LONDON (Reuters) - Nationwide Building Society <POB_p.L>, Britain's biggest customer-owned lender, more than doubled its first-quarter profit, it said on Monday.
Underlying profit of 263 million pounds in the three months to June 30 was up 117 percent against the same period last year.
The mutual society said its share of current accounts rose slightly to 6.4 percent from 6.2 percent, while member deposits increased by 1.5 billion pounds to 132 billion pounds.
Gross mortgage lending fell to 5.8 billion pounds from 6.4 billion pounds a year earlier.
Nationwide is seeking to challenge the dominance of Britain's five biggest banks, wooing customers disillusioned by scandals including the mis-selling of loan insurance and the rigging of benchmark interest rates.
However, the big five of Lloyds Banking Group (L:LLOY), Royal Bank of Scotland (L:RBS), Barclays (L:BARC), HSBC (L:HSBA) and Santander UK (MC:SAN) continue to control about 80 percent of the market for personal current accounts.
Nationwide said its leverage ratio rose to 3.7 percent, ahead of a target set by Britain's financial regulator.
(Reporting by Clare Hutchison; Editing by David Goodman)