Leeds Building Society reports strong H1 lending and continued broker support
We’ve reported gross mortgage lending of £2.0 billion for the first half of 2026, as we continued to support borrowers through intermediary partners and invest in products designed to address affordability challenges.
We helped 13,000 people onto and up the housing ladder during the period, almost half of whom were first time buyers. The results also show savings balances increasing to £26.4 billion, supporting our ability to continue lending responsibly while maintaining financial strength.
Broker confidence and service
For brokers, our interim results highlight continued appetite to lend, targeted product innovation and a focus on improving service for intermediary partners. Broker Net Promoter Score increased to 65, reflecting a positive response from intermediaries to our proposition and service delivery.
Product options for affordability challenges
We’re continuing to innovate and create products that are designed to help brokers place cases where clients may have strong affordability, but face challenges linked to deposit size, income multiples, or changing housing needs.
Our new Start Mortgage range is designed to reduce barriers for first time buyers by combining high LTV lending with competitive income requirements, allowing eligible borrowers to access up to 98% LTV, with a minimum income threshold of £30,000 and a maximum loan size of £500,000, subject to responsible lending assessments.
We’ve also expanded our Income Plus range, giving brokers another option for clients looking to move up the property ladder as well as those buying for the first time. The range allows eligible first time buyers and next steppers to access up to six times loan to income, where they have a minimum income of £75,000 and meet our lending criteria.
Retention support for existing borrowers
Existing borrower support is also a focus. We launched £200 cashback to members who choose to stay with us at the end of their current deal, giving brokers a retention-focused option for clients considering their next mortgage move.
Financial strength and technology investment
We reported profit before tax of £70.7 million in a significant transformation build year for the Society, in line with our growth plans and expectations, with a continued focus on protecting members’ interests, maintaining a strong balance sheet and remaining well positioned to support our purpose.
Our rate of growth in the first half of 2026 reflects the deliberate investment choices we have made, including the multi-year modernisation of our core technology platform, which is now in the build phase.
For brokers, the investment is intended to support a better experience through improved systems, more efficient processes and more time focused on case outcomes.
We maintained low arrears levels at 0.57%, which reflects the work of teams supporting borrowers facing financial difficulty.
Our financial strength and focused strategy mean that we are well positioned to continue to create lasting value for our members and help our broker partners to support clients across first-time buyer, next-stepper and retention scenarios.
Read our press release for our full half-year results for 2026.