"Large enough to cope, small enough to care."

The Society

Holmesdale Building Society has been in existence since 1855 and, whilst over much of its history the members have been mainly local people, we have widened our area of activities over the last couple of decades with members in many parts of the country.

The Holmesdale and other building societies are mutual and are run for the benefit of their members, unlike banks who also face the demands of shareholders. At the Holmesdale, our continued commitment is to put the interests of our members first.

The graph below indicates how the Society's assets have steadily increased from £5.2m in 1970 to £141.9m in 2006.

Mortgages

All mortgages are subject to appraisal of a borrower’s financial standing and status and are only available to persons aged 18 and over.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE SECURED ON IT.

Savings

Interest will be paid net of the lower rate of income tax, currently 20%, or, subject to the required Inland Revenue certification, gross. Where tax deducted exceeds an investor's tax liability (if any), some or all of this tax may be reclaimed from the Inland Revenue.

The Holmesdale Building Society is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service. We also subscribe to the Banking Code, copies of which are available on request.

The Holmesdale Building Society also participates in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Payments under the Scheme are limited to a maximum of £31,700, that is 100% of the first £2,000 of an investor's total shares and/or deposits, and 90% of the next £33,000. Most investors are covered, including individuals and small firms. A small number of categories of shares and deposits are not covered. Although most shares and deposits are denominated in sterling, all other currencies are covered. Further details are available on request from the Society.

Charitable Assignment

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS OPENING AN INVESTMENT ACCOUNT

At Holmesdale Building Society we aim to give the highest level of service to all our members. As a mutual organisation we have had some disruption to our normal business caused by speculators. These people open a savings account in the hope of receiving future windfall conversion benefits. This is despite the assurances we have given for many years that we are committed to remaining a mutual organisation and have no plans to change.

To avoid any further disruption to our business we have introduced a new requirement for new investment customers. This will enable us to provide the level of service our genuine members expect and deserve.

All new savers opening share accounts must sign a declaration agreeing to assign to the Charities Aid Foundation, any future windfall rights to which they become entitled during the period of five years from the date of opening the account. The assignment will relate to any new account opened by the saver during the five year period unless the member is exempt.

This agreement will not apply to anyone who has held and continues to hold a share account with the Society since before 2nd May 2000.

There are some other types of customer who are not affected by the requirement to assign and a list of those is available from the Society's Secretary.

The above notes are only a summary of the charitable assignment arrangements. The complete terms are in our new account application forms.

The Charities Aid Foundation is a charity, which channels charitable giving to worthy causes.

Due to the nature of the worldwide web, the Holmesdale Building Society cannot guarantee the accurate presentation of information on this site. Whilst the Holmesdale Building Society makes every effort to ensure that the site is accurate and up to date, the documentation and graphics provided on this site are for information purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon. The Holmesdale Building Society cannot accept liability for any loss or damage suffered by our customers as a result of reliance on any information provided on this site. Customers who are interested in our products are advised to contact us to discuss their requirements.

The Holmesdale Building Society does not accept any liability for any computer viruses which the customer may suffer as a result of accessing this site. The Holmesdale Building Society uses up to date virus checking software and recommends that you also do so.