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BrandInsightAI Insights
Finance · refreshed weekly

How AI wants mortgages

Nationwide is the most desired mortgages brand the answers name: Desire 73% of maximum, above indifference. 15% of the 34 brands rated sit above indifference; the rest leave the models indifferent. The category is most divided on reinforced experience. The brand the answers name most often is Halifax, not the category's market leader.

34 brands rated · 20 named in the answers · 60 AI answers behind presence · rated by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Attraction Standing out: seen as superior, magnetic and influential.
Affinity Belonging: tied to identity, values and legitimacy, not just specifications.
Attachment Being returned to: an emotional bond, a dependable experience, part of the routine.
AttractionAffinityAttachment Each whorl lights one ring per index threshold cleared (84 / 92 / 100 / 108 / 116)

Indices: 100 = the average brand in the same category.Indices: 100 = the average brand across every category in the index. Desire % and status are absolute and read the same either way.

Mortgages

Every brand, named first

15% above indifference · 85% indifferent · 0% below · 34 brands

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
1 Nationwide: Attraction 126, Affinity 121, Attachment 125Nationwide: Attraction 115, Affinity 125, Attachment 123Nationwide 124121 73% Above indifference 126115 121125 125123 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 10%
2 First Direct: Attraction 123, Affinity 118, Attachment 119First Direct: Attraction 113, Affinity 121, Attachment 117First Direct 120117 70% Above indifference 123113 118121 119117 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 5%
3 Coutts: Attraction 115, Affinity 115, Attachment 120Coutts: Attraction 105, Affinity 119, Attachment 118Coutts 117114 68% Above indifference 115105 115119 120118 Ahead on all threeCredible, not first choice 2%
4 Skipton Building Society: Attraction 105, Affinity 116, Attachment 106Skipton Building Society: Attraction 96, Affinity 120, Attachment 104Skipton Building Society 109107 64% Indifferent 10596 116120 106104 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 3%
5 Handelsbanken: Attraction 107, Affinity 116, Attachment 98Handelsbanken: Attraction 98, Affinity 120, Attachment 96Handelsbanken 108105 63% Indifferent 10798 116120 9896 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 2%
6 Halifax: Attraction 109, Affinity 104, Attachment 109Halifax: Attraction 100, Affinity 107, Attachment 107Halifax 107105 63% Indifferent 109100 104107 109107 Average on all threeAverage on all three 12%
7 HSBC: Attraction 105, Affinity 103, Attachment 114HSBC: Attraction 96, Affinity 106, Attachment 112HSBC 107105 63% Indifferent 10596 103106 114112 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 8%
8 Santander: Attraction 105, Affinity 101, Attachment 109Santander: Attraction 96, Affinity 104, Attachment 107Santander 105102 61% Indifferent 10596 101104 109107 Average on all threeAverage on all three 8%
9 Newcastle Building Society: Attraction 102, Affinity 109, Attachment 100Newcastle Building Society: Attraction 94, Affinity 112, Attachment 98Newcastle Building Society 104102 61% Indifferent 10294 109112 10098 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 2%
10 Yorkshire Building Society: Attraction 102, Affinity 104, Attachment 101Yorkshire Building Society: Attraction 93, Affinity 107, Attachment 99Yorkshire Building Society 102100 60% Indifferent 10293 104107 10199 Average on all threeAverage on all three 2%
11 Lloyds Bank: Attraction 99, Affinity 100, Attachment 108Lloyds Bank: Attraction 91, Affinity 103, Attachment 106Lloyds Bank 102100 60% Indifferent 9991 100103 108106 Average on all threeAverage on all three 5%
12 Virgin Money: Attraction 111, Affinity 92, Attachment 102Virgin Money: Attraction 102, Affinity 94, Attachment 100Virgin Money 10199 59% Indifferent 111102 9294 102100 Noticed, not returned toAverage on all three 5%
13 Barclays: Attraction 99, Affinity 94, Attachment 109Barclays: Attraction 91, Affinity 97, Attachment 107Barclays 10198 59% Indifferent 9991 9497 109107 Average on all threeAverage on all three 5%
14 NatWest: Attraction 96, Affinity 96, Attachment 101NatWest: Attraction 88, Affinity 99, Attachment 99NatWest 9895 57% Indifferent 9688 9699 10199 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 5%
15 Metro Bank: Attraction 103, Affinity 87, Attachment 96Metro Bank: Attraction 94, Affinity 89, Attachment 94Metro Bank 9592 55% Indifferent 10394 8789 9694 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 2%
16 TSB: Attraction 86, Affinity 85, Attachment 93TSB: Attraction 79, Affinity 88, Attachment 91TSB 8886 52% Indifferent 8679 8588 9391 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 2%
17 Precise Mortgages: Attraction 84, Affinity 89, Attachment 83Precise Mortgages: Attraction 77, Affinity 92, Attachment 82Precise Mortgages 8684 50% Indifferent 8477 8992 8382 Behind on all threeLiked, not chosen 2%
18 The Mortgage Works: Attraction 81, Affinity 90, Attachment 79The Mortgage Works: Attraction 74, Affinity 93, Attachment 77The Mortgage Works 8482 49% Indifferent 8174 9093 7977 Behind on all threeLiked, not chosen 2%
19 Accord Mortgages: Attraction 82, Affinity 88, Attachment 78Accord Mortgages: Attraction 76, Affinity 90, Attachment 77Accord Mortgages 8381 49% Indifferent 8276 8890 7877 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 3%
20 Paragon Bank: Attraction 77, Affinity 82, Attachment 68Paragon Bank: Attraction 71, Affinity 84, Attachment 66Paragon Bank 7674 44% Indifferent 7771 8284 6866 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 2%
Rated but never named (14)

The models rated these brands when asked, but none of the category's answers named them.

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
— Monzo: Attraction 142, Affinity 108, Attachment 134Monzo: Attraction 130, Affinity 112, Attachment 132Monzo 127124 75% Above indifference 142130 108112 134132 Chosen, not lovedAhead on all three 0%
— Starling Bank: Attraction 129, Affinity 116, Attachment 130Starling Bank: Attraction 118, Affinity 119, Attachment 128Starling Bank 125122 73% Above indifference 129118 116119 130128 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 0%
— Coventry Building Society: Attraction 109, Affinity 115, Attachment 108Coventry Building Society: Attraction 100, Affinity 118, Attachment 106Coventry Building Society 111108 65% Indifferent 109100 115118 108106 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 0%
— Co-operative Bank: Attraction 107, Affinity 113, Attachment 100Co-operative Bank: Attraction 98, Affinity 116, Attachment 98Co-operative Bank 107104 62% Indifferent 10798 113116 10098 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 0%
— Principality Building Society: Attraction 102, Affinity 110, Attachment 100Principality Building Society: Attraction 94, Affinity 113, Attachment 98Principality Building Society 104102 61% Indifferent 10294 110113 10098 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 0%
— Leeds Building Society: Attraction 98, Affinity 108, Attachment 97Leeds Building Society: Attraction 89, Affinity 111, Attachment 95Leeds Building Society 10199 59% Indifferent 9889 108111 9795 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 0%
— Post Office: Attraction 93, Affinity 93, Attachment 112Post Office: Attraction 85, Affinity 95, Attachment 109Post Office 9997 58% Indifferent 9385 9395 112109 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 0%
— Bank of Scotland: Attraction 93, Affinity 98, Attachment 104Bank of Scotland: Attraction 85, Affinity 101, Attachment 102Bank of Scotland 9996 58% Indifferent 9385 98101 104102 Average on all threeRelied on, not exciting 0%
— Clydesdale Bank: Attraction 89, Affinity 92, Attachment 96Clydesdale Bank: Attraction 82, Affinity 94, Attachment 94Clydesdale Bank 9290 54% Indifferent 8982 9294 9694 Relied on, not excitingCredible, not first choice 0%
— Aldermore: Attraction 89, Affinity 97, Attachment 82Aldermore: Attraction 81, Affinity 100, Attachment 81Aldermore 9088 53% Indifferent 8981 97100 8281 Liked, not chosenLiked, not chosen 0%
— Royal Bank of Scotland: Attraction 88, Affinity 90, Attachment 90Royal Bank of Scotland: Attraction 81, Affinity 92, Attachment 88Royal Bank of Scotland 8987 52% Indifferent 8881 9092 9088 Behind on all threeLiked, not chosen 0%
— Family Building Society: Attraction 81, Affinity 92, Attachment 81Family Building Society: Attraction 74, Affinity 94, Attachment 80Family Building Society 8583 50% Indifferent 8174 9294 8180 Liked, not chosenLiked, not chosen 0%
— Yorkshire Bank: Attraction 86, Affinity 81, Attachment 79Yorkshire Bank: Attraction 79, Affinity 83, Attachment 77Yorkshire Bank 8280 48% Indifferent 8679 8183 7977 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 0%
— Foundation Home Loans: Attraction 74, Affinity 77, Attachment 69Foundation Home Loans: Attraction 68, Affinity 79, Attachment 67Foundation Home Loans 7372 43% Indifferent 7468 7779 6967 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 0%

Indexed against the average of the 34 indexed mortgages brands, so 100 is the category average and a brand is read against the rivals it actually competes with.Indexed against the average of every indexed brand in the whole index — 2,582 brands across 67 categories — so 100 is the average brand anywhere here and a number reads the same on every board. 34 mortgages brands rated by the assistants in the latest weekly run; Named in is the share of 60 AI answers that name each brand.

Feature profile

What this category is rated on

The brands are most divided on reinforced experience: Monzo is rated 5.4 and Foundation Home Loans 2.6 on the 1–7 scale, a spread of 129 against the feature's usual spread (100 = as contested as usual). Against every category, mortgages is rated highest on values & integrity (107) and lowest on emotional magnetism (83).

FeatureDriverCategory meanVs all categories
Perceived superiority Attraction 4.2/7 95
Emotional magnetism Attraction 3.1/7 83
Positive influence Attraction 4.3/7 95
Identity & belonging Affinity 3.9/7 102
Values & integrity Affinity 4.4/7 107
Trust & legitimacy Affinity 5.1/7 101
Emotional bond Attachment 3.9/7 95
Reinforced experience contested Attachment 3.7/7 96
Part of my routine Attachment 4.3/7 103

A feature's category mean is the average of its brands' ratings, 1–7. Vs all categories indexes it against every indexed brand across every category (100 = the average brand anywhere). The contested feature is the one the category's brands are most spread on, measured against how spread that feature usually is.

Stated vs revealed

Rated well is not the same as named

Across the 34 brands, how highly the models rate a brand when asked and how often their answers name it barely go together (rank correlation 0.24).

Rated well, rarely named

  • Monzo75% Desire · named in 0%
  • Starling Bank73% Desire · named in 0%
  • First Direct70% Desire · named in 5%
  • Coutts68% Desire · named in 2%
  • Coventry Building Society65% Desire · named in 0%

Showing 5 of 13.

Named, not desired

  • Halifaxnamed in 12% · 63% Desire
  • HSBCnamed in 8% · 63% Desire
  • Santandernamed in 8% · 61% Desire
  • Barclaysnamed in 5% · 59% Desire
  • Lloyds Banknamed in 5% · 60% Desire

Showing 5 of 7.

Rated well, rarely named: Desire above the category median, named in 5% of answers or fewer. Named, not desired: among the most-named quarter of the category, yet indifferent or below. A relationship inside one week's run, never a cause.

Model agreement

Where the models disagree

The models broadly agree on these brands (mean correlation 0.83 across 3 pairs: ChatGPT–Claude 0.82 · ChatGPT–Gemini 0.85 · Claude–Gemini 0.81). Still, 117 of 1,054 brand-statement ratings (11%) split by 2 points or more on the 1–7 scale, and the typical brand's Desire differs by 8 points between its most and least generous model.

BrandStatementRated highestRated lowest
HandelsbankenWealth Gemini 6 Claude 3
The Mortgage WorksUnique ChatGPT 5 Claude 2
Accord MortgagesControl Gemini 5 ChatGPT 3
Accord MortgagesCustomer experience Gemini 5 ChatGPT 3
Accord MortgagesPurchase experience Gemini 5 ChatGPT 3

The widest 5 of 117 splits.

Across the whole index, on the same brands: Gemini rates +4.5 points of Desire % against its peers; ChatGPT rates −1.7 points of Desire % against its peers; Claude rates −3.0 points of Desire % against its peers. A generous model lifts every brand it rates, which is why scores are combined across models and indexed within the category.

Distinctive statements

What sets the leading brands apart

For the category's leading named brands, the glossary statements each is rated furthest above and below the category's average, in points on the 1–7 scale.

Nationwide
Above the categoryLeader +1.7, Would miss it +1.7, Advocacy +1.4
Below the categoryEnergised −0.0
First Direct
Above the categoryCustomer experience +2.1, Digital experience +1.5, Innovative +1.4
Below the categoryConnecting −0.3, Energised −0.0
Coutts
Above the categoryExclusive experience +4.6, Self-expression +2.5, Unique +2.1
Below the categoryGood value −1.7, Digital experience −0.5, Transparent −0.2
Skipton Building Society
Above the categoryIntegrity +1.4, Good reputation +1.2, Peace of mind +1.1
Below the categoryConnecting −0.7, Unique −0.6, Innovative −0.6
Handelsbanken
Above the categoryUnique +1.4, Exclusive experience +1.3, Quality products +1.1
Below the categoryInnovative −0.8, Leader −0.6, Digital experience −0.5

Method & limitations

Every week, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are each asked directly, the way a survey asks a respondent, to rate every brand in the category on the 31 statements of the Havas Science of Desire glossary, on the survey's own 1–7 agreement scale. Statements roll up to nine features and the three Drivers of Desire (a feature is the mean of its statements; a driver is the sum of its three features, out of 21; Desire is the sum of the drivers, out of 63). Each brand is indexed against the average brand in its own category — 100 is the category average, 115 is fifteen per cent above it — and the Vs all categories switch re-indexes the same scores against every indexed brand in the index. Desire % is Desire as a share of its maximum. A brand is above indifference when its Desire is above two-thirds of its maximum (42 of 63), below indifference at or under one-third (21), and indifferent in between. The summary beside each brand says where it stands on the three drivers: an index of 110 or more counts as ahead, 90 or less as behind.

These are the assistants' own ratings when asked. They are not a survey of people and not an endorsement, and they are not read from what the assistants happen to say in an answer: the answers to the category's unbranded consumer prompts are used only to count how often each brand is named, and as supporting evidence. Relationships between ratings and how often a brand is named are correlational. A brand is indexed only when all 31 statements have been rated in a run by at least two models, and a category needs at least 4 such brands to get a board. See the full methodology.