Yorkshire Building Society to create 100 jobs

The UK’s second largest building society has begun a five-year investment programme to enhance its products and services.

The society has created 100 jobs so far this year, and is expecting to create an extra 100 jobs by the end of 2013, providing a boost to the Bradford and Leeds economies.

In its interim results, the group achieved a pre-tax profit of £80.1m, compared with £82.8m in the same period last year.

There was an increase in gross lending to £2.5bn, compared with £2.4bn in the same period in 2012.

Commenting on the results, Chris Pilling, Yorkshire Building Society Chief Executive, said: “Our figures for the first six months of 2013 are very pleasing and reflect our consistent, positive financial performance.

“Our fundamental aims as a building society – helping people to save for the future and buy their own home – are unwavering and being so closely rooted in our communities makes us ideally placed to achieve them.

“Net lending has been solid so far this year and we strongly expect this will increase further in the second half of 2013. These interim results show that our responsible approach and long-term financial stability has resulted in a strong, consistently well-capitalised mutual playing a major role in the modern UK financial services sector.

“I believe the excellent service the Yorkshire provides members and the trust they place in us demonstrate how we are providing a credible and successful mutual alternative to the big banks.

“Our continued financial strength has allowed us to begin the significant investment programme, which we announced earlier this year, to further improve the quality of service we deliver to our members.

“The new phase in our growth includes the planned opening in the coming months of a major new office in Leeds, which will see up to 1,000 colleagues based in the city centre, as well as investing £11m in our principal Bradford site and £5m invested in our offices in Cheltenham and Peterborough.

“This investment will create modern, flexible environments from which to deliver great value and service to our members and I am delighted that this will allow us to create more than 200 additional jobs, split broadly equally between Bradford and Leeds, by the end of the year.

“These new jobs will cover a variety of roles across the society and reflect our on-going ability to make a positive impact on our communities as we continue to grow as an organisation.”