Norwich Union life insurance: what happened and who looks after policies now
What happened to Norwich Union, who looks after its life insurance policies now, how to trace an old policy and how to make a claim.
- Brand
- Retired
- Renamed Aviva on 1 June 2009
- Policies now with
- Aviva
- Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited
- Life claims phone
- 0800 015 1142
- Aviva, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
In a nutshell
Norwich Union is no longer a brand. It merged with CGU in 2000 to form CGNU, which renamed itself Aviva in 2002, and in the UK the Norwich Union name was replaced by Aviva on 1 June 2009. Its life and pensions company, Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited, is the company now called Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited.
- Aviva lists Norwich Union among the companies that are now part of Aviva, and its current with-profits documents still refer to ex Norwich Union policies.
- To claim on a life policy, Aviva’s UK life claims number is 0800 015 1142 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), or you can use its online claim form.
- Lost the paperwork? Aviva says a policy number helps when you report a death, but it can usually find the customer’s information without one.
- You can’t buy a Norwich Union policy today: the old norwichunion.co.uk web address now redirects to aviva.co.uk.
Who were Norwich Union?
Norwich Union began in Norwich in 1797, when Thomas Bignold founded a fire insurance society that was a mutual, owned by its policyholders. In 1808, after a severe winter that caused loss of life, he set up the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society, also a mutual.
- Founded
- 1797 (fire society) and 1808 (life society), Norwich
- Founder
- Thomas Bignold
- Head office
- Surrey House, Norwich (opened 1905)
- Floated on the stock market
- 16 June 1997
- Merged with CGU
- 30 May 2000, forming CGNU plc
In 1866 the Life Society bought the Amicable Society, which had been set up in 1706 and claimed to be the world’s oldest mutual life office. In 1925 the Life Society bought the whole share capital of the Fire Society, bringing the two companies together.
Its purpose-built head office, Surrey House in Norwich, opened on 1 January 1905. The building has been Grade I listed since 1972 and now houses the Aviva Group Archive, which says it can’t help with policy enquiries.
Norwich Union gave up mutual status in its bicentenary year, floating on the London Stock Exchange on 16 June 1997 and becoming a FTSE 100 company.
Norwich Union sold life cover alongside its pensions, investments and general insurance. In 2001 it was selling term assurance, with or without critical illness cover, and described it as a protection policy that paid a lump sum on death, or on diagnosis of a specified critical illness if that option was chosen, during the policy term. It said the policy had no cash-in value at any time.
In April 2006 it launched a Guaranteed Whole of Life plan, which paid a guaranteed cash lump sum on death with no dependency on investment performance. In September 2006 it launched Simplified Life Cover, a level and decreasing term policy that it said would be sold through its website and call centre, and later through intermediaries.
Its critical illness figures for 2008, published in March 2009, show that it paid 90% of all critical illness claims that year: 1,625 claims totalling almost £121 million. It paid a further £216 million to families after a death or a terminal illness diagnosis.
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What happened to Norwich Union?
Norwich Union became part of the group now called Aviva in 2000, and the brand was renamed Aviva in the UK on 1 June 2009.
CGU and Norwich Union merged on 30 May 2000 to form CGNU plc. CGNU changed its name to Aviva plc on 1 July 2002, but kept Norwich Union as a UK brand for its long-term savings and general insurance business.
On 28 April 2008 Aviva announced that Norwich Union would become Aviva as part of its move to a global brand. Norwich Union completed the name change on 1 June 2009. Aviva’s announcement at the time said that for Norwich Union customers, becoming Aviva was not just a name change, and that Aviva customers would be able to log on to its newly launched website, www.aviva.co.uk.
The companies behind the brand were renamed or closed. Companies House shows that Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited became Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited on 1 June 2009. The company registered as the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society, renamed The Norwich Union Life Insurance Company Limited in June 1997, was wound up in a members’ voluntary winding up, after a declaration of solvency, and dissolved on 2 February 2020.
Norwich Union Annuity Limited was renamed Aviva Annuity UK Limited on 1 June 2009. Its assets and liabilities moved to Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited under a court-sanctioned Part VII scheme dated 6 December 2016, and the company was dissolved on 24 April 2019.
A third company, Norwich Union Linked Life Assurance Limited, took the name Undershaft (NULLA) Limited in November 2009 and is recorded at Companies House as a dormant company.
Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited is an active life insurance company with its registered office in York (company number 03253947). It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, with firm reference number 185896.
- Merged with CGU
- 30 May 2000, forming CGNU plc
- Group renamed
- Aviva plc, 1 July 2002
- Brand renamed Aviva
- 1 June 2009
- Life company now
- Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited (Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited until 1 June 2009)
- Company number
- 03253947, active
- FCA firm reference number
- 185896, authorised since 1 December 2001
- Life claims phone (Aviva)
- 0800 015 1142
- Old web address
- norwichunion.co.uk now redirects to aviva.co.uk
Norwich Union history
-
1797
Thomas Bignold founds the Norwich Union fire insurance society in Norwich, a mutual owned by its policyholders.
-
1808
Bignold sets up the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society, a mutual life insurer.
-
1866
The Life Society buys the Amicable Society, founded in 1706.
-
1905
Surrey House, the Life Society’s head office in Norwich, opens on 1 January.
-
1925
The Life Society buys the entire share capital of the Fire Society.
-
1997
A scheme sanctioned by the Court on 25 April transfers certain long-term insurance business of the Life Society to Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited (now Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited), among others. On 16 June Norwich Union demutualises and floats on the London Stock Exchange.
-
2000
Norwich Union and CGU merge on 30 May to form CGNU plc.
-
2001
In January, Norwich Union extends its mortgage endowment promise to all its with-profits mortgage endowment policyholders, including those with policies written by Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited.
-
2002
CGNU plc is renamed Aviva plc on 1 July; Norwich Union stays as a UK brand.
-
2006
Norwich Union launches a Guaranteed Whole of Life plan in April and Simplified Life Cover, a level and decreasing term policy, in September.
-
2008
In February, Norwich Union Life announces a special bonus of around £2.1 billion for around 1.1 million with-profits policyholders in its CGNU Life and CULAC funds; Norwich Union Life & Pensions policyholders don’t qualify. On 28 April, Aviva announces that Norwich Union will become Aviva.
-
2009
Norwich Union completes its name change to Aviva on 1 June. A court-sanctioned Part VII scheme, effective from 1 October, moves the assets and liabilities of various Aviva subsidiaries to Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited and reattributes the inherited estates of CULAC and CGNU Life.
-
2016
A Part VII scheme dated 6 December moves the assets and liabilities of Aviva Annuity UK Limited, formerly Norwich Union Annuity Limited, to Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited.
-
2020
The Norwich Union Life Insurance Company Limited, formerly the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society, is dissolved on 2 February.
Existing Norwich Union policies
Norwich Union’s life and pensions company is the company now called Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, and Aviva lists Norwich Union among the companies that are now part of Aviva.
Aviva’s current documents still refer to Norwich Union policies. Its with-profits fund guide lists policies taken out with the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society and Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited under its With-Profits Sub-Fund, known as the UKLAP With-Profits Sub-Fund. Its July 2026 with-profits customer news describes that sub-fund as including ex Norwich Union policies.
Aviva says ex Norwich Union mortgage endowment customers may also benefit from a Mortgage Endowment Promise if their policy is held to the end of the term. When Norwich Union extended its promise to all its with-profits mortgage endowment policyholders in January 2001, it said it intended to top up final bonuses at maturity where the claim value fell short of the mortgage originally targeted, provided future investment earnings averaged 6% a year after tax. Top-ups were only for policies whose premiums had been kept up for the whole term and that hadn’t been materially altered or sold on the second-hand endowment market.
Those are the terms Norwich Union described in 2001. Ask Aviva how the promise applies to your policy today.
Aviva’s endowment page says it covers endowments for all companies in the Aviva group, and that Aviva sends a maturity pack in the post four to six weeks before an endowment’s maturity date.
Some Norwich Union business has moved between companies through court-approved transfers. Aviva explains that a Court Scheme is a contract approved by the High Court under Part VII of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 that sets the conditions for moving business from one company to another. Its current Court Scheme sets out how the with-profits sub-funds of Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited must be run, and replaces the earlier court-approved schemes for those sub-funds.
If you have an old policy but can’t find the paperwork, or think someone who has died had one, Aviva’s pages suggest these steps.
- Check the documents. Aviva says your policy documents will show the name of the company your policy was taken out with.
- Look at bank statements. Aviva says regular payments to an insurer might mean a policy is in place.
- Ask people who may know. Aviva suggests checking with current or past employers, and with financial advisers, accountants or lawyers.
- Contact the insurer. If you know which company issued the policy, you can contact it directly; Aviva says it will help reunite its customers with their policies.
- Have the right to ask. Aviva says that to look for someone else’s policy you need express permission or legal reasoning, such as Power of Attorney or being the executor of their estate or a personal representative.
Aviva also writes to customers it has lost touch with. It uses Capita Tracing to find new addresses and handle replies, and its letter may ask you to get in touch or say that it will update your address if it doesn’t hear from you within six weeks. Aviva says to follow the instructions in the letter, and you can verify your details online at verificationonline.co.uk/aviva with the code in the letter.
If you’re not sure which company is now responsible for an old policy, Aviva points to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which keeps an up-to-date, members-only register of financial services companies that may have merged, changed their name or been sold. Aviva says the ABI website shows which company is now responsible for a policy and how to contact it.
Money from a policy that was never claimed isn’t necessarily lost. Aviva says unclaimed assets in the UK can go to the Dormant Assets Scheme, and that beneficiaries can still claim the money with proof of entitlement even after funds have been transferred to the government.
Our guide to lost life insurance policies explains the search in more detail.
Contacting Aviva about a Norwich Union policy
The old Norwich Union web address now redirects to aviva.co.uk, so contact Aviva about a Norwich Union policy.
To make a claim, call Aviva or use its online claim form. Aviva asks you to have ready the name of the person who has died, your relationship to them, the cause of death, the policy number if you have it, and your contact details. It may ask for a death certificate and other documents.
Aviva’s life claims page lists claim numbers by the name of the life provider. The numbers below are the ones it gives under Aviva’s own name. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from UK landlines and mobiles.
You can also report a death to Aviva by phone or with the notification form on its website. A policy number helps, but Aviva says it can usually find the customer’s information without one.
For questions about a policy, Aviva’s life customer service number depends on your policy number: one line is for numbers starting with BPL, one for numbers ending with two letters, and one for all other life insurance policies. Most customers can also use MyAviva to view their policy information and cover details, and Aviva’s chatbot can point you towards the right team.
For an endowment, Aviva’s endowment page gives 0800 953 1777 for policies bought with Aviva, with separate numbers for policies bought with Winterthur, AXA, and Friends Life or Friends Provident. It doesn’t list a separate Norwich Union number.
- Life claims (UK)
- 0800 015 1142
- Life claims (from abroad)
- +44 1603 603 277
- Life claims opening hours
- Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, closed at weekends
- Life claims customer service (UK)
- 0800 158 3467, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
- Report a death (UK)
- 0345 268 2194, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm
- Report a death (from abroad)
- +44 160 360 3851
- Customer service: policy numbers starting BPL
- 0800 285 1098, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
- Customer service: policy numbers ending in two letters
- 0800 404 9538, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
- Customer service: all other life policies
- 0800 953 1777, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm
- Customer service: all other life policies (from abroad)
- +44 2037 611 130
- Endowments (policies bought with Aviva)
- 0800 953 1777, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm
- With-profits guides and information
- 0800 068 6800
- Online claim form
- aviva.co.uk life insurance claims (opens in a new tab)
- Reply to a reconnection letter
- verificationonline.co.uk/aviva (opens in a new tab)
Calls to Aviva’s 03 numbers are charged at national call rates, and charges may vary by network provider.
Aviva’s pages don’t give a separate phone number for Norwich Union policies, so we list the numbers Aviva gives for its own life insurance and endowment customers. Numbers checked 3 October 2026 and may change.
Aviva documents for ex Norwich Union policies
These current Aviva documents cover the With-Profits Sub-Fund that includes ex Norwich Union policies, and the court scheme that governs it.
-
With-Profits Sub-Fund and Investment Summary (GN07052) (opens in a new tab)
Aviva’s summary of how it manages the With-Profits Sub-Fund.
-
With-Profits Customer News, July 2026 (GN07096) (opens in a new tab)
Investment returns and example pay-out values for Aviva’s with-profits sub-funds.
-
Part VII Court Scheme (2017) (opens in a new tab)
The scheme that sets out how Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited runs its with-profits sub-funds.
We didn’t find Norwich Union’s original key features, policy summaries or policy conditions on Aviva’s websites. Your own policy documents are the record of what your cover includes.
Looking for new life cover?
Norwich Union stopped trading under its own name when the brand became Aviva on 1 June 2009, so there is no Norwich Union policy to buy today.
If you already have an old policy, check what it covers and whether it has a cash value before you stop paying for it or replace it. A new policy is priced on your age and health today, and keeping the old one until any new cover has started means you aren’t left without cover in between.
Our guides to term life insurance, over 50s life insurance and critical illness cover explain the main types of cover. Our Aviva review looks at the company Norwich Union became, and you can see all our insurer reviews.
Guides to life cover
- Term life insurance: Cover for a set number of years, with level or decreasing cover.
- Over 50s life insurance: Guaranteed acceptance for ages 50–85, and what to check before you buy.
- Critical illness cover: A lump sum on diagnosis of a serious illness your policy covers.
- Whole of life insurance: Lifelong cover and how it differs from term cover.
Insurer reviews
- Aviva life insurance review
- All insurer reviews: plain-English reviews of UK life insurers, listed alphabetically
Norwich Union life insurance FAQs
Norwich Union merged with CGU in May 2000 to form CGNU, which was renamed Aviva in 2002. Norwich Union stayed as a UK brand until it was rebranded as Aviva on 1 June 2009.
Not as a brand. Its life and pensions company, Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited, still exists under the name Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited. The company registered as the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society, later The Norwich Union Life Insurance Company Limited, was dissolved on 2 February 2020.
Aviva. Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited is the company now called Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, and Aviva lists Norwich Union among the companies that are now part of Aviva. With-profits policies taken out with the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society or Norwich Union Life & Pensions Limited are in Aviva’s With-Profits Sub-Fund.
Contact Aviva. Its UK life claims number is 0800 015 1142 (+44 1603 603 277 from abroad), Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, or you can use its online claim form. Have ready the name of the person who has died, your relationship to them, the cause of death, the policy number if you have it, and your contact details.
Norwich Union’s critical illness figures for 2008, published in March 2009, show it paid 90% of all critical illness claims that year, 1,625 claims totalling almost £121 million, plus a further £216 million to families after a death or a terminal illness diagnosis.
Our Aviva review has Aviva’s own, more recent claims figures.
Start with any papers you have: Aviva says policy documents will show the name of the company the policy was taken out with. Bank statements showing regular payments to an insurer can also point to a policy, and Aviva says it can usually find a customer’s information without a policy number when a death is reported.
Aviva also points to the Association of British Insurers, whose website shows which company is now responsible for a policy. Our guide to lost life insurance policies has more on tracing a policy.
Aviva says it uses Capita Tracing to reconnect with customers, find new addresses and handle replies to its reconnection letters. It asks you to follow the instructions in the letter, and you can verify your details at verificationonline.co.uk/aviva with the code in it.
Aviva’s July 2026 with-profits customer news describes its With-Profits Sub-Fund as including ex Norwich Union policies, and Aviva says ex Norwich Union mortgage endowment customers may also benefit from a Mortgage Endowment Promise if the policy is held to the end of the term. For copies of the with-profits guides, Aviva gives 0800 068 6800; for an endowment bought with Aviva, its endowment line is 0800 953 1777.
In 2001 Norwich Union said its term assurance had no cash-in value at any time. An endowment is different: Aviva sends a maturity pack four to six weeks before the maturity date, with either an estimated or a guaranteed maturity value depending on the type of policy. Your own policy documents set out the terms of your plan.
No. The Norwich Union brand was rebranded as Aviva on 1 June 2009, and the old norwichunion.co.uk address now redirects to aviva.co.uk.
Aviva says unclaimed assets in the UK can go to the Dormant Assets Scheme, but beneficiaries can still claim the money with proof of entitlement even after the funds have been transferred to the government.
Yes. The 1797 fire society was a mutual owned by its policyholders, and the 1808 life society was set up as a mutual life insurer. Norwich Union demutualised and floated on the London Stock Exchange on 16 June 1997.
Sources
The facts on this page come from these sources.
- Aviva plc — Aviva heritage timeline - 1900s (Surrey House, 1997 flotation) (opens in a new tab), aviva.com, accessed 3 October 2026.
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