Omniscan intelligence ·

Assistants ChatGPT Claude Google

UK banks and building societies AI reputation tracker

How Google, ChatGPT and Claude describe and recommend the providers serving UK banking customers. Which brands stand out, what earns praise or criticism, and where communications could support stronger visibility.

20 banks and building societies · 10 questions · 3 AI assistants

In short

Nationwide is named in 66% of AI answers, more than any other bank. Among banks and building societies named in at least one answer in five, Nationwide is described most positively (96% of mentions) and Royal Bank of Scotland is described most negatively (44%).

Which banks and building societies does AI name?

Share of answers that mention each bank.

  1. Nationwide 66%
  2. NatWest 65%
  3. HSBC 63%
  4. Santander 59%
  5. Barclays 56%
  6. First Direct 55%
  7. Starling Bank 53%
  8. Monzo 50%
  9. Lloyds Bank 48%
  10. Chase 43%
  11. Halifax 33%
  12. Royal Bank of Scotland 33%
  13. Revolut 26%
  14. Bank of Scotland 25%
  15. TSB 20%
  16. Co-operative Bank 18%
  17. Ulster Bank 17%
  18. Virgin Money 16%
  19. NS&I 10%
  20. Post Office 10%

How does AI describe them?

Tone of each bank's own mentions, ordered by net tone (positive minus negative).

Positive Neutral Negative

  1. Post Office 100% +100
  2. NS&I 100% +100
  3. Nationwide 96% +96
  4. Chase 94% +94
  5. First Direct 86% 10% +82
  6. Starling Bank 83% 9% +74
  7. Monzo 81% 14% +67
  8. Santander 72% 21% +51
  9. HSBC 64% 13% 23% +41
  10. Barclays 57% 16% 27% +30
  11. NatWest 57% 11% 32% +25
  12. Halifax 54% 15% 31% +23
  13. Revolut 54% 14% 32% +22
  14. Lloyds Bank 46% 19% 35% +11
  15. TSB 48% 14% 38% +10
  16. Royal Bank of Scotland 46% 10% 44% +2
  17. Co-operative Bank 46% 50% −4
  18. Bank of Scotland 31% 28% 42% −11
  19. Virgin Money 30% 22% 48% −18
  20. Ulster Bank 16% 36% 48% −32

Who does AI single out?

For each question: the bank the assistants most often pick as their answer, and the one they criticise most. Percentages are shares of that question's answers.

  1. Which UK bank is best for a current account? Picked as the answer: Nationwide 27%
  2. Which UK bank pays the best interest on savings? Picked as the answer: Santander 33% Criticised most:HSBC 40%
  3. Which UK banks have the best and worst customer service? Picked as the answer: Monzo 60% Criticised most:Virgin Money 90%
  4. Which UK bank has the best mobile app? Picked as the answer: Monzo 40% Criticised most:First Direct 20%
  5. Which UK banks are best at protecting customers from fraud and scams? Picked as the answer: Nationwide 33% Criticised most:Monzo 67%
  6. Which UK bank is best to switch to, and who has the best switching offer? Picked as the answer: Santander 79%
  7. Which UK bank is best for a mortgage? Picked as the answer: Nationwide 47% Criticised most:Lloyds Bank 20%
  8. Which UK bank is best for spending and travelling abroad? Picked as the answer: Starling Bank 73%
  9. Which UK banks have closed the most branches, and where can I still bank in person? Picked as the answer: Nationwide 60% Criticised most:Lloyds Bank 93%
  10. Which UK banks are the safest place for my money? Picked as the answer: NS&I 80% Criticised most:Revolut 20%

Picked as the answer Singled out critically

Does it depend which assistant you ask?

Share of each assistant's answers that mention each bank. The ten most named are shown.

Bank ChatGPT Claude Google
Nationwide 70% 82% 43%
NatWest 62% 82% 50%
HSBC 52% 88% 48%
Santander 62% 58% 57%
Barclays 52% 78% 36%
First Direct 48% 64% 52%
Starling Bank 46% 66% 45%
Monzo 46% 66% 36%
Lloyds Bank 40% 68% 34%
Chase 36% 60% 32%

Which sources shape the answers?

Share of answers citing each website.

  1. which.co.uk 46%
  2. moneysavingexpert.com 36%
  3. moneyfactscompare.co.uk 21%
  4. forbes.com 16%
  5. finder.com 15%
  6. reddit.com 13%
  7. natwest.com 10%
  8. nationwide.co.uk 10%

10%

is the most any bank's own website is cited (natwest.com). Independent guides, regulators and comparison sites write most of the answer.

What comms teams can do about it

  1. 1

    Focus campaigns on the guides AI already cites

    Prioritise relevant coverage in Which?, MoneySavingExpert and Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. Review the recurring pages for accuracy and offer current product information and evidence of service improvements to the teams maintaining them.

  2. 2

    Make strengths and conditions easy to understand

    Clear explanations of switching eligibility, account features and charges could support more accurate comparisons. Service and fraud-prevention claims are more useful when supported by dated, attributable evidence.

  3. 3

    Track reputation by customer need

    A brand can perform well on apps and less well on fraud protection. Monitoring a focused set of questions could help teams assess whether communications activity is reflected in coverage and citations over time.

Download the full banking report (PDF)

Method

10 questions UK customers ask, put repeatedly to ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Overviews with the United Kingdom as the user's location, 22 September 2026. Naming figures are shares of all answers; tone figures are shares of each bank's own mentions.

Cite as: Omniscan, “UK banks and building societies AI reputation tracker”, September 2026, https://www.omniscan.ai/ai-benchmarks/uk-banks

See how the press covers banks and building societies: UK banking media reputation tracker →