Wales’ largest building society is the first financial services company to offer mortgages online in Welsh and aims to attract a greater share of the ‘WEBs’ - Welsh e-buyers - market.
Access to the online facility is available at Principality’s website, which is fully bilingual. The project is being endorsed by the Welsh Language Board and Alun Pugh AM, Minister for Culture, the Welsh Language and Sport.
The Minister Alun Pugh said: "As part of the Welsh Assembly Government's vision of creating a truly bilingual Wales, we want to increase the opportunities for people to use Welsh in every aspect of their lives. This website is an innovative resource, which allows people to make one of the biggest commitments of their lives in their language of choice!"
Meri Huws, chair of the Welsh Language Board, reinforced this message: “The Principality is an excellent example of how companies in the financial sector can provide a comprehensive service for Welsh speakers. As market leaders they are truly leading the way in showing how the Welsh language can be a natural part of business and life. The process of buying a house can be extremely stressful, so by offering this service, customers can choose which language to do their business and will feel more confident and relaxed about it.”
Tracy Morshead, managing director of Principality Building society, added: “This is a very important initiative for us and it illustrates our commitment, as a Welsh business, to the Welsh language. We recognise the rewards, both to the Society and our members, of providing financial services through the language of choice and hope this new facility will help us to attract new customers.”
According to Ian Davis, e-commerce marketing manager at Principality: “E-commerce plays a major part in Principality’s strategy to extend its direct channels to compliment the network of high street branches. Our website has been designed based on the needs of our customers with high standards of accessibility and usability – which is key to its success.”
