The Building Societies Association (BSA) is the voice for all 42 UK building societies and also represents seven of the larger credit unions. Building societies are for people, not shareholders. But what does this mean? Building societies are mutual organisations, therefore owned by their customers. They are therefore not driven by external shareholder pressure and operate in the interests of their members and their local communities. Building Societies have successfully looked after savings and provided mortgages for more than two hundred years. Mutuals consistently provide better service and higher customer satisfaction than other financial service providers. They outperform plc banks across various aspects of customer service, including treating customers fairly, value for money and being trusted to give good advice.