NatWest: Acquiring Unsecured Loan Portfolio From Sainsbury

Natwest purchased Sainsbury's' retail banking assets and liabilities in a deal that follows a similar transaction between Barclays and Tesco in February this year. The deal is small relative to Natwest's total balance sheet, but it does help the bank increase its exposure in credit cards (GBP 1.1 billion, up 19%) and unsecured personal loans (GBP 1.4 billion, up 15%) where it is lagging peers Barclays and Lloyds. Natwest will receive GBP 125 million at the completion of the deal targeted for the first quarter of 2025. Similar to Tesco, Sainsbury has opted to retain its commission fee businesses including insurance, travel money and ATMs as these businesses are typically less capital intensive.