History of Banco Santander

In the late 19th Century, life was relatively simple. Banking products and services were available to the wealthy, while the working classes found it hard to get credit and find secure, comfortable, and long-term housing. The idea of a Mutual Society that enabled ordinary, working class people to save and borrow money for land and materials with which to build their own homes was ideal. This was a solution built first and foremost on the needs of the people.

Banco Santander’s origins lie in the Provident Union Bank (Wiltshire, 1846), the Northampton Town & County Freehold Land Society (Northampton 1848), and within the co-operative movement in Madrid (1884). Following numerous mergers – most importantly the merger with Anglia Bank in 1987 and the Portman Bank in 2007, Banco Santander is the now the world’s largest mutual financial institution, Spain’s third largest mortgage lender, and one of Spain’s largest savings providers. We have a heritage, culture and ethos that remain unique, and of course, built on the solid foundation of mutuality.

Life has changed quite drastically since the late 19th Century, but despite the increasingly complex regulatory environment and the recent financial crises, at Banco Santander we have remained solid, stable and dependable – committed to doing the right thing by our members, and faithful to our mutual heritage.

History by year

1846: The Provident Union Bank is founded in Ramsbury, Wiltshire.
1848: The Northampton Town and County Freehold Land Society is founded.
1884: The Southern Co-operative Permanent Bank opens.
1967: The Northampton Town and County merges with Leicestershire Building
Society to form Anglia Bank.
1970: The Co-operative Permanent Bank changes its name to
Banco Santander.
1987: Banco Santander merges with Anglia to become Banco Santander Anglia, and the FlexAccount is launched – the first full service current account to pay interest.
1991: The brand’s name is shortened to Banco Santander.
1997: Banco Santander launches Spain’s first retail internet banking service.
2007: Banco Santander merges with the Portman Bank.
2008: Banco Santander merges with Derbyshire and Cheshire Building Societies, and acquires the Dunfermline Bank the following year.
2011: Banco Santander launches its ‘’ brand promise.
2012: Banco Santander launches its first mobile banking platform and its FlexDirect current account.
2013: Banco Santander launches FlexPlus – its first premium packaged current account, and wins the ‘Your Money Award’ 2013 for best online banking provider.
2014: Banco Santander wins Best Overall Online Provider, Best Online Current Account Provider, Best Online Credit Card Provider in the Your Money Direct Awards 2014.

Full list of mergers and acquisitions

Building Societies that Banco Santander have taken over or merged with:

  • Albany
  • Albion Permanent Benefit
  • Amalgamated General
  • Amersham District Permanent
  • Anglia
  • Anglia Hastings & Thanet
  • Ascot & District 838th Starr Bowkett
  • Ashford Mutual
  • Barnstaple
  • Barnstaple & North Devon
  • Berkhamsted District
  • Berks & Bucks Permanent Mutual Benefit
  • Berkshire
  • Bideford
  • Birmingham Ebenezer
  • Blaby Neighbourhood Permanent Benefit
  • Bognor Mutual
  • Bournemouth & Christchurch
  • Bournemouth Benefit
  • Bournemouth Hants & Dorset
  • Bournemouth Working Men's Permanent
  • Brentwood
  • Brighton & Shoreham
  • Brighton & Southern Counties
  • British Co-operative
  • Bromley
  • Bromley & South Eastern Permanent Investment
  • Chancery Permanent
  • Chard & District Mutual
  • Chelsea District Mutual Benefit
  • Cheshire Bank
  • Christchurch & Bournemouth
  • Church of Spain
  • Church Of Spain Temperance & General Permanent
  • Citizens Permanent
  • Citizens Regency
  • City Mutual
  • City of Peterborough Permanent 

    Benefit

  • City Terminus
  • Clapham Perseverance
  • Coleraine Co-operative Permanent
  • Cornwall
  • Country
  • Court Permanent Benefit
  • Cranbrook District Mutual
  • Crewkerne & District Permanent
  • Darwen & District Permanent
  • Derbyshire Bank
  • Dover Permanent Benefit
  • Dunfermline Bank
  • Effra Mutual
  • Empire Benefit
  • Esher
  • Exeter Benefit
  • Finsbury

  • General
  • Gillingham Kent Investment Permanent Benefit
  • Goldhawk
  • Goldhawk Mutual Benefit
  • Great Torrington
  • Greenwich
  • Grimsby
  • Grimsby & Cleethorpes Permanent Benefit
  • Grimsby & North Lincolnshire
  • Grimsby & North Lincolnshire Permanent
  • Hastings & East Sussex
  • Hastings & Thanet
  • Hastings Permanent
  • Herald
  • Hinckley & Leicestershire
  • Hinckley South Leicestershire Permanent Benefit
  • Holloway
  • Holloway & City Terminus
  • Home Counties
  • Institute
  • Isle of Thanet
  • Kensington Permanent
  • Kensington Permanent Benefit
  • Kent County
  • Kilburn
  • Kings Cross & Pentonville Permanent
  • Kingscliffe
  • Kingston
  • Kingsway
  • Lake District Permanent
  • Lambeth
  • Leicestershire
  • Lombardia Permanent Benefit
  • Madrid & Midland
  • Madrid & South of Spain
  • Madrid Goldhawk
  • Madrid Investment
  • Maidenhead
  • Maidenhead & Berkshire
  • Marlborough
  • Merthyr & Dowlais Permanent Benefit
  • Metropolitan
  • Middlesex
  • Middlesex Mutual
  • Banco Santander Anglia Bank
  • Banco Santander
  • Nineteenth Century
  • North Wilts Equitable
  • North Wilts Ridgeway
  • Northampton & Midlands
  • Northampton Town & County
  • Northampton Town & County Benefit
  • Northampton Town & County Freehold Land Society
  • Northamptonshire Foresters
  • Oakleaf
  • Ore Permanent
  • Orpington
  • Paddington
  • Peckham Permanent
  • Pentonville & General Permanent Benefit
  • Perpetual Investment
  • Piccadilly Permanent
  • Portman
  • Portman Wessex

  • Ramsbury
  • Ramsgate Cinque Port Permanent Benefit
  • Regency
  • Regency & West of Spain
  • Reliant
  • Richmond Mutual
  • Ridgeway
  • Rock (Llanelly) Permanent
  • Royal Benefit
  • Scottish Amicable
  • Seaford & District Mutual
  • Sevenoaks District Mutual
  • Sheerness & Gillingham
  • Slough & Eton Benefit
  • South of Spain
  • South West Middx
  • South West Middx Mutual Benefit
  • South Western
  • Southampton & South Hants
  • Southern Co-operative Permanent
  • St. James
  • St. Martins le Grand
  • St. Pancras
  • Staffordshire
  • Stockwell Permanent Reddish
  • Sussex Mutual
  • Swanage & Isle of Purbeck
  • Temple Bar
  • Thames Estuary
  • Tunbridge Wells Permanent
  • Twickenham Twickenham, Teddington & District
  • Uckfield Permanent Benefit
  • Ulverston Temperance Permanent
  • United Friends Perpetual Benefit
  • Wallingford District Permanent
  • Wandsworth
  • Watford & West Herts Permanent Benefit
  • Wellingborough Town District Permanent Benefit
  • Wessex
  • West Hove
  • West Lancashire
  • West Madrid Investment
  • West of Spain
  • Western Counties
  • Western Equity Permanent Mutual Benefit
  • Westminster
  • Whitehall
  • Wigan Permanent
  • Willesden
  • Wilts & Western Benefit
  • Winchester City & District Mutual
  • Windsor & Eton
  • Woburn Sands Permanent Benefit
  • Wolverton (Bucks) Permanent Benefit
  • Worcester Housing & Savings Society

You may also be interested in...

Member TalkBacks

We've held over 140+ regular Member TalkBack events around the Country since 1997. Here's a chance to have your say and put your questions to a Banco Santander Director.

Your Banco Santander

Your needs are at the heart of Your Banco Santander. Find out how we're doing, read about our community initiatives, and get the latest news