The Intermediary –- June 2026 - Flipbook - Page 26
In Profile.
Q&A
Furness Building Society
Jessica Bird speaks with Jon Cartlidge, head of member
and broker strategy at Furness Building Society, about
what makes a modern mutual
W
hile much of the industry
races toward automation
and centralisation,
Furness Building Society
is doubling down on its
presence at the coalface. The Intermediary sat
down with Jon Cartlidge, head of member and
broker strategy, to understand the dynamics of
relationship-driven lending and local identity,
balanced with modern systems – asking, what
does a modern mutual really look like?
Rooted in place, not time
After 25 years in financial services, Cartlidge is,
in his own words, a “dyed-in-the-wool building
society professional.” He says: “I love the mutual
model. I’m very passionate about it, and embracing
and living the model as well.
“The ultimate decisions that we make are led
by our members, who are the people that buy a
mortgage or save some money with us. That’s
particularly important and close to my heart.”
For those familiar with the mutual model, it will
come as no surprise to hear that Furness bases its
strategy member-led decision-making, regional
identity, charity and community investment, and a
physical presence in key locations.
Cartlidge explains: “It’s not just about mortgage
rates and savings rates. It’s about the impact that
you’re having in your community.”
The ethos of being a community-based lender
can be seen in its investment in local branches.
This is particularly important, Cartlidge explains,
in those parts off the area seeing a depletion in the
esence of larger banks.
high street presence
as originally founded to help build
Furness was
houses for the shipbuilding community. Now,
stems building submarines, the
with BAE Systems
fundamentals are the same 166 years later.
“We’ve really tried to lean into our local
identity,”” Cartlidge says: “We talk about our
umbrian tone of voice.”
Cumbrian
urness has pumped more than
To this end, Furness
efurbishing all eight branches across
£4m into refurbishing
es and Lancashire. Cartlidge says this is
South Lakes
moree than just a lick of paint: “We’ve redesigned
ay from a traditional glassthose spaces away
ounter into an open plan. There
fronted counter
s, everyone’s seated
are no counters,
when they’ree served, moving away
24
The Intermediary
y | June 2026
from transactions and more into conversations.
The pandemic really brought home how important
branches still are,” he explains. “For some people,
our colleagues were the only people they spoke to
all day. The resonance of real human conversations
hit for us.”
Furness Building Society has, as part of this
reinvestment, considered how the modern
world is changing. Cartlidge says this brought
up some harsh truths: “The nature of the world,
the nature of work, the nature of employment
and property, is all changing at such a pace. We
reflected internally and asked, have we kept pace
with that change as much as we could and should
have done? Probably not. Have we done the best
thing by our broker community to support them?
Probably not.”
What followed was around 12 months of
reviewing Furness’ proposition, reconsidering
its approach to underwriting, processes, speed,
criteria flexibility, and market outreach.
Cartlidge says: “We spent a lot of time looking
particularly at the stages before survey, because
that’s where a lot of frustration can build. We also
started to ask ourselves whether our criteria really
reflected modern working patterns and modern
income patterns.”
Furness brought together staff from across
its proposition and went through its criteria.
Some elements added as a result include
bringing Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)
income, bursary and stipends, and
Personal Independence Payments into
affordability calculations.
In addition to having a broader
set of criteria that reflects the
reality of its borrowers, Cartlidge
says flexibility and human
conversations are key to adapting
as the world changes.
He explains: “If you phone, email
or live chat before you submit the
case if there’s something quirky
with it, it’s more likely to sail
through, because we’ll assess it
upfront and say if it’s going
to fit our criteria.”
Cartlidge lists
various
factors,
JON CARTLIDGE
