From pioneers to settlers: the Abbey National

This case study reviews the eight-year implementation and development process in Abbey National of a Distance Learning approach. By the mid eighties Abbey National was Britain’s number two building society with assets exceeding £14 billion and 12,000 staff in 700 locations. At this time the building society movement was under considerable strain. Competition by the Government for funds meant increasingly competitive National Savings issues, putting banks under pressure to seek more secure and high yielding forms of lending, as opposed to risky corporate finance. Banks responded by becoming more active in the home lending and personal savings arenas.