If you are looking for mortgage protection insurance from NatWest, what the bank sells is life insurance, and the policy is provided by Aviva rather than by NatWest itself. Putting your name into the form on this page sets a mortgage cover conversation going with an FCA-authorised broker; the call costs you nothing.

This page covers who stands behind the policy, whether NatWest makes you take it out, what the options are for a mortgage, and what NatWest says about critical illness and over 50s cover.

Who provides NatWest life insurance, and what does it pay?

NatWest’s life insurance page states: “Life Insurance is provided, underwritten and administered by Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited – Only available to residents of the United Kingdom.” In practice that means NatWest introduces the product and Aviva is the insurer you would hold the policy with. NatWest’s mortgage page for first-time buyers says the same thing more briefly: “Life insurance is provided by Aviva.”

On what it pays, the bank says: “Life Insurance pays out a sum of money if, while you’re insured, you die or you’re diagnosed as terminally ill. It could help to pay off your mortgage or look after your family.” You choose the amount and how long the cover lasts, and you can insure yourself alone or you and a partner. The page gives an age band of 18 to 77 at the time of applying.

The word “could” matters. The policy pays a lump sum on a claim, and the bank presents clearing the mortgage as one use of it, alongside looking after your family. Whether a trust would help is covered in mortgage protection policy in trust.

If the name is what is confusing you, the difference between mortgage protection and ordinary life cover is the subject of is life insurance and mortgage protection the same thing. NatWest’s pages describe life insurance, so that is the product this page deals with.

Does NatWest make you take out life insurance with a mortgage?

Not for a first-time buyer mortgage. NatWest’s first-time buyer mortgage page says: “Life insurance is not a requirement of our mortgage.” It adds that having cover in place “could offer you the confidence that whatever happens, you or your loved ones could be protected”, which is a statement of why it suggests the cover rather than a condition of lending.

That wording sits on the first-time buyer page. Whether another NatWest mortgage, such as a remortgage or a home mover product, is treated differently is something you can ask when you arrange the loan; a broker can also tell you how lenders in general approach it. The wider question of whether lenders or the law ever require cover has its own page, do you need life insurance for a mortgage.

Not being required does not make it pointless, only optional. NatWest’s life insurance page lists mortgage or rent payments alongside household bills, childcare, everyday living costs and outstanding debts as things the lump sum can help with. For a view on whether it is worth paying for, see is mortgage protection worth it.

Level, decreasing or joint: the choices NatWest sets out for mortgage holders

NatWest’s page for mortgage customers sets out three choices, with a warning about the amount. The first is the shape of the cover. With level cover the amount paid stays the same for the whole term. With decreasing cover, the bank says, “the lump sum paid out at claim reduces over time, usually in line with your repayment mortgage.” Decreasing cover is the form usually meant by mortgage life insurance, and what is mortgage life insurance explains how the reduction works.

The second is single or joint. The bank says: “Usually when people have a joint mortgage, they take out a joint life insurance policy, but you can get a single policy just for yourself.” It also points out that a joint policy “will only pay out once”, whereas two single policies could pay two lump sums. If you are weighing the two for a shared mortgage, a broker can set out the difference in price and payout on the call-back.

The third is the term. The bank says you can pick how long the cover lasts and that it usually lines up with the mortgage, and warns: “If you choose a shorter term for your life insurance, your mortgage won’t be protected for its duration.” On the amount, NatWest is blunt: “if the full amount of your mortgage isn’t protected, then the lump sum paid out may not be enough to pay off your mortgage in full, should anything happen to you.”

Those are general points rather than a price. How much a particular amount and term would cost you depends on your age, health and smoking. For whether cover should stop at the mortgage or also provide for living costs, see family protection or mortgage protection.

Adding critical illness to a NatWest life policy

NatWest’s page says: “Critical Illness Cover can only be purchased together with a Life Insurance policy.” It describes this as an addition to the life policy and says the addition “covers 52 illnesses”. So through NatWest, critical illness cover cannot be bought on its own.

The count tells you nothing about how each illness is defined, and the policy wording is where that is set out. Mortgage protection and critical illness cover goes through what this kind of cover can and cannot do for a mortgage. To hear how a particular definition would apply to you, a broker can talk through it free on the call-back.

NatWest over 50 life insurance

NatWest’s page also describes an Over 50s plan, which it says is “designed for people aged between 50 and 80” and “can only cover you (single person)”. You choose either the cover amount or the monthly payment. You can hold more than one, provided your monthly premiums across all Aviva Over 50s policies taken out with them are not more than £100.

This is a different product from mortgage cover. It is sized by the amount you pick rather than by a mortgage balance, so whether it could clear a loan depends on that amount. Check in the plan’s own documents when it would pay the full amount before relying on it. Cover sold without health questions is covered in mortgage protection with no health questions.

What NatWest earns, and what that means for comparing

The bank says on its life insurance pages: “NatWest will be paid commission or referral fees for any life insurance taken out with Aviva through us. The commission or referral fee will be included in your premium.”

That is a plain disclosure, and it is a reason to look at more than one offer rather than a reason to avoid the bank. NatWest offers Aviva’s policy; other banks route to other insurers. Barclays’ arrangement is in Barclays life insurance and Nationwide’s in Nationwide life insurance. For how to line up quotes from several providers, see compare mortgage life insurance quotes.

For a first-time buyer mortgage, the bank’s own page says life insurance is not a requirement, so the cover need not come from NatWest’s partner. If you want cover for your NatWest mortgage priced, the request form here takes a few contact details, then the broker rings you, with nothing to pay for the call.

Frequently asked questions

Does NatWest do life insurance?

Yes, NatWest sells it, and Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited provides, underwrites and administers it. The bank also says it is paid commission or referral fees for policies taken out through it.

Which product sits behind NatWest mortgage protection?

On NatWest’s pages the cover for mortgage customers is life insurance, with decreasing and level options. The bank presents it as a lump sum that could help to pay off your mortgage if you die or are diagnosed as terminally ill while insured.

Is NatWest critical illness cover sold separately?

Not according to the bank, which describes it as an addition to a life policy and says it cannot be bought without one. Ask how a particular illness is defined before you buy, because the count of 52 does not show that.

Do I have to buy it from NatWest if I get my mortgage there?

The bank’s first-time buyer page says life insurance is not a requirement of its mortgage, so nothing on that page ties the two together. Nothing on that page stops you comparing other insurers first.

What age can you apply for NatWest life insurance?

The page gives 18 to 77 at the time of applying, and 50 to 80 for the Over 50s plan. Those limits can change, so read the current page before you apply.

Who do I call about an existing NatWest life policy?

NatWest’s page points existing customers to its manage your life insurance hub, and the policy itself is with Aviva. Your policy documents give the contact details to use.

Is the free gift card a reason to take the policy?

No. On NatWest’s pages as read on 27 October 2026, a policy taken out online with Aviva may qualify for a Love2shop e-gift card of up to £100 once six monthly payments have been made; the card is £50 where the monthly premium is up to £11.99, and restrictions apply. The bank says the offer sits outside the standard policy benefits and can be withdrawn or changed at any time, so choose the cover on what it pays and what it costs.

Does the insurer change if I switch mortgage lender later?

The policy is a contract with Aviva, not with the lender, so what happens to it if you remortgage depends on the policy terms. A broker can go through those for your own policy on the call-back.

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