Brandwave

First Direct vs NatWest:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, NatWest had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. NatWest had about 11,500 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. NatWest made up 3.3% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about personal loan lenders, First Direct appeared in three of the five answers and NatWest in none.

Among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

NatWest, about 2 searches for every 1 for First Direct

NatWest 11.5K searchesFirst Direct 5.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

First Direct, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, NatWest in 0

First Direct in 3 of 5NatWest in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

First Direct, the only one of the two named

First Direct first in 3NatWest never named

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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. NatWest did not appear in any of the five answers.

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. +3 more
  11. NatWest–
  12. +2 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
  • NatWest0 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.

Is First Direct or NatWest more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for First Direct and NatWest by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 personal loan lenders we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

First Direct and NatWest among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for NatWest, 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%

NatWest and First Direct sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “natwest loan”.

How has the First Direct and NatWest comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. 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.

  2. In September 2026, First Direct rose from 15th to 14th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

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

First Direct

2 branded search terms

  • first direct loan
  • first direct personal loan

NatWest

2 branded search terms

  • natwest loan
  • natwest personal loan

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among personal loan lenders

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