A RAWTENSTALL man challenged the might of the country's big financial institutions with a protest at the takeover of the National and Provincial Building Society by Abbey National PLC.
Paulinus Barnes told N&P chairman Lord Shuttleworth and hundreds of N&P members at a special general meeting at the Nynex Arena, Manchester, that he had been a saver with the society since it was the Burnley Building Society.
He said as a saver of just eight years old he had been attracted to that society "because it shared the name of the football club of which I am an ardent supporter''.
His family had always been happy with the National and Provincial and he paid tribute to the staff in Rawtenstall. "My wife and I have always found them friendly, helpful and professional,'' he said.
Mr Barnes said he and his wife taken out a mortgage with N&P in 1992 because they had been unhappy with the service provided with their previous mortgage company -Abbey National.
He asked Lord Shuttleworth: "Since my wife and I want to borrow from a mutual society rather than a bank, if this transfer goes ahead, can you advise me of a good building society?''
Lord Shuttleworth replied that he shared Mr Barnes' enthusiasm for Burnley Football Club and he hoped he would stay with the Abbey National after the takeover.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article