Suffolk Building Society

Suffolk Building Society was founded in 1849 and in its early days focussed on the development of Ipswich and other Suffolk towns under its original name of the Ipswich and Suffolk Freehold Land Society.

Later the Society branched out into house building, becoming the Ipswich & Suffolk Building Society in 1969 and finally merging with the Ipswich & District Building Society in 1975 to become Ipswich Building Society. On 9th November 2021, the Ipswich BS rebranded has now become the Suffolk Building Society.

Suffolk Building Society pride themselves on “championing the mortgage misfit” and their underwriters consider the needs and circumstance older borrowers when accessing retirement mortgage applications.

The Society offers a range of discounted and fixed rate retirement interest-only mortgages for homeowners aged 55+. All their RIOs come without a maximum age they will lend to, as the mortgage is only repayable when the last-named person on the mortgage dies or goes into long-term care.

Across the range, the minimum borrowing is £25,000 with a maximum of £500,000. Fees apply but for those looking to remortgage, there is a free valuation and help with legal costs.

When accessing affordability, the Suffolk Building Society can accept 100% of an older borrower's pension and they will also consider a proportion of other forms of income.