Nationwide Building Society

Weirdly I feel quite affectionate about Nationwide Building Society and especially this branch in the heart of Belfast. A stones throw away from City Hall it couldn’t get any more convenient. Facilities include 2 manned kiosks with always friendly and helpful staff. They also have recently installed 2 ATM’s within the building itself and a machine where you can lodge paychecks. Although I always prefer doing this the old fashioned way — besides you can’t beat a bit of human interaction.
One thing that might trip you up at this branch is the door. Yes, I said the door. They have installed a security door where you have to press a button to get in and out. This door bamboozled me on my first visit after they installed it and to be honest it still catches me out.
This is a great branch — just watch out for that door — trust me you’ll thank me for that tip!

The Nationwide has been operating in one form or another apparently as far back as 1846. Interesting fact…
This particular branch of the UK building society is located fantastically at the very top of Bedford Street, looking onto the City Hall and the hustle and bustle of Belfast city life. The ideal location makes it one of the busier branches that I have visited and as a faithful member, I have frequented this branch a number of times.
One particular time which sums up exactly what Nationwide is about was when I went in to get some information about a new credit card. I only wanted a leaflet which I could read on the bus home (it was pouring with rain and I didn’t fancy walking) but the nice lady behind the magic screen told me of all of the benefits of various cards, what would best suit a student and what would best suit me. We spoke for nearly ten minutes and although I didn’t sign up there and then, I did come out knowing a lot more than I did when I went in. That in itself is the best thing about Nationwide because they are customer friendly. They are not there to make a quick buck. They want to help you with your finances as best they can.
Though the security man looked a bit suspicious of me. It could have been that it was closing time and he wanted me out into the rain…
Never the less the staff are lovely and very helpful. It’s all you can ask from a bank these days as no one has any money.