Welcome to the Northern Mutual campaign
The Northern Mutual Campaign is a co-operative society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and set up for the purposes of establishing a mutual regional bank in Northern Ireland.
A mutual regional bank…
- Is owned by and accountable to its members, not by shareholders
- Serves only the region it is designated to operate within; and members must live in or be connected to the region
- Is ethical and purpose-driven, not profit-driven, which means it acts in the best interests of the region rather than maximising profits for shareholders; it builds trusting relationships with members; it gives lending decision-making powers to local branches; it does not pay bonuses or excessive salaries to executives
A mutual regional bank will…
- Promote financial inclusion and never refuse anybody who lives here a bank account
- Increase access to cash and branches through staffed and automated branches, reversing the current trend of branch and ATM closures
- Prioritise banking that serves the needs of local people and our local small businesses
- Ensure the wealth generated in our local economy stays here
- Prioritise lending and investment decisions that are beneficial to our people and our environment
Who's behind the campaign for the Northern Mutual?
The Northern Mutual campaign is made up of volunteers from all walks of life who are passionate about the need for a mutual bank in NI.
In 2022, Northern Mutual volunteers ran an MLA pledge campaign during the Assembly elections and secured support for a mutual bank from 20% of the elected MLAs.
Now we're planning a range of awareness-raising events and new volunteers are always welcome!
The Board of Trustees
The Northern Mutual board has six members, each of whom have different backgrounds and life experiences. They are Bob Stronge (chair), Tiziana O’Hara, Ciaran Donnelly, Mary McManus, Derek McCallan and Bridget Meehan.
A roadmap to establishing the Northern Mutual
The Northern Mutual campaign has been working hard since 2019. While we have made substantial progress in that time, there is still a way to go before we open our first branch. Below is a roadmap showing what we have achieved to date, what we’re working on now and what we plan to do next.