[1] The Society was founded in 1849 by a group led by Samuel Fox (1781–1868), a Quaker and prominent local grocer.

[a] The purpose of the society was to promote the construction of a better class of dwellings, suitable for the working and middle classes, as well as provide a safe and profitable place for small savings.

The Nottingham Building Society was one of the first financial institutions to introduce online banking in 1983, with its 'Homelink' service on Prestel.

The society currently has 31 branches across nine counties, mainly across Nottinghamshire, but there is also a significant presence in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

In responding to the society's request for an interim injunction compelling the supplier to provide the software, the judge, Chadwick, J (as he then was) sought to maintain the legal path which posed "the least risk of injustice" to the parties, deciding in favour of Nottingham Building Society.