Private Bank Mortgage Lenders UK Compared
Fox Davidson compares the UK private bank mortgage lenders: Coutts, Investec, C. Hoare & Co, Weatherbys, Arbuthnot Latham, Hampden & Co, Barclays Private Bank, Butterfield and Handelsbanken, on minimum loan, qualifying test and lending appetite.
The main UK private bank mortgage lenders are Coutts, Investec, C. Hoare & Co, Weatherbys, Arbuthnot Latham, Hampden & Co, Barclays Private Bank, Butterfield and Handelsbanken. Most lend from around £1 million, and none publishes a full rate card, criteria matrix or online application. Each of them lends on a relationship basis, case by case, and the terms you are offered depend on who presents the case and how it is packaged. We arrange large and private bank mortgages from £1 million upwards, and place cases with all of the banks below.
How we verified this: every figure is taken from the bank's own published material or from cases we have placed, reviewed 9 October 2026. Where a bank publishes nothing, we say so. See how we research and check our content.
Who are the UK private bank mortgage lenders?
The nine private bank mortgage lenders below are the names most commonly used for UK residential loans above £1 million. None of them publish a full rate card, so the figures here are minimum loan sizes and qualifying tests only, not rates.
The oldest of the relationship banks publishes a £10 million wealth expectation and lends interest-only with no maximum age. See our C. Hoare & Co mortgages page for its criteria and pricing basis.
How a broker decides which of these lenders to approach, and what that service should cost, is covered in how to choose a large mortgage broker.
Several of the banks compared here also use investment portfolios to support a mortgage. See investment-backed mortgages for how that works.
How these lenders assess bonus, carried interest, vesting stock and portfolio income is covered on our high net worth mortgage broker page, which also sets out when a specialist lender beats a private bank.
How do the UK private bank mortgage lenders compare?
UK private banks differ on four things that decide which one suits a case: the minimum loan, whether you need to hold assets with the bank, the maximum loan to value, and how they treat complex income. Coutts starts at £1.5 million through a broker and needs no existing account. Investec starts at £1 million and will stretch to 90% or more for the right professional. Arbuthnot Latham and Butterfield sit at the conservative end, generally 60% to 65% loan to value. Handelsbanken publishes up to 85% and decides every case in branch. The table sets all nine side by side, with links to our page on each bank.
| Lender | Minimum loan | Qualifying route | What we have found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investec | From £1m, up to £10m on standard terms | Broadly the FCA high net worth definition; more flexible for high-earning professionals on a clear career track | Will stretch to 90 to 95% LTV for the right professional case, which is unusually high for a loan this size |
| C. Hoare & Co | Generally at least £1m for new customers; not a hard floor | Customer wealth typically £10m or more; affordability assessed on income and assets together | Interest-only, no maximum age, moderate gearing (published cases at 48% and 50% LTV), lends to individuals, companies and trusts |
| Coutts | From £1.5m via a broker (raised from £1m); £3m for non-UK domiciled applicants going direct | No AUM requirement to apply. You do not need an existing Coutts account or investment portfolio | The minimum has moved up twice in two years. Always confirm the current figure before quoting a client |
| Weatherbys Private Bank | From around £1m | The FCA high net worth definition | Underwriting is manual rather than scored, and they will consider applicants across a wide age range, which matters for older clients other private banks decline on age alone |
| Hampden & Co | No published minimum; in practice cases start around £1m | Relationship-led, no minimum income published; typically up to 70% LTV | Strong on complex or irregular income (bonuses, profit shares, dividends) that automated affordability checks struggle with, and one of the few with a retirement mortgage for over 55s |
| Arbuthnot Latham | Borrowing facilities from £500,000; private banking relationship typically needs £750,000 total borrowing | Client relationship rather than a single income or asset test | Conservative on LTV, generally under 60%, with 70% considered on a case with strong mitigants |
| Handelsbanken | No minimum income and no published maximum loan; up to 85% LTV on its published matrix | Relationship banking through the local branch, every case underwritten and decided in branch | Less a private bank than a relationship-led lender with private-bank flexibility. Worth trying where a case has been declined elsewhere for being too individual |
| Barclays Private Bank | Published product range to £10m at up to 75% LTV; individually structured above £10m | Assets under management considered alongside income, though Barclays does not publish a minimum AUM figure for a mortgage | Lends to trusts and SPVs, terms to 35 years, and a client with substantial investable assets but modest declared income can still qualify |
| Butterfield Mortgages | £1m to £20m, higher case by case | The FCA high net worth definition; no assets under management required | A prime London and South of England lender rather than a full private bank. Maximum 65% LTV, interest-only to ten years, and comfortable with foreign nationals, offshore companies and trusts |
Minimum loan sizes and criteria are set by each bank individually, change without notice, and are not binding until confirmed in writing. Figures above were checked against each lender's own published material and broker reporting, reviewed 9 October 2026. Always confirm current terms with us before quoting a client or making an offer.
What is the FCA high net worth definition?
A borrower meets the FCA's high net worth definition if they have an annual net income of £300,000 or more, or net assets of £3 million or more, including the equity in their main home. This is not the same test used for certified high net worth investors under COBS, which does exclude the main residence. Lenders reading the mortgage rules apply the definition literally, so the value of the home you are buying or already own counts towards the £3 million.
On a joint application, only one applicant needs to meet the definition. This is a point we see missed constantly, and it changes the answer for a lot of couples who assume neither of them qualifies alone.
Meeting the definition does not switch off affordability checking. It changes which affordability test applies, and it is what allows a private bank to structure a mortgage around assets, business income or investment portfolios rather than three years of PAYE payslips.
Which UK mortgage brokers are truly whole of market for large loans?
No single broker has access to every private bank's best terms on every case. What separates a large-loan broker from a residential broker with one or two private bank relationships is whether the relationship is deep enough to get a case in front of an underwriter directly, rather than through a general enquiry form. We hold live relationships with all eight lenders above, and case-by-case with several others that do not publish criteria at all.
What lenders do the biggest UK mortgage brokers actually use?
The lenders that dominate the large-loan and private bank space are the same handful across every broker active in this market: Coutts, Investec, Weatherbys, Barclays Private Bank, Arbuthnot Latham, Hampden & Co, Handelsbanken and Butterfield. What varies between brokers is not the list of names, it is how the case is packaged before it reaches an underwriter, and how quickly a broker can get a straight answer when a bank's published position and its actual appetite have drifted apart.
Why use a private bank instead of a high street lender for a large mortgage?
High street lenders cap out on either loan size, LTV, or how they will assess income once it stops looking like a single PAYE salary. A £3 million loan against complex business income, a portfolio of investments, or a mix of currencies is not a case a high street underwriter is set up to approve on standard criteria, however strong the numbers actually are.
We see this most often with company owners drawing dividends rather than salary, professionals with significant bonus or carried interest income, and clients whose wealth sits in investments rather than earned income. A private bank will look at the whole picture. A high street lender is generally working from a fixed income multiple and a standard affordability calculator that was never built for that profile.
How does a private bank mortgage differ from a standard mortgage?
The mechanics are the same, a loan secured against property, but the underwriting is not. A standard mortgage is scored: income times a multiple, a stress test, a credit score. A private bank mortgage is assessed by a person, and that person can weigh a career trajectory, a business valuation, or an asset base that an automated system would simply decline.
This cuts both ways. It is why a client with an unusual income structure can get approved where a high street lender would say no, and it is also why the process takes longer and asks for more documentation up front. Rates and LTVs are set relationship by relationship rather than published, which is the entire reason a broker who already has the relationship gets a faster and better answer than a client going direct.
What documents do private banks ask for on a large mortgage?
Beyond the standard identification and property information, expect to provide a full picture of wealth rather than just income. That typically means two to three years of accounts or tax returns, a schedule of assets and liabilities, source of deposit and source of wealth evidence, and for business owners, management accounts and a clear explanation of how the business generates cash. The more complex the income, the more this documentation does the work that a payslip does for a standard applicant.
Can you get a private bank mortgage on interest-only?
Yes, and it is more common at this loan size than it is on the high street. Private banks will lend interest-only against a credible repayment strategy, which is usually the sale of the security property, an investment portfolio, expected liquidity events such as a business sale, or a combination of these. The repayment strategy is scrutinised properly rather than ticked as a box, so it needs to be real and evidenced, not aspirational.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum loan for a private bank mortgage in the UK?
Most UK private banks start large residential mortgages from around £1 million, though the exact figure varies by lender and by route. Coutts, for example, requires £1.5 million when applying through a broker.
Do I need an existing account with a private bank to get a mortgage from them?
Not always. Coutts, for instance, does not require assets under management to apply for a mortgage. Others, including Barclays Private Bank, consider AUM as part of the picture but do not require it as a precondition.
What counts towards the £3 million net assets test for high net worth mortgages?
The FCA definition includes the equity in your main home. It has no exclusions, unlike the separate certified high net worth investor test used elsewhere in financial services, which does exclude the primary residence.
Can only one person in a couple meet the high net worth definition?
Yes. On a joint mortgage application, only one applicant needs to meet the FCA high net worth definition for the exemption to apply to the case.
Which private bank has the highest LTV for a large mortgage?
Investec will consider up to 85% LTV on loans to £5 million and up to 95% for the right professional case, which is unusually high for a private bank mortgage. Handelsbanken publishes an 85% matrix. Hampden & Co sits at around 70% and Arbuthnot Latham is more conservative, generally under 60% LTV.
Can I get a private bank mortgage on interest-only?
Yes, provided you can evidence a credible repayment strategy. This is more commonly accepted at this loan size than it is on standard high street mortgages.
Do private banks accept complex or irregular income?
Yes. This is the main reason clients use a private bank rather than a high street lender. Bonuses, dividends, carried interest and investment income are all assessed on their own merits rather than against a fixed multiple.
Why use a broker instead of approaching a private bank directly?
Private banks do not compete on price in public, and the terms you are offered depend heavily on how the case is presented and which relationship it goes through. A broker with existing relationships across the sector can place a case with the bank most likely to say yes, on the best terms available, rather than the one you happened to approach.
How long does a private bank mortgage take to arrange?
Longer than a standard mortgage, typically several weeks from application to offer, because underwriting is manual and documentation requirements are heavier. Cases with a straightforward source of wealth and complete paperwork move faster than cases involving multiple income sources or overseas assets.
If you need a mortgage above £1 million and your income or assets do not fit a standard lender's box, talk to us before you approach a bank directly.
Call 03300 100313Rates and lending criteria are subject to change by lenders without notice. Figures reviewed 9 October 2026. Always speak to your broker for up-to-date rates and lending criteria on your specific case.