Building societies provided the most competitive mortgages throughout 2007, research from mortgage information website mform.co.uk has shown. Mform.co.uk ranked best buy products across all product categories based on the true cost of a mortgage including all fees. Each time a lender appeared in its top 10 they were awarded a point. At the end of the year, those lenders with the most points signify those who consistently offer good value. The research has revealed that building societies took all the top 10 places, but Giraffe (owned by Bank of Ireland), was the highest-placed lender in the tables. Furness Building Society, based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, emerged as the clear winner of the building society sector with a total score for 2007 of 86 points. Skipton came in second with 55 points and Britannia third with 51 points. Abbey, in 17th position, was the highest-placed of the major lenders. The UK’s biggest mortgage lender Halifax was ranked 36th in the market. Halifax didn’t appear in any of mform’s top 10 tables until July this year.