Coutts Mortgages

Coutts writes residential mortgages for new clients from £1.5 million when the case comes through a broker, and from £3 million if you approach the bank directly. There is no minimum income requirement, no upper borrowing limit, and you do not need an existing Coutts account or investments with the bank to apply. We place cases with Coutts through its Private Banking Broker Team and this page sets out what the bank actually lends on, who it suits, and where a high street lender will beat it.

See how Coutts compares with Investec, Weatherbys, Barclays Private Bank and the other UK private banks on our private bank mortgage lenders comparison.

What changed this quarter. Reviewed 10 October 2026. Two changes found. Coutts repriced its fixed rates upwards between its 14 August and 8 October 2026 intermediary rate sheets, with the two-year fix at 60% loan to value moving from 5.16% to 5.49% and the five-year fix from 5.28% to 5.64%. Offset tracker margins also rose, while standard tracker margins held. NatWest Group's half-year results on 31 July 2026 showed lending in its private banking division, which includes Coutts, up 0.5% to £19.0 billion. The Coutts Base Rate stays at 3.75%, as Bank Rate was held on 30 July and 17 September. The £1.5 million broker minimum loan is unchanged. Our Coutts fixed rate update sets out the full rate sheet comparison.

What are the Coutts mortgage lending criteria?

Coutts assesses every case individually and does not publish a full policy guide, but the bank does state its headline criteria for intermediaries. The table below is drawn from that published position and from the cases we have placed.

Clients with wealth above £10 million who want a smaller bank and more flexible security should also read our C. Hoare & Co mortgages page.

Coutts also offers investment-backed lending to clients with over £1m invested with the bank. Our investment-backed mortgages guide explains how a portfolio can support a mortgage.

Lender criteria are set by Coutts, change without notice, and are not binding until confirmed in writing. Figures correct at the time of publication and checked against the bank's published intermediary criteria. Always confirm current terms with us before quoting a client or making an offer.

What mortgage products does Coutts offer?

Coutts runs a narrower product set than a high street lender, and every product is built for a large balance. Fixed rates carry a 10% annual overpayment allowance and early repayment charges. Tracker rates follow the Coutts Base Rate with no early repayment charges. Beyond those two, the products worth knowing about are the ones that do something a high street lender cannot.

The offset mortgage accepts sterling, US dollar and euro cash against the loan, which is the reason we see it used by clients with dollar bonuses who do not want to convert on a bad day. The Mortgage Reserve Account works like a large secured overdraft with an agreed limit that the client draws on as needed, and it suits anyone whose cash flow is lumpy: a partner drawing quarterly distributions, or a business owner between dividend dates. The Green Mortgage refunds up to £2,000 of the arrangement fee on an A or B rated property, or on a property brought up to C within 24 months of purchase.

What are Coutts mortgage rates?

Coutts publishes an intermediary rate sheet on its website and shows the Coutts Base Rate and House Mortgage Rate on its public rates page. The sheet dated 8 October 2026 shows a two-year fix at up to 60% LTV at 5.49%, a five-year fix at 5.64% and trackers at 1.14% over the Coutts Base Rate. Final pricing is still set case by case against the loan size, LTV, product and the wider relationship. As a rule, Coutts fixed rates have sat above the best high street large-loan fixed rates at the same LTV, and Coutts trackers have been priced over the Coutts Base Rate rather than the Bank of England rate. The Bank of England base rate is 3.75%, held at the 30 July and 17 September 2026 meetings, with the next decision due on 5 November 2026.

That price gap is the honest reason not every £1.5 million borrower should be at Coutts. If your income is clean PAYE, your LTV is under 60% and you do not need interest-only for 35 years, Nationwide, HSBC and Barclays all write loans to £5 million and beyond at rates a private bank will not match. We run both routes side by side on every large case before recommending one, and roughly half the time the high street wins on price.

Who is a Coutts mortgage right for?

Coutts earns its pricing on the cases a high street underwriter cannot approve. In our experience those fall into four groups. Complex income: bonus, carried interest, deferred equity and partnership drawings assessed on their own terms rather than against a fixed multiple. International: non-UK income in a range of currencies, with Coutts' country coverage model handling the source-of-wealth work that stops other lenders at the first hurdle. Super prime: purchases above £10 million where the high street has no product at all. And structure: buy to let inside SPVs, trusts and offshore vehicles, or a client who wants an offset in dollars.

The client we place with Coutts most often is a senior professional with a large bonus element who is buying in prime London at 65% to 75% LTV and wants interest-only. That case is declined or capped by most high street lenders on the bonus treatment alone, and Coutts writes it.

Can you get a Coutts mortgage without being a Coutts client?

Yes. Coutts does not require assets under management to apply for a mortgage, and you do not need to hold a Coutts account first. New clients coming through a broker need a loan of at least £1.5 million. Applying direct as a new client requires £3 million. That difference is the reason to use a broker even if you would otherwise walk into 440 Strand yourself.

How does the Coutts application process work?

Coutts lends through registered intermediaries under the NatWest Intermediaries terms of business, so the case is submitted by us, not by you. We discuss the case with the Private Banking Broker Team first, submit an enquiry form with the supporting pack, and Coutts issues a European Standardised Information Sheet setting out the terms. Once you have accepted that, the case goes to full application with a named credit analyst and case manager.

Expect to provide two to three years of accounts or tax returns, a schedule of assets and liabilities, source of wealth and source of deposit evidence, and for business owners, management accounts. The heavier the pack up front, the faster Coutts moves. A complete case with a clear source of wealth typically reaches offer in three to five weeks. Overseas assets and multiple income sources add time, and we say so before you instruct us rather than after.

How does Coutts compare with other private banks?

Coutts has the highest published entry point of the UK private banks we place with. Investec starts from £1 million but requires £300,000 of income and/or £3 million of net assets. Weatherbys, Hampden & Co and Arbuthnot Latham sit closer to £1 million with a relationship-led assessment. Where Coutts stands apart is the 35-year interest-only term, the multi-currency offset and the willingness to lend to SPVs and trusts on buy to let. Where it loses is on price against the high street and on minimum loan size against the smaller private banks. The full comparison is on our UK private bank mortgage lenders compared page, and the Investec position is on our Investec mortgages page.

For the wider market, including the specialist lenders that sit between the high street and the private banks, see our guide to high net worth mortgages and the large mortgages hub.

Frequently asked questions

Rates and lender criteria are subject to change. Figures correct at time of publication. Always speak to your broker for up-to-date rates and lending criteria on your specific case.