RBS 'adviser' sold dying man £500k annuity he never received

clock

An 80 year old man suffering from cancer lost £500,000 after a Royal Bank of Scotland adviser sold him a pension from Aviva, which saw the insurer keep almost all of the money as he died before it began paying an income.

Norman Hensher was taking large doses of painkillers when he met an adviser working for RBS subsidiary Isle of Man Bank and agreed to put most of his life savings into a pension, according to the Daily Mail. Hensher, who had been diagnosed with throat cancer five months earlier, died before receiving any income from the annuity. However Aviva has pocketed his £485,000 because it is allowed to keep his annuity investment, and the RBS salesman has earned a £15,000 enhanced commission. When Hensher's grieving family complained, the bank and the insurer said they had done nothing wrong...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

Wealth Club launches UK's first private markets SIPP

Wealth Club launches UK's first private markets SIPP

45% income tax relief

Patrick Brusnahan
clock 24 March 2026 • 1 min read
Rebalancing act: Sometimes doing very little in portfolio management is the hardest thing to do

Rebalancing act: Sometimes doing very little in portfolio management is the hardest thing to do

'More often, it's the quieter disciplines that matter most'

Phillip Young
clock 23 March 2026 • 3 min read
Crypto investors receive 40 times more HMRC tax warnings than stock traders

Crypto investors receive 40 times more HMRC tax warnings than stock traders

Data shows enforcement activity shift

clock 19 March 2026 • 2 min read