Three North East housing associations have announced plans to merge to create a 23,500-home association.
Isos Housing, based in Newcastle, is planning to merge with 4,300-home Cestria Community Housing and 6,800-home Derwentside Homes to create a single landlord.
Cestria and Isos are already part of the same group, but will begin trading as a single organisation with Derwentside from April. The merger has received the conditional approval of the Homes and Communities Agency.
The organisation would be the third-largest social landlord in the region, with 23,500 homes under management and a projected turnover of £114m a year. A new name to be announced in weeks.