Reframing building societies and mutual insurers - collaboration as a source of competitive advantage: A summary report

As two of the leading trade bodies representing the financial mutual sector we were delighted to sponsor this valuable piece of work from the Centre for Mutual and Employee-Owned Business at Kellogg College, Oxford. The financial services industry has undergone significant change in recent years, particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The desire to modify and control behaviour in firms and in particular in the boardroom has been understandable, and many have begun to question to what extent the increasingly homogenised supply of financial products from large PLCs has been harmfulto society in general. That has in turn given leaders of mutual organisations an opportunity to begin to question how they can best compete in today’s marketplace. This piece of research is part of the answer, and begins to articulate how the combined strengths of the financial mutual sector can be a force for good in the financial marketplace.In the course of their work the researchers, Daniel Tischer and Ruth Yeoman, have spoken to many people in the UK financial mutual sector, and elsewhere, in order to test their conclusions. They also benefited from the support of a high-level Advisory Group which has reviewed the findings. We are very grateful for all their work, and hope this summary document, and the wider academic report, provide a firm foundation from which to develop a stronger, more co-ordinated financial mutuals sector.