You might notice that a Sainsbury’s Bank loan or credit card on your ClearScore report has now been replaced by a NatWest account. This is expected and nothing to worry about.
What’s happened?
Sainsbury’s Bank has moved a large number of its loans and credit cards over to NatWest. Equifax (our data provider) has updated your credit file to reflect this change.
Because your credit report is refreshed weekly, when this update happens you may see:
Your Sainsbury’s account showing as closed, and
A new NatWest account appearing
This can sometimes trigger ClearScore alerts (like “new account opened” or “account closed”), but it’s not new borrowing — it’s simply your existing account being moved to a new lender.
Has my payment history or balance changed?
No. Equifax have confirmed that the migration only updates the lender name.
The following should stay exactly the same:
Your payment history
Your account status (e.g. up to date, defaulted, in arrears)
Your account dates
Your balance or credit limit
Only the account ownership has changed from Sainsbury’s to NatWest.
Do I need to do anything?
You don’t need to take any action if:
The NatWest account looks correct, and
You recognise the original Sainsbury’s account
You should contact the lender directly (Sainsbury’s or NatWest) if:
You don’t recognise the account at all
The balance or status looks wrong
You believe the account should have been closed
The account should have been included in an IVA, DRO, bankruptcy, or another arrangement
If the lender has confirmed the information is wrong, you can raise a dispute through ClearScore and we’ll pass it to Equifax to investigate.
Still unsure?
If something doesn’t look right, or if you’d like us to take a closer look, you can contact our support team with a screenshot and we’ll be happy to help.