The merger of the Yorkshire and Chelsea building societies has completed today.

The enlarged Society will be known as Yorkshire Building Society, with the Chelsea Building Society name being retained and operated as a separate and distinct brand within the Yorkshire Group. It will have assets of £36 billion, 178 branches and 2.8 million members.

Branches will remain in all communities where either the Yorkshire or the Chelsea currently has a presence.

Iain Cornish, chief executive of the enlarged Yorkshire Building Society, said: “This is an exciting day in our societies’ histories