Victoria Mutual celebrates 135 years of history and service to the people of Jamaica this week, and we couldn’t be more proud!
On Thursday, November 14, 1878 the first Victoria Mutual Building Society branch opened its doors at the corner of Water Lane and Duke Street in downtown Kingston. Inspired by Rev. G. W. Downer to build a Society that could “meet the needs of the deserving thrifty,” by harnessing the power of shared savings, we set out on a mission to turn every Jamaican into a homeowner.
It’s been many years since our first mortgage of £100.00 was issued to a schoolmaster from Portland, and over the years we’ve had good days and challenging ones. It has been our absolute privilege to support your home ownership goals, and we have been gratified that our culture of savings has allowed our Society and our Members to grow through setbacks. From the earthquake of 1907 and the Great Fire, two World Wars and global economic crises, they have made us wiser, stronger and more agile. All our experiences have solidified Victoria Mutual’s values of flexibility, integrity, teamwork, innovation, respect, enthusiasm, and excellence.
Our values are the bridge that connects our incredible history to the future that we work to create with you.
Today, driven by the needs of our Members, Victoria Mutual is a full service group, always focused on homeownership and purposed by helping you on your journey to financial independence. We now offer Wealth Management and Financial Advisory Services, Real Estate and Commercial Property Management, Money Transfer Services, and Investment Management, and Property, as well as Casualty and Liability Insurance. This year, we welcomed Prime Asset Management to the VM Group, adding Pension Administration to our offerings.
Despite our country’s recent economic challenges Victoria Mutual has continued expanding our benefits to Members. Our consistently low mortgage rate got even lower and, at 9.29% remains Jamaica’s best mortgage. We’ve also launched VM Express online, so you can manage your finances and pay your bills on the go or sitting on your couch. And of course we remain committed to offering low and no fees to our Members because giving you our best is what being a Mutual is all about.
Speaking at one of the church services held on Sunday, November 10, to celebrate our anniversary this Thursday, Victoria Mutual President and CEO Richard Powell thanked the team and our fantastic clients, without whom, we would not be who we are today, “I wish to salute all our Team Members, both past and present, our network of business partners and our loyal Members and customers, who have contributed to the growth and success of Victoria Mutual.” For years we’ve been helping our Members find and maintain financial independence and your successes make us happy.
We’re celebrating all this week and we hope you do too because at VM our benefits are truly Mutual. We also invite you stop by your nearest Victoria Mutual Branch this Thursday, November 14, for a slice of cake and a bit of good cheer!
