£234m gross mortgage lending drives record year for Darlington

20 April 2026

Darlington Building Society delivered record gross mortgage lending of £234m in 2025, a 58% increase on the previous year, as the mutual reported a strong set of results underpinned by steady, service-led growth.

These results reflect a clear strategy focused on sustainable growth, specialist lending and broker-led distribution, rather than volume alone.

The Society also reported net lending of £101m, alongside continued expansion in its savings base, with retail deposits rising to £939m from £853m in 2024.

Meanwhile, Darlington reported a core operating profit before tax of £3.7m, up from £3m in 2024, with total assets surpassing £1bn for the first time, reaching £1,025m.

Chief Executive Andrew Craddock said:

“What is particularly pleasing about 2025 is the way we were able to overcome so much volatility in the global economy to stay true to our core purpose of supporting people into home ownership.

“It is a source of great pride that 40% of the record figure for gross new lending in 2025 was supporting first-time buyers to achieve their dreams of getting onto the property ladder.

“That has been central to our ethos for 170 years, and the fact that we have broken the Society’s record in such a crucial area of the business is testament to the hard work and commitment of our colleagues.”

The Society’s lending growth has been built on several years of investment in people, systems and distribution, creating the capacity to scale in a controlled and sustainable way. This includes improved digital capability alongside continued access to manual underwriting, allowing the Society to support more complex cases in a volatile rate environment.

A key part of this strategy has been the continued development of its intermediary proposition and over the past 12 months, Darlington has expanded its business development and underwriting teams, while introducing three broker service commitments focused on speed, access and consistency.

These changes have been supported by targeted product development, including the launch of foreign currency mortgages, limited company buy-to-let products and a more flexible approach to skilled foreign national borrowers. Together, this has strengthened the Society’s position in specialist lending segments such as self-build, later life and complex residential cases, where broker advice is central.

The Society also delivered a strong performance in savings, with competitive pricing helping it consistently outperform the wider market. Up to November 2025, Darlington paid an average rate of 3.38% on savings, compared to a market average of 3.05%, equating to £12m in additional interest paid to savers over the past three years.

Customer satisfaction remained a core strength, with Darlington achieving a Net Promoter Score of +92.3, significantly above the building society average.

Chair Rachel Court said:

“We continue to build our financial strength with measured growth and sound profitability. Combined with continued progress and embedding our strategic investment programme, this will underpin our success and sustainability for many years to come.”

In a milestone year, the Society also marked its 170th anniversary, while total assets growth placed it 19th among the UK’s 42 building societies. It also surpassed £1m in community donations through its pledge to contribute 5% of profits to local causes.

CEO Andrew Craddock, who will step down at the Society’s AGM, added:

“It has been an immense privilege and honour to work with so many talented and dedicated colleagues, serving the community in such a special part of the country.

“I am really proud to have seen our Society grow, prosper and mature, and am delighted to be leaving the Society in such robust health.”