Brandwave

How popular isFirst Direct?

In September 2026, people searched for First Direct by name about 155,000 times in the United Kingdom, a 15.5% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 1.5% of all United Kingdom personal loan lender searches, placing First Direct 14th out of 15 lenders. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about personal loan lenders, First Direct appeared in three of the five answers and was the second most recommended of the 15.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

First Direct is the 14th most searched of 15 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Tesco BankShare of searches 31.9%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. NovunaShare of searches 18.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. M&S BankShare of searches 10.2%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. NationwideShare of searches 5.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. First DirectShare of searches 1.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

+10 more

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Top personal loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, First Direct was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. First Direct is the second most recommended of the 15.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. M&S Bank1st
  2. First Direct2nd
  3. Nationwide3rd
  4. Santander4th
  5. Tesco Bank5th
  6. HSBC6th
  7. Sainsbury's Bank7th
  8. Lloyds Bank8th
  9. Zopa9th
  10. Novuna–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • M&S Bank3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Santander3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • First Direct3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tesco Bank2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nationwide2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zopa1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • HSBC1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Lloyds Bank1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sainsbury's Bank1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Novuna0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about personal loan lenders

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.

Which personal loan lenders compete with First Direct?

First Direct against personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Tesco Bank, Novuna, M&S Bank, Nationwide, Admiral, Zopa, Santander, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds Bank, Sainsbury's Bank, First Direct. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTesco BankNovunaM&S BankNationwideAdmiralZopaSantanderBarclaysHSBCNatWestLloyds BankSainsbury's BankMonzoFirst DirectHalifax
Oct 202534.4%14.6%6.5%5.7%4.8%3.2%5.4%3.8%4.1%4.3%2.2%5.1%2.2%1.1%2.5%
Nov 202532.9%16.6%6.6%5.2%5.4%3.6%5.1%4.1%4.5%4.8%2.1%3.7%2.1%1%2.3%
Dec 202534.6%16.7%6.8%4.8%5.8%3.9%4.6%3.8%4.2%4.3%2.2%2.7%2.2%1.1%2.2%
Jan 202630.8%17.5%7.5%6%6.1%3.4%4.9%3.9%4.4%4.6%2.3%2.9%1.9%1.2%2.7%
Feb 202634.3%16%6.7%5.5%5.6%3.7%5.3%3.7%4%4.2%2.2%3.2%2.1%1.1%2.4%
Mar 202633%18.6%6.5%5.3%5.4%3.6%5.1%3.4%3.9%4.9%2.1%3.1%1.7%1.3%2.3%
Apr 202633.4%17.9%8.1%5.4%5.5%3.7%4.4%3.5%4%4.1%2.1%2.7%1.7%1.1%2.4%
May 202633.6%16.1%8.8%5.6%5.7%3.8%4.5%3.6%3.9%4.2%2.1%2.7%1.8%1.1%2.5%
Jun 202630.6%16.6%9.4%4.9%6.1%4.9%4.7%3.8%4.4%4.5%2.4%2.3%1.9%1.2%2.2%
Jul 202634.1%15.8%8.8%5.4%5.8%4.7%4.6%3.6%3.4%4.3%2.2%2.1%1.8%1.3%2.1%
Aug 202631.3%21.4%8.2%5.2%5.3%5.2%4.1%3.3%3.6%3.3%2.1%2%1.7%1.4%1.8%
Sep 202631.9%18.5%10.2%5.5%5.4%5.3%4.2%3.4%3.4%3.3%2.1%2.1%1.7%1.5%1.5%

  1. 1.Tesco Bank

    31.9%

    Held 1st. 111K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  2. 2.Novuna

    18.5%

    Held 2nd. 64.3K estimated branded searches, -14.8% vs prior month. Share -2.8 points.

  3. 3.M&S Bank

    10.2%

    Held 3rd. 35.4K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +2 points.

  4. 4.Nationwide

    5.5%

    Moved from 6th to 4th. 19.2K estimated branded searches, +4.3% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  5. 5.Admiral

    5.4%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 18.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.Zopa

    5.3%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 18.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  7. 7.Santander

    4.2%

    Held 7th. 14.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.Barclays

    3.4%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 11.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.HSBC

    3.4%

    Moved from 8th to 9th. 11.7K estimated branded searches, -8.6% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  10. 10.NatWest

    3.3%

    Held 10th. 11.5K estimated branded searches, -2.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.Lloyds Bank

    2.1%

    Held 11th. 7.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Sainsbury's Bank

    2.1%

    Held 12th. 7.3K estimated branded searches, +1.5% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  13. 13.Monzo

    1.7%

    Moved from 14th to 13th. 5.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  14. 14.First Direct

    1.5%

    Moved from 15th to 14th. 5.2K estimated branded searches, +6.1% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  15. 15.Halifax

    1.5%

    Moved from 13th to 15th. 5.1K estimated branded searches, -20% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

First Direct, Santander and 5 other brands sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “first direct loan”.

Compare popularity between First Direct and its closest rivals

Every comparison with First Direct

17 comparisons

How has branded search demand for First Direct changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for First Direct in the United Kingdom fell from 183K to 155K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Direct rose from 15th to 14th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom personal loan lenders in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, M&S Bank gained share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, from 8.2% to 10.2%.

  2. In September 2026, Tesco Bank gained share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, from 31.3% to 31.9%.

  3. In September 2026, Novuna lost share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, from 21.4% to 18.5%.

  4. NatWest’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.5% to 3.3% in September 2026.

  5. Halifax’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.2% to 1.5% in September 2026.

  6. In September 2026, Nationwide rose from 6th to 4th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom.

How are First Direct’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using First Direct’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • first direct
  • first direct bank
  • first direct loan
  • first direct personal loan

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns First Direct?

First Direct is owned by HSBC. Brandwave also tracks HSBC, owned by the same company, in the United Kingdom.

Do you work for First Direct? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does First Direct compete?

First Direct is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Banks9th of 121.5%Show ranking
Personal loan lenders14th of 151.5%Shown above
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Is First Direct your brand?

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