Advantages: great small building society with a good range of accounts
Disadvantages: none

...The yorkshie building society is a traditional building society which really does seem to be there for its members not only in the range of accounts competitive intrest rates on mortgages and savings accounts but on that old fashioned thing called costomer care. I have been saving with them for a number of years and when one of my accounts became an obselte one I was alerted to the fact practically straight away and changed to the new higher interest account. This is not a building society for the carpet baggers! you sign away your rights when you open your account these days... Read review

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Advantages: Instant access, high interest, friendly staff
Disadvantages: You have to have a book and not a cashcard

...in her will and my dad put it into the Yorkshire Bank (not the BS) access saver account which you had to give three months' notice to withdraw cash or risk losing the interest. As if the measly 3.5% interest that they gave was even worth losing - I got more than that on my NatWest current account (see op)! See the difference between plc's and mutual societies now? So I started scouring the building society's webpages for the best interest rates - Leeds & Holbeck had a promising 5.25%, Bradford & Bingley at 5.75%, Newcastle at 4.75% and Yorkshire at 6.5% (it has since gone down 0.35 points). Also, Leeds & Holbeck and Newcastle required notice for withdrawls whilst Bradford & Bingley and Yorkshire didn't even require any notice, you could have instant access AND a brilliant interest rate!!! So that meant that with YBS I got 3 points higher... Read review

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Advantages: None in my experience
Disadvantages: An awful lot

...I have been with the Yorkshire Building Society for about 6 years now. I first started with them because I couldn't open a bank account for love nor money, just a building society account. I joined up for their cashcard account. It was ok at first but I advise anyone not to get a direct debit paid from this account as I have experienced more trouble than a reoccuring boil on the bum. My daughter is in the happy kids account and I can safetly say that HSBC gives her a better interest payment on her account with them than the yorkshire gives her. I am closing my Yorkshire Building society account as I am so disattisfied with them because of the way they have handled my account. Whenever a mistake is made by them they charge you £25 and won't admit that they have made a mistake. I have had more satisfaction from Barclays Bank... Read review

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Advantages: Competitive Rates
Disadvantages: Only A Few Branches

...premises were above a Grocer's Shop in Barnsley Town Centre. In 1938 the Society moved to its current premises, a purpose built building called Permanent House in 1938. This was built at a cost of £50,000 and it is still the location of the Society's head offices today. After the Second World War the Society changed its name to the Barnsley Building Society and spread outwards from its central roots, opening branches throughout South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and North-East Derbyshire. WHAT THEY OFFER The services offered by the Barnsley Building Society fall broadly into three main categories. These are as below: Savings and Investments Mortgages and Loans Other Financial Services Savings and Investments - There are many different accounts available to suit different needs. Within the General Accounts the following accounts... Read review

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Advantages: Mutual, better branches, good service, good rates on products.
Disadvantages: Slightly sly on the charity point, and very few ATMs.

...The Yorkshire is the 3rd biggest building society in the UK. It’s products are often in the Best Buy tables, and it’s hailed as a mutual hero. The YBS has it’s own charity, the YBS foundation, which all members promise to give their windfalls to should, in the unlikely event, the society become plc in the 5 years following the account being opened (like Halifax, Abbey National ect.). But read the application forms carefully, unless you tick a box (and appear unkind!), the BS will automatically give the pence of your interest each year to it’s charity. I.e, should you earn £4.55 on your savings, they will credit the account with £4, and give the rest to charity. This is called the small change, big difference scheme. Call me tight, but I think it’s be fairer if the Yorkshire asked you to opt In, instead... Read review

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Advantages: Save and help the environment
Disadvantages: Not as many packages available

...direct debits. The Eco-Instant Account is declared by the Ecology Building as the most popular account that it operates. It is a tiered rate passbook account. Ordinary Share Account. This is a tradition Building Society passbook account. (It is the account I hold.) Charity Deposit Account. This is a special account aimed at charity groups, religious organisations, etc. Corporate Deposit Account. This is designed for housing co-ops, worker's co-ops, limited companies, etc. It also has a requirement for a minimum deposit of £500. The Ecology Building Society has only one office in Yorkshire, which helps to keep overheads modest. The building is a very special one, as it is designed to strict environmental specifications with very well insulated walls a roof top Photovoltaic Array and a meeting room that is built from straw bales... Read review

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Advantages: none
Disadvantages: poor rates and service

...Having had a mortgage for 35 years with the Bradford and Bingley, am I glad to be rid of it! They are invariably among the first to put up mortgage interest rates and the last to reduce them - and the opposite with savings rates. Also they forced me to take out an endowment mortage, then had the cheek to charge me extra interest for the privilege! They have also been at the forefront of the diablolical practice of quitely reducing rates on once good accounts, on the grounds that they are "no longer available" - so what?, I ask. Other societies such as the Yorkshire Building Society do the decent thing, and swap the accounts for you if you are forgetful. Not that there is any sense in constantly changing the accounts! When my mortgage was due to finish, round about the time of the flotation, I found it impossible to communicate... Read review

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Advantages: Top rates, great service, online access
Disadvantages: Sign away membership writes for 5 years

...They say that Yorkshiremen (and women) are pretty savvy, coming from the other side of the pennines I'd never really taken paid too much attension but if the range of products offered by the Yorkshire Building Society is anything to go by then it's probably true. The range of savings is not overly fancy or over-engineered but if your looking for a plain vanilla savings accounts then you cann't really go far wrong. The eye catching top account is the e-isa (it pays 5.2% as of 10 Aug, although that will probably fall following last week's interest rate decision). This is pretty competitive and isn't falsely flattered by the (much over-used in my opinion) scam of paying an introductory bonus for the first 6 months to distort the headline rates. Aside from rates, I've found the service very good: my application was turned round at top... Read review

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Advantages: Resolutely mutual; good interest rates
Disadvantages: No current accounts

...Still a mutual building society, the Yorkshire has shown that it is considering its members’ interests in staying that way. Their interest rates are still among the best, and you don’t have to present them with a minimum amount of something like £5,000 to open an account. They were highly instrumental in reducing the charges for cash machine withdrawals, with their “Stop the charges” campaign. So, if you, like me, are still interested in backing the mutuals, and what they stand for, I’d definitely recommend the Yorkshire. If you’re looking out for a windfall (seems to be forlorn hope nowadays in any case), it’s probably not going to reap any rewards, but at least you’ll get a good service. The Saver accounts are the most popular: I went for the Notice Saver, which is a 30 day notice... Read review

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Advantages: Supposedly a mutual society, with some good accounts which they must 'forget' to tell suffering customers about
Disadvantages: Who ever heard of a society which doesn't deal in cash? Or one which wants all members to have 2.5K to keep in a low paying account just to keep it open?

...The Skipton has been hit hard by the carpetbaggers. To try and deter them, this society has made the minimum opening balances extreamly high, and has been forced to cut some of it's savings rates on the most popular accounts. This is a shame, as it is going against all the principles of a building society. For example, a saver with over 2K in the society's High Street account (the ordinary building society account with instant access using a passbook), will earn just over 1% gross. After tax, this amount is eating away at your money, and is nowhere near inflation. It's only when the balance gets very high (we're talking 25K here), that the interest rate becomes mildly attrcative (4.5% or so). A saver with £100+ in Yorkshire's Access Saver will earn just under 5% gross. Also, the account has a minimum transaction of £500. All... Read review

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