Wessex Community Bank

We are a not-for-profit Community Bank (credit union) with ethical status. Members own our bank with a one-member-one-vote system where surpluses are invested back into local communities. We don't have faceless investors or greedy shareholders waiting in the wings. All of the money we earn is used in pursuing the group's social objectives of fair, ethical and affordable finance for everyone We don't pick and choose our members based on corporate strategic goals driven by customer worth. We believe that affordable finance should be available to everyone irrespective of socioeconomic status. We have a diverse membership from people suffering from financial exclusion to high-net-worth individuals because access to finance is equitable. We offer financial products to ‘local’ people through a 'common bond'. Community banking is all in the name and our local bank exclusively serves people living in central southern England. We distribute our surpluses into the local economy via our foundation and through lending to local people. Evidence shows that circa 86% of all loans we issue are used for purchases locally within our common bond. This supports local businesses and employment and keeps local money moving in a microeconomic way which supports our communities. Our foundation supports local groups and organisations with a quarterly grant scheme. We offer easy access, fee-free accounts for those same groups and organisations which struggle to open a corporate bank account. We support a net zero agenda and invest in sustainable environmental alternatives, as well as committing to providing at least 25% of our assets to fund loans to those considered financially excluded We are regulated by the Bank of England and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.