Bournemouth and Poole have a reputation as successful and thriving holiday towns attracting hundreds of thousands of holiday makers every year. The surrounding areas are known for their expensive waterside homes, beautiful beaches, areas of outstanding natural beauty such as the Purbeck hills, Jurassic coast and New Forest which welcome numerous visitors every year.

But what most people will not know is that Bournemouth and Poole are home to a thriving financial services industry generating almost £2.2bn Gross Value Added per annum within the conurbation*. Financial services is the largest income generator in Bournemouth grossing more than that of the service sector - leisure, tourism and retail combined.

The head office of Portman Building Society is located on the fringe of Bournemouth town centre in a prominent position commanding views across the town, pier and out towards the Isle of Wight. Portman is the UK's third largest building society and 13th largest mortgage lender. A successful and thriving business, Portman has more than doubled in size since 2000 and during this period, was the fastest growing top ten building society in terms of total assets.

The Group has total assets of £17.8bn and employs over 2,300 staff, serving 1.8 million members. Approximately 800 staff are housed at our Head Office on Richmond Hill, with a further 200 staff working in the 21 branches in Dorset. We have a network of 143 branches in the Midlands and South and an administration centre in Wolverhampton, where Portman Direct is based. Having merged with the Staffordshire in 2003, Portman announced a proposal to merge with the London based Lambeth Building Society in March 2006. This merger will become effective in September 2006 following approval from the Lambeth's members and FSA.

Bournemouth provides an excellent location for our Head Office. Staff have a modern, high spec working environment in an enviable position in town, combined with the opportunity of living in one of the most desirable locations in the UK. Bournemouth has something for everyone, young or old, and interests of all staff are catered for by the town's growing range of facilities. Fast train links to London add to Bournemouth's desirability as a Head Office location and, from our perspective, the air links to the Channel Islands, from both Bournemouth and Southampton, provide a convenient link with Portman Offshore based in Guernsey. The growth of Bournemouth Airport has also meant that staff can holiday much more easily and cheaply, avoiding the added cost and time required to travel from one of the London airports.

Other large financial services companies with a strong presence in the area include JP Morgan, Barclays, Liverpool Victoria, RIAS, American Express and Standard Life. Due to the prosperity of the area, the highly active property development market and prosperous local economy, new businesses are regularly attracted to the area. A recent newcomer to Dorset is John Charcol Associates, a Limited Liability Partnership of the UK's award winning mortgage broker John Charcol, just one of many thriving small professional financial service providers who have been attracted to the area.

For further information on Portman's products and services visit www.portman.co.uk

*Urbecon Report 2006