--- title: "First Direct vs M&S Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is First Direct or M&S Bank more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-ms-bank" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # First Direct vs M&S Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is First Direct or M&S Bank more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: First Direct and M&S Bank - **Competitive set**: Personal loan lenders - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **First Direct Share of Search**: 1.5% - **M&S Bank Share of Search**: 10.2% ## Is First Direct or M&S Bank more popular in search? - In September 2026, M&S Bank had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. M&S Bank had about 35,400 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. M&S Bank made up 10.2% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. - M&S Bank was ahead of First Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Direct’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 1.1% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6K to 5.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, M&S Bank’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 6.5% to 10.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 21.3K to 35.4K. ## 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. M&S Bank was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. M&S Bank was listed before First Direct in three out of four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | M&S Bank | 1st | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | First Direct | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Nationwide | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Santander | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Tesco Bank | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | HSBC | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sainsbury's Bank | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lloyds Bank | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zopa | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Novuna | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Admiral | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Barclays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | NatWest | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Monzo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Halifax | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about personal loan lenders - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best personal loan in the UK?": 1. Nationwide, 2. Santander, 3. First Direct - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK lenders have the lowest rates on a £10,000 loan?": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Sainsbury's Bank, 5. Santander - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best way to borrow money for a car or home improvements in the UK?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "personal loan": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. HSBC, 4. Lloyds Bank - Searched Google, AI Overview "best personal loans": 1. M&S Bank, 2. Nationwide, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Santander, 5. Zopa Not named in any answer: Novuna, Admiral, Barclays, NatWest, Monzo and Halifax. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom personal loan lenders in September 2026? - In September 2026, M&S Bank gained share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, from 8.2% to 10.2%. - In September 2026, First Direct rose from 15th to 14th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. ## Month by month | Month | First Direct estimated searches | First Direct Share of Search | First Direct rank | M&S Bank estimated searches | M&S Bank Share of Search | M&S Bank rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | 21.3K | 6.5% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 3K | 1% | 15 | 18.8K | 6.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 3K | 1.1% | 15 | 18K | 6.8% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 4.5K | 1.2% | 15 | 28.2K | 7.5% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | 22.6K | 6.7% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 4.5K | 1.3% | 15 | 22.6K | 6.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | 27.7K | 8.1% | 3 | | May 2026 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | 29K | 8.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 3.6K | 1.2% | 15 | 29K | 9.4% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 4.3K | 1.3% | 15 | 28.5K | 8.8% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 4.9K | 1.4% | 15 | 29K | 8.2% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 5.2K | 1.5% | 14 | 35.4K | 10.2% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using First Direct’s and M&S Bank’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**: Measured on the search terms “first direct loan” and “first direct personal loan”, summed into one figure. - **M&S Bank**: Measured on the search terms “m&s bank loan”, “m&s loan” and “m&s personal loan”, summed into one figure. - [First Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/first-direct) - [M&S Bank profile](/demand/uk/brands/ms-bank) - [All personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is First Direct or M&S Bank more popular in search? In September 2026, M&S Bank had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. M&S Bank had about 35,400 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. M&S Bank made up 10.2% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "First Direct vs M&S Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-ms-bank This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-ms-bank. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.