Anniversary celebrations take centre stage at the Tipton’s AGM

Held at Tipton Sports Academy Social Club, the AGM is where members can learn more about our strategy and achievements. They’re able to vote on key decisions affecting their Society, share views and opinions with us, and ask the Board any questions.

The meeting started with presentations from Jeremy Cross, Chair of the Board, and Adam Evetts, Chief Executive Officer.

Jeremy summarised business performance over the last 12 months. Highlights included another strong year of mortgage lending, savings balances reaching a record high, and the opening of a fifth Tipton branch in Codsall.

He described how the Society operates with a clear purpose and vision. We are here to help our customers achieve their most important financial goals and prioritise their aspirations because we don’t have shareholders to satisfy.

Everything we do as a business is driven by customers’ needs and the importance of adding value to their membership.

Adam Evetts expanded on this, using savings to illustrate the tangible benefits of mutuality. Across our savings book during 2025, he said members received rates that averaged 1.25% above the market, earning them an additional £6.9m in interest compared to typical offerings.

He spoke about choice, both in products and channels, with further mention of the new Codsall branch which has opened nearly 300 customer accounts since its launch last November.

In feedback surveys, customers are rating our branch service very highly and commenting on the friendliness and professionalism of our colleagues.

Milestone year

A prominent theme for the AGM was our heritage as we celebrate 125 years of the Tipton & Coseley Building Society.

Jeremy referred to the Society’s origins and how our original purpose from 1901 – to enable local people to invest money securely and buy their own homes – is largely unchanged today.

Adam went on to talk about the future, introducing members to Tipton Tomorrow, a multi-year transformation programme designed to enhance our products and services and ensure long term sustainability. 

Activities are already underway, starting with how we receive and process mortgage applications. We recently went live with a new mortgage origination platform to improve the user experience for brokers, speed up processing times, and increase our overall lending capacity.

Additional investments will be happening behind the scenes to upgrade our digital infrastructure and core banking system.

We’ve also committed to improve the look and feel of each of our branches, while colleagues will have access to better facilities and more efficient ways of working following the renovation of our Tipton head office, Adam explained.

Having your say 

Members are encouraged to use their vote in the AGM* and for every vote cast, we donate 15p to the Tipton & Coseley Charitable Foundation, a scheme providing grants to local charities focused on healthcare and education.

A further 15p is offered for every new member opting-in to receive future AGM information and voting packs electronically rather than through the post. As a result, we’ve managed to raise £358 from this year’s meeting and we thank members for their involvement. 

Making a meaningful difference in our community is an integral part of what we do. We pledge to give back up to five per cent of our profit before tax to charities and community organisations.

In 2025, this meant more than £55,000 being shared between good causes such as Black Country Foodbank, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, White House Cancer Support, Midland Langar Seva Society, and a further 20 clubs and associations.

* To see how members voted on each of the resolutions, visit the AGM results page on our website. All resolutions in the 125th AGM were passed.