Everything you wanted to know
A number of building societies in the United Kingdom no longer exist, either changing their names or merging with other building societies. They are:
Abbey Road Building Society and National Building Society merged in 1944 to become Abbey National Building Society.
Bingley Permanent Building Society and Bradford Equitable Building Society merged in 1964 to become Bradford & Bingley Building Society.
Co-operative Permanent Building Society changed its name in 1970 to Nationwide Building Society.
Leicester Permanent Building Society and Leicester Temperance Building Society merged in 1974 to become Leicester Building Society.
Bedfordshire Building Society and Temperance Permanent merged in 1974 to become Gateway Building Society.
Leek & Westbourne Building Society and Oldbury Britannia Building Society merged in 1975 to form Britannia Building Society.
Huddersfield & Bradford Building Society and West Yorkshire Building Society merged in 1982 to become Yorkshire Building Society.
Coventry Economic Building Society and Coventry Provident Building Society merged in 1983 to become Coventry Building Society.
Burnley Building Society and Provincial Building Society merged in 1984 to become National & Provincial Building Society.
Alliance Building Society and Leicester Building Society merged in 1985 to become Alliance & Leicester Building Society.
Waltham Abbey Building Society (1847) merged in 1985 with Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society.
Birmingham & Bridgwater Building Society and Midshires Building Society merged in 1986 to become Birmingham Midshires Building Society.
Norwich Building Society and Peterborough Building Society merged in 1986 to become Norwich & Peterborough Building Society.
Anglia Building Society and Nationwide Building Society merged in 1987 to become Nationwide Anglia Building Society. Changed name in 1991 to Nationwide Building Society.
Gateway Building Society and Woolwich Equitable Building Society merged in 1988 to become Woolwich Building Society.
Wessex Building Society and Portman Building Society merged in 1989 to become Portman Wessex Building Society.
Portman Wessex Building Society and Regency & West of England Building Society merged in 1990 to become Portman Building Society.
Hendon Building Society taken over in 1991 by Bradford & Bingley Building Society.
Haywards Heath Building Society merged in 1992 with Yorkshire Building Society.
Cheshunt Building Society merged in 1992 with Bristol and West Building Society.
Heart of England Building Society merged in 1993 with Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society.
St. Pancras Building Society merged in 1993 with Portman Building Society.
Leeds Permanent Building Society merged in 1995 with Halifax Building Society.
City & Metropolitan Building Society merged in 1996 with Stroud & Swindon Building Society.
Nottingham Imperial Building Society merged in 2000 with Newcastle Building Society.
Gainsborough Building Society merged in 2001 with Yorkshire Building Society.
Ilkeston Permanent Building Society merged in 2001 with Derbyshire Building Society.
Clay Cross Building Society merged in 2003 with Derbyshire Building Society.
Staffordshire Building Society merged in 2003 with Portman Building Society.
Lambeth Building Society merged in 2006 with Portman Building Society.
Mercantile Building Society merged in 2006 with Newcastle Building Society.
Universal Building Society merged in 2006 with Leeds Building Society.
Portman Building Society merged in 2007 with Nationwide Building Society.
Cheshire Building Society merged in 2008 with Nationwide Building Society.
Derbyshire Building Society merged in 2008 with Nationwide Building Society.
Barnsley Building Society merged in 2008 with Yorkshire Building Society.
Catholic Building Society merged in 2008 with Chelsea Building Society.
Scarborough Building Society merged in 2009 with Skipton Building Society.
Britannia Building Society was acquired in 2009 by The Co-operative Bank.
Chelsea Building Society merged in 2010 with Yorkshire Building Society.
Chesham Building Society merged in 2010 with Skipton Building Society.
Kent Reliance Building Society acquired in 2011 by One Savings plc. Changed name to OneSavings Bank.
Other building societies that were privatised/demutualised between 1989 and 2000:
Abbey National was converted to plc in 1989.
Cheltenham and Gloucester was taken over in 1994 by Lloyds Bank plc.
National & Provincial Building Society was taken over in 1995 by Abbey National plc.
Alliance & Leicester converted to plc in 1997.
Bristol and West taken over in 1997 by the Bank of Ireland.
Halifax was converted to plc in 1997.
Northern Rock was converted to plc in 1997.
The Woolwich was converted to plc in 1997.
Birmingham Midshires was taken over in 1999 by Halifax plc.
Bradford & Bingley converted to plc in 2000.