National Counties Building Society
The National Counties Building Society has generously supported the Epsom & Ewell Local and Family History Centre by paying for some special sleeves to help protect some of the unique photographs in the Centre's collection. The Society has additionally provided a brief history of their company for this website.
On 3rd March 1896 the Society was incorporated as the Fourth Post Office Mutual Building Society with membership limited to employees of the Post Office. In 1935 the Society introduced its first logo with the motto: Stability & Security, a description that could still apply today.
In 1946 the Society deleted "Mutual" from its name to become the Fourth Post Office Building Society and in 1960 the Garter King of Arms granted arms, supporters and a new motto, Rei Custos Tuae (Custodian of your Goods), to the Society. The impressive coat of arms was duly adopted as the Society's logo, appearing on all its printed material for the next 30 years or so.
In 1965 the Society changed its name to the National Post Office Building Society and the following year moved its head office to Epsom Surrey, which remains its home today.
The renamed Society pioneered the development of savings accounts by post, offering this innovation to all members of the public rather than dealing only with Post Office staff. To reflect this widening of its membership, in March 1972 the Society's name was changed to National Counties Building Society and in 1973 it accepted the transfer of engagements from the Post Office Permanent Building Society.
When the Society celebrated its Centenary in 1996, it declared that it looked forward to continuing to provide its customers with 'best-buy' products backed by high quality service. Towards the end of the year, it was one of the first building societies to operate a website, providing its existing and new customers with easy access to its products and services. In 2001 the Society adopted its current logo, the design objective having been to 'modernise' the image, to reflect the directness of contact offered in relation to products and services and to give emphasis to the website address by featuring 'ncbs'.
The Society now offers facilities which enable its customers to enquire about their accounts and conduct transactions from the comfort of their homes and offices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The combination of the latest technology with old-fashioned principles of personal service and trust-worthiness makes National Counties the modern mutual - an organisation which is proud of its heritage but willing to respond to developments which will enhance the services available to its customers.