Peruvian actress Natalia Salas has revealed that a bank denied her request for a mortgage loan after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The financial institution refused the loan application because insurance policies required for mortgages exclude cancer patients, forcing Salas and her partner, Sergio Coloma, to purchase an apartment paying entirely in cash.
Salas explained that after spending her life moving between numerous rented houses, she felt an urgent need to provide a stable home for her young son so he would not grow up without a place to call his own.
The couple decided to seek a mortgage loan after achieving financial success through social media content creation, but the timing coincided directly with her initial cancer diagnosis.
Upon applying, Salas discovered that banks in Peru do not offer mortgage loans to oncology patients due to the refusal of insurance companies to issue credit life insurance, known locally as seguro desgravamen.
She noted that even when an applicant possesses sufficient financial resources and income, purchasing a house through a bank remains impossible without the required insurance policy.
Faced with the bank rejection, Salas decided to buy an apartment outright in cash, a move that left the family with minimal remaining funds while she launched a new strategy to rebuild their savings.
Bank regulations and credit life insurance
Under banking regulations in Peru, financial institutions require all mortgage applicants to contract credit life insurance, or seguro desgravamen, as a condition for loan approval. The policy is designed to pay off the remaining balance of a property loan in the event of the borrower's death or permanent disability, protecting both the bank and the borrower's heirs.
However, because insurance providers evaluate medical risk before issuing coverage, individuals diagnosed with serious chronic conditions or cancer are routinely denied policy approval. As a result, creditworthy buyers with medical histories are frequently shut out of the formal mortgage market entirely.
Salas disclosed that 80 percent of her income is currently generated from her work as a digital content creator, while the remaining 20 percent comes from her work in television and theater projects.
Medical diagnosis and family life
Natalia Salas is a widely recognized Peruvian actress, singer, and media personality who has featured in domestic television series and stage productions before building a large online following as a content creator.
Her diagnosis of breast cancer recently advanced to metastasis, with the disease spreading to her spine. Spinal metastasis occurs when cancer cells travel from the primary tumor site through the blood or lymphatic system to form secondary tumors in the spinal column, requiring specialized oncological care and ongoing treatment.
Despite the financial strain and the ongoing medical challenge posed by spinal metastasis, Salas confirmed that she and her family are now settled in their new home, where she continues her recovery while managing her career and family responsibilities.
