Building societies are member-owned mutual institutions providing a broad range financial products and services including savings and transaction accounts, term deposits, personal and home loans, low-interest car loans, Mastercard and Visa credit cards, insurance, financial planning as well as mobile and online banking, payment and international currency services, debit cards, money transfers, foreign drafts and other services to personal and business customers. Below is a list of building societies in Australia.
ABS Building Society (or ABS) was a mutual organization established in 1970. In May 2011, it was acquired by Greater Building Society (now Greater Bank) and continues to offer services in the region.
B&E Ltd – Australia’s oldest building society founded in 1870. It is a leading Tasmanian financial institution with over 30,000 clients and $1.2 billion in total assets. In 2017, B&E Ltd started trading as Bank of us.
Big Sky Building Society offers mortgages, personal and car loans, credit cards, savings accounts, term deposits, self managed super funds (SMSF), insurance and payment services as well as mobile and online banking. The company changed its name to Australian Unity Bank in October 2018.
Greater Building Society – One of the largest building societies in Australia with over 250,000 members and 70 branches across NSW and South East Queensland. The company changed its name to Greater Bank in 2016.
Heritage Building Society was Australia's biggest building society with operations primarily in Queensland. The company changed its name to Heritage Bank in 2011.
Hume Building Society, established in 1955, is based in Albury, New South Wales. The company changed its name to Hume Bank in 2014.
Illawarra Mutual Building (IMB) Society was one of the leading building societies with approximately $5.0 billion in total assets and more than 180,000 clients. The company was founded in 1880 and is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. IMB became a mutual bank in August 2015.
Lifeplan Australia Building Society was combined with Big Sky Credit Union on March 1, 2012. The combined entity operated as Big Sky Building Society.
Maitland Mutual Building Society is a regional financial institution that has been serving community since 1888. It maintains a branch network at Maitland, East Maitland, Rutherford, Dungog and Raymond Terrace. In March 2019, it announced its new trading name - The Mutual Bank.
Newcastle Permanent Building Society – The largest building society in Australia with more than 320,000 customers, 70 branches, 100 ATMs and over 900 employees. It offers bank accounts, low rate credit cards, term deposits, insurance, cheap car loans and other financial services.
First Australian Building Society (FABS) was the largest building society in Queensland. It was formed in 1997 through a merger of Northern Building and First Provincial building societies and Sunstate Credit Union. Subsequently it merged with Bendigo Bank in 2000.
Perth Building Society (PBS), founded in 1862, was incorporated in state of Western Australia. In 1986 it merged with Victoria-based Hotham Permanent Building Society to create Challenge Bank. Westpac acquired Challenge Bank in 1995 and sold it to Bank of Melbourne in 1996.
Pyramid Building Society, established in 1959, was known as the Farrow (or Pyramid) Group, which also included Geelong and Countrywide building societies. The Group was liquidated on June 22, 1990.
RESI Permanent Building Society, based in Melbourne, Victoria, merged with Statewide Building Society in 1986, to form The RESI-Statewide Building Society.
The Rock Building Society – A subsidiary of MyState Limited, a national financial services group headquartered in Hobart, Tasmania.
Wide Bay Australia was a leading building society in Queensland. It was converted to Auswide Bank Ltd in 2015.
Last updated March 31, 2024