Glossary
The register contains details of societies registered (or previously registered) under:
- Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (previously the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965)
- Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969
- Credit Unions Act 1979
- The Credit Unions (Northern Ireland) Order 1985
- Friendly Societies Act 1974
- Friendly Societies Act 1992
- Building Societies Act 1986
Information about documents
Pre-2001 for societies deregistered before 2001, the file will be with The National Archive.
2001-2013 – for societies still registered between 2001 and September 2013 documents were digitised on request. There may be information held on paper that is not available online. To find out if other documents are available, and to request their digitisation, ‘Request Digitisation’.
Post 2013 – from 18 September 2013 all documents were ‘digital by default’. Any document created after this date will be on the Register already.
On 1 April 2018 we received the digital files from the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, on the transfer of the registration function to the FCA.
Standard Industrial Classification
We display Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) to classify the economic activity of societies. Where the society has specified their SIC, we have displayed that. Where the society has not provided a SIC, we have selected one. We use the Office for National Statistics classification framework, and apply the same condensed list used by Companies House.
Reporting Classifications
These classifications are used in the downloadable extract of the register. Societies are mapped to the most specific classification.
| Report classification | Definition |
|---|---|
| Advocacy and campaigning | Societies involved primarily in advocating or campaigning for particular causes, including societies operating to save or provide particular services within communities. |
| Agriculture | Societies operating in agriculture or forestry, including production and supply, marketing, and collective purchasing. |
| Allotment and gardening | Societies managing or operating allotments for use by their members, including and gardening societies. |
| Art, culture and education | Societies for the promotion of art or culture, or provision or promotion of education and training, including museums, libraries, art galleries, music studios. |
| Associations and networks | Societies acting as membership bodies providing support for other organisations, and societies running networks supporting organisations or individuals. |
| Community Enterprise | Societies operating businesses within and for the benefit of a particular community, including community cafes, community centres, and activities not covered by other categories. |
| Community Land Trusts | Societies operating as 'community land trusts' or development trusts. |
| Community pubs | Societies running a pub and other associated services within, and for the benefit of, a particular community. |
| Community shops | Societies running a shop and other associated services within, and for the benefit of, a particular community. |
| Energy and environment | Societies involved in the production or supply of renewable energy, energy utility provision, and societies focused on environmental protection or improvement. |
| Financial Services | Societies providing financial services (including both unregulated financial services, and those regulated under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, a) including credit unions, friendly society insurers, building societies, and community development finance institutes (CDFIs). |
| Fishing | Societies operating as fishing clubs, or Fish Producer Organisations. |
| Health and social care | Societies involved in the provision of health or social care services, including consortia of General Practitioners (GPs), dental care, and social care. |
| Housing | Societies involved in the provision or maintenance of housing including housing associations (including Registered Social Landlords, Registered Providers), housing co-operatives, tenant management organisations and residents associations. |
| Leisure and recreation facilities | Societies operating leisure centres or recreational facilities, including gyms, lidos, caravan sites. |
| Manufacturing and services | Societies producing goods, or providing industrial services such as bike repair, printing. |
| Produce markets | Societies operating markets selling produce - including country markets and farmers markets. |
| Professional services | Societies managing or providing the services of their members including management consultants, actors agencies, taxi operators. |
| Retail societies | Societies operating in the retail sector providing goods to their member-consumers, wholesale services to retail societies, and subsidiaries of these societies. |
| Social clubs | Societies operating as licensed clubs including "working men's clubs", community halls, and other societies for the purpose of social interaction between members. |
| Sports clubs | Societies for playing amateur or professional sport including rugby, football, cricket, and sports clubs including golf and bowling. |
| Supporters Trusts | Societies of fans of particular sports clubs, including football and rugby clubs. |
| Technology and communications | Societies providing digital, data, and other information technology services, and societies involved in media or film production or services |
| Transport | Societies providing transport services including community buses, car clubs, and local or heritage railways. |
| Welfare and support | Societies operating as benevolent societies, grant giving bodies, or providing other welfare and support services |
System Codes
| Suffix | Definition |
|---|---|
| 84A | Society registered under the Friendly Societies Act 1974 converting to a society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 |
| AL | Appointment of a liquidator |
| AM (or AMAL) | Amalgamation of one society with another, to form a new society |
| AMLC | Amalgamation of one or more societies into a company |
| CAN | Cancellation of a society |
| CN | Cancellation of a society |
| CO | Conversion of a society to a company (used until 1994). |
| CONV | Conversion of a society to a company or Scottish Charitable Organisation |
| CW | Winding up by Court Order |
| F53 | Friendly society transferring to a branch |
| FW | Final winding up |
| HC | Cancellation of a society at the instigation of the FCA |
| HCDE | Housing Corporation Deregistration |
| HCID | Cancellation of a Building Society after dissolution |
| HCM | Cancellation of a society by the Central Office on the grounds it has ceased to exist |
| HtoD | Manual change of status (where a status of a society has not correctly updated) |
| ID | Instrument of Dissolution |
| ID92 | Incorporated Friendly Society dissolution |
| IDAU | Instrument of dissolution |
| IOD | Instrument of Dissolution for a society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 or Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 |
| LQ | Voluntary Liquidation |
| LtoD | Manual change of status (where a status of a society has not correctly updated) |
| NBC | Cancellation of a society at the instigation of the FCA |
| OT | Other Termination |
| OTRM | Termination method unknown |
| RC | Request to Cancel – where a society has applied to cancel its own registration. |
| RC92 | Request to Cancel under the Friendly Societies Act 1992- where a society has applied to cancel its own registration. |
| RE | Receivership |
| RR | Request to Cancel – where a society has applied to cancel its own registration. |
| S126 | Cancellation of a society where it has provided a certificate under s126 of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 following either its transfer of engagements, dissolution, or liquidation. |
| S59 | Cancellation of a society where it has provided a certificate under s59 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 following either its transfer of engagements, dissolution, or liquidation. |
| TE | Transfer of engagements to another society |
| TE92 | Transfer of engagements under the Friendly Societies Act 1992 |
| TEB | Branch transfer of engagements |
| TECO | Transfer of engagements to a company |
| UN | Amalgamation of one society with another, to form a new society |
| VW | Voluntary winding up |
| WU | Winding up |
| WUBS | Building society final winding up |
Some of the mutual society numbers are followed by a suffix. Societies registered in Northern Ireland under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (before 6 April 2018) or The Credit Unions (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 have a prefix.
| Suffix/Prefix | Definition | Society Type |
|---|---|---|
| 4000 | Co-operative Societies registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (from 1 August 2014) or the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (from 6 April 2018) have a number starting 4000, with no prefix or suffix. | Co-operative Society |
| 7000 | Community Benefit Societies registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (from 1 August 2014) or the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (from 6 April 2018) have a number starting 7000 with no prefix or suffix. | Community Benefit Society |
| AD | Ancient Order of Foresters - District | Friendly Society |
| ADS | Ancient Order of Foresters - Scottish District | Friendly Society |
| AOF | Ancient Order of Foresters - Court | Friendly Society |
| AOFI | Ancient Order of Foresters - Irish Branch | Friendly Society |
| AOFS | Ancient Order of Foresters - Scottish Court | Friendly Society |
| AOHB | Ancient Order of Hibernians - Scottish Branch Ancient Order of Hibernians - Scottish District | Friendly Society |
| AOHD | Ancient Order of Hibernians - Irish District | Friendly Society |
| AOHI | Ancient Order of Hibernians - Irish District | Friendly Society |
| B | Building Society | Building Society |
| BS | Building Society Scotland | Building Society |
| BNI | Building Society - Northern Ireland | Building Society |
| BEN | Benevolent Society | Benevolent Society |
| BENI | Benevolent Society - Irish | Benevolent Society |
| BENS | Benevolent Society - Scottish | Benevolent Society |
| C | Credit Union | Credit Union |
| CU (prefix) | Credit Union in Northern Ireland | Credit Union |
| CUS | Credit Union Scotland | Credit Union |
| COL | Collecting Society | Friendly Society |
| COLS | Collecting Society - Scottish | Friendly Society |
| F | Friendly Society | Friendly Society |
| FASM | Order of Free and Accepted Scottish Mechanics - Branch | Friendly Society |
| FI | Friendly Society - Irish | Friendly Society |
| FS | Friendly Society - Scottish | Friendly Society |
| GLUK | Grand Lodge of UK Independent Order of Engineers & Mechanics | Friendly Society |
| GOIM | Grand Order of Independent Mechanics - Branch | Friendly Society |
| GOIS | Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David - Branch | Friendly Society |
| GUD | Grand United Order of Oddfellows - District | Friendly Society |
| GUOO | Grand United Order of Oddfellows - Branch | Friendly Society |
| IAC | Industrial Assurance Company | Data Transfer - see Companies House |
| INFI | Irish National Foresters Benefit Society - Irish Branch | Friendly Society |
| IOKD | Independent Order of Oddfellows Kingston Unity - District | Friendly Society |
| IOKU | Independent Order of Oddfellows Kingston Unity - Lodge | Friendly Society |
| IOMU | Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity - Lodge | Friendly Society |
| IORI | Independent Order of Rechabites - Irish District | Friendly Society |
| IORS | Independent Order of Rechabites - Salford Unity | Friendly Society |
| IUOL | Independent Order of Rachebites Salford Unity District | Friendly Society |
| RSUS | Independent Order of Rachebites Salford Unity - Scottish District | Friendly Society |
| IUOM | Independent Order of Loyal Mechanics England/World | Friendly Society |
| IP (prefix) | A society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 before 6 April 2018. | Registered Society |
| L | Loan Society | Loan Society |
| MUD | Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity - District | Friendly Society |
| MUDS | Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity - Scottish District | Friendly Society |
| MUS | Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity - Scottish Lodge | Friendly Society |
| NIOO | National Independent Order of Oddfellows - Branch | Friendly Society |
| NIOS | National Independent Order of Oddfellows - Scottish Branch | Friendly Society |
| OD | Order of Druids - Lodge | Friendly Society |
| ODD | Order of Druids - District | Friendly Society |
| OSTD | Order of Sons of Temperance - District | Friendly Society |
| OSTI | Order of Sons of Temperance - Irish District | Friendly Society |
| R | Society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 before 1 August 2014. | Registered Society |
| RS | Society in Scotland registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 before 1 August 2014. | Registered Society |
| SA | Specially Authorised Society (under the Friendly Societies Act 1974) | Specially Authorised Society |
| SAL | Specially Authorised Loan Society (under the Friendly Societies Act 1974) | Specially Authorised Society |
| SALI | Specially Authorised Loan Society - Irish (under the Friendly Societies Act 1974) | Specially Authorised Society |
| SAS | Specially Authorised Society - Scottish (under the Friendly Societies Act 1974) | Specially Authorised Society |
| SF | Superannuation Fund | Superannuation |
| SOO | Scottish Order of Oddfellows - Scottish Lodges | Friendly Society |
| UAOD | United Ancient Order of Druids - Lodge | Friendly Society |
| UBSM | United Brotherhood of Speculative Mechanics | Friendly Society |
| AODD | United Ancient Order of Druids - District | Friendly Society |
| W | Working Men's Club | Working Men’s Club |
| WI | Working Men's Club - Irish | Working Men’s Club |
| WS | Working Men's Club - Scottish | Working Men’s Club |