A NatWest statement is a compact British layout rather than a dense one, and its most useful feature is the Type column: NatWest publishes its own shorthand codes — D/D for a direct debit, S/O for a standing order, CHQ for a cheque, POS for a card purchase, ATM for a cash withdrawal, TFR for a transfer — so the payment method is a separate field rather than buried in the payee text. Money direction is carried by which of two columns an amount sits in rather than by a minus sign. Descriptions are the awkward part: card and faster-payment entries carry merchant names, locations and reference strings that spill onto a second or third printed line.
- Paid In and Paid Out map to Credit and Debit, so no amount silently flips direction on the way into the CSV.
- Wrapped descriptions are rejoined, so a card entry running over three printed lines stays one transaction.
- The Type code stays with its row, so D/D, S/O, CHQ and POS entries remain distinguishable after conversion.
- The running Balance column and the statement's own opening and closing figures are both used to verify the output, so a dropped row surfaces as a DISCREPANCY rather than passing quietly.