The Marsden Building Society has reported record performance in 2018, with it increasing the size of the business to over half a billion pounds for the first time in the Society’s history.

The mutual, which has been operating for 159 years, saw assets increase by 8.8% to £514.2m).

The Marsden has diversified its lending portfolio and supported a growth in mortgage volumes of 9.7% to £417.8m and helped over 1,232 customers buy their own homes.

In addition to this, the Society also supported 1,818 customers find a home for their savings and as a result saw their total share balances up by 12.3% to £433.0m.

Rob Pheasey, chief executive of the Marsden, said: “It has been another busy and successful year: a year of growth, a year of investment and a year of making the Society stronger. I am immensely proud of what the Marsden team has achieved.

“Together, we’ve delivered a strong year of performance, both financially and with the organisational capability to support our future services. 2019 will be an equally busy period for the Marsden, our continued success dependent upon the commitment and enthusiasm we bring as a team.”