit to the amount you can save in each tax year, which is currently £20,000 per person. Lifetime ISA: The Lifetime ISA – LISA – can help you save for your first home, as you get a government bonus of 25% of the amount saved when you use it for a house purchase. LISAs can be used to save for later in life as you can withdraw your money alongside the 25% bonus once you are aged 60. However, if you withdraw money from your LISA for any other reason, you don’t get the government bonus, and you will have to pay a penalty. The limit for how much you can save a year in a Lifetime ISA is £4,000, and you must be under age 40 to open an account. Help to Save Accounts: If you are on certain Tax Credits or Universal Credit you may be eligible for Help to Save. If you qualify and are able to save, it is a good option, as for every pound that is saved, the Government gives you a bonus of 50p. Accounts are open for four years and you can save up to £50 a month.

SEP 22, 2025

UK Savings Week – Support Resources

Support Resources With the cost-of-living crisis affecting us all, it is alright if you are not currently in the position to save. If you need help in managing your money, here are some organisations that are ready to offer you expert and impartial advice, as well as resources. Money Helper – Free and impartial money and pension guidance. On their website they host different savings and mortgage calculators to help you take exact stock of your money, where you might have space to cut back on costs and many more things. If you are struggling with the cost of living, they have specific articles that can aid your worries. Have a look at their articles here. National Debtline – Free independent debt advice. Not only does this charity offer free debt advice via their webpages, but it also allows for online chatting via the phone or their webchat to their debt advisors. As they are authorised and regulated via the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), you can be confident in National Debtline that their advice is held to a high standard and within your best interests. If you need debt advice, have a look to their webpage here. Step Change – Expert debt advice and fee-free debt management. They offer articles and savings calculators to help you understand the state of your finances, as well as offering specific advice for each of your potential financial needs. If you’re not sure where to start, their quick questionnaire will help you figure out what kind of help you might need, and then they’ll provide you with their relevant articles. If you’re not sure where to start, take their questionnaire here. Citizens Advice – Assisting people with legal, debt, consumer housing and more. Citizens Advice covers a wide base of potential concerns, with financial advice being one of the key sectors next to potential health or family concerns. Alongside their articles of advice, they also offer template letters to creditors that you are able to adapt to your own needs. Take a look at their website here. Take Five – Impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud. Take Five is a national campaign that empowers both businesses and individuals alike to better protect themselves against financial fraud. Their motto of Stop, Protect and Challenge offers insight on how to make sure you are not a target of financial fraud. The have various support pages for protecting both yourself and your business from online fraud. Take Five also endeavour to update their website whenever a scam is becoming more popular to keep people aware. If you’re not sure how to protect yourself from online fraud, have a look at their website.