The Mutation Of The British Credit Union Movement: A Critical Approach To Its Bankalisation Process

Credit Unions in the United Kingdom had their custody transferred in 2002 from the Registry of Friendly Societies under the Financial Services Authority. This paper examines the reasons why such a move may eventually lead to the mutation of the British Credit Union movement from small co-operative financial organisations to medium-sized banks (the “bankalisation” process) in order to cover the de-mutualisation gap that was left in the financial market in the 1980s when most of the Building Societies became Public Limited Companies.