Formed as a result of the amalgamation of the Bradford Building Society and the Bingley Building Society (both of which were founded in 1851), Bradford & Bingley Building Society was launched in 1964. It converted to a public limited company in July 2000. The flotation on the London Stock Exchange took place in December 2000 and Bradford & Bingley plc (B&B) was formed.

B&B don’t actually offer their own mortgages but rather rummage around for ones on offer from other lenders, and then assess which ones are the best depending upon which type of mortgage you want.

Their handy best buys’ list details what they consider as the best mortgage products on the market. The various mortgage products are sorted out according to which of the following categories they fall into:

Discount Rate
Capped
Fixed Rate
Tracker
Cashback
Flexible/Current Account Mortgages
100%
First Time Buyer
Self Certification
Buy To Let
Low Set Up Cost

They have a useful section outlining Repayment mortgages and Interest Only mortgages, the two main ways to repay your mortgage. There is also a section describing the pros and cons of different mortgage facilities.