---
title: UK banks and building societies AI reputation tracker – September 2026
canonical_url: https://www.omniscan.ai/ai-benchmarks/uk-banks
type: dataset
publisher: Omniscan
sector: UK banks and building societies
assistants: ChatGPT, Claude, Google
date_published: '2026-09-22'
last_updated: '2026-09-22'
companies: 20
questions: 10
data_download: https://www.omniscan.ai/ai-benchmarks/uk-banks/data.json
summary: 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%).
---

# UK banks and building societies AI reputation tracker (September 2026)

> 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%).

Interactive version: https://www.omniscan.ai/ai-benchmarks/uk-banks

## Which banks and building societies AI names

Share of AI answers that mention each bank.

| Bank | All assistants | ChatGPT | Claude | Google |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nationwide | 66% | 70% | 82% | 43% |
| NatWest | 65% | 62% | 82% | 50% |
| HSBC | 63% | 52% | 88% | 48% |
| Santander | 59% | 62% | 58% | 57% |
| Barclays | 56% | 52% | 78% | 36% |
| First Direct | 55% | 48% | 64% | 52% |
| Starling Bank | 53% | 46% | 66% | 45% |
| Monzo | 50% | 46% | 66% | 36% |
| Lloyds Bank | 48% | 40% | 68% | 34% |
| Chase | 43% | 36% | 60% | 32% |
| Halifax | 33% | 30% | 46% | 23% |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | 33% | 38% | 42% | 18% |
| Revolut | 26% | 14% | 50% | 11% |
| Bank of Scotland | 25% | 30% | 20% | 25% |
| TSB | 20% | 14% | 34% | 11% |
| Co-operative Bank | 18% | 12% | 30% | 11% |
| Ulster Bank | 17% | 14% | 24% | 14% |
| Virgin Money | 16% | 10% | 30% | 7% |
| NS&I | 10% | 8% | 10% | 14% |
| Post Office | 10% | 10% | 10% | 11% |

## How AI describes them

Tone of each bank's own mentions in AI answers.

| Bank | Positive | Neutral | Negative | Net tone |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Post Office | 100% | 0% | 0% | +100 |
| NS&I | 100% | 0% | 0% | +100 |
| Nationwide | 96% | 4% | 0% | +96 |
| Chase | 94% | 6% | 0% | +94 |
| First Direct | 86% | 10% | 4% | +82 |
| Starling Bank | 83% | 8% | 9% | +74 |
| Monzo | 81% | 6% | 14% | +67 |
| Santander | 72% | 7% | 21% | +51 |
| HSBC | 64% | 13% | 23% | +41 |
| Barclays | 57% | 16% | 27% | +30 |
| NatWest | 57% | 11% | 32% | +25 |
| Halifax | 54% | 15% | 31% | +23 |
| Revolut | 54% | 14% | 32% | +22 |
| Lloyds Bank | 46% | 19% | 35% | +11 |
| TSB | 48% | 14% | 38% | +10 |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | 46% | 10% | 44% | +2 |
| Co-operative Bank | 46% | 4% | 50% | −4 |
| Bank of Scotland | 31% | 28% | 42% | −11 |
| Virgin Money | 30% | 22% | 48% | −18 |
| Ulster Bank | 16% | 36% | 48% | −32 |

## Who AI singles out, question by question

Shares are of the answers to that question.

- **Which UK bank is best for a current account?** Most often picked: Nationwide (27%).
- **Which UK bank pays the best interest on savings?** Most often picked: Santander (33%). Most criticised: HSBC (40%).
- **Which UK banks have the best and worst customer service?** Most often picked: Monzo (60%). Most criticised: Virgin Money (90%).
- **Which UK bank has the best mobile app?** Most often picked: Monzo (40%). Most criticised: First Direct (20%).
- **Which UK banks are best at protecting customers from fraud and scams?** Most often picked: Nationwide (33%). Most criticised: Monzo (67%).
- **Which UK bank is best to switch to, and who has the best switching offer?** Most often picked: Santander (79%).
- **Which UK bank is best for a mortgage?** Most often picked: Nationwide (47%). Most criticised: Lloyds Bank (20%).
- **Which UK bank is best for spending and travelling abroad?** Most often picked: Starling Bank (73%).
- **Which UK banks have closed the most branches, and where can I still bank in person?** Most often picked: Nationwide (60%). Most criticised: Lloyds Bank (93%).
- **Which UK banks are the safest place for my money?** Most often picked: NS&I (80%). Most criticised: Revolut (20%).

## By assistant

- ChatGPT: Nationwide is named most often (70% of its answers).
- Claude: HSBC is named most often (88% of its answers).
- Google: Santander is named most often (57% of its answers).

## Sources AI cites

| Website | Answers citing it |
| --- | --- |
| which.co.uk | 46% |
| moneysavingexpert.com | 36% |
| moneyfactscompare.co.uk | 21% |
| forbes.com | 16% |
| finder.com | 15% |
| reddit.com | 13% |
| natwest.com | 10% |
| nationwide.co.uk | 10% |

The most-cited bank website is natwest.com (10% of answers).

## 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. Recommendations for communications teams and the full PDF report are available on the interactive page.

## How to cite

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